Why not turn your average snapshots into great photos?  All it takes is a little photo editing.  Here is a video promoting PictoColor’s CorrectPhoto Editor that includes some excellent examples of what cropping and color correction can do to make your mediocre photos outstanding.

You can find out more about photo editing and how easy it is at www.correctphoto.com.

Wayne,  www.correctphoto.com

Yesterday morning we were treated to one of those beautiful winter spectacles called Hoar Frost. (Frozen dew that forms a white coating on a surface. It is also called white frost.). I took the above shot out of my car window (I did stop the car) on my way to the store.  After cropping (16×9 TV format) and color correcting the photo I clicked on the sepia tone button in CorrectPhoto to create the above image.

Here is the color version for comparison. You can decide which version you prefer.

Snow photo was cropped and color corrected using CorrectPhoto Editor.

Here is another example of a snow shot that was cropped (4×6 portrait), color corrected, and converted to a sepia tone photo.

For the most part, snow photos are pretty dull color wise.  So, turning a few of your favorite shots into a sepia tone images might just make them a bit more interesting. And, it is easy to do.

It seems that much of the US has been blessed with snow and bad weather over the past few weeks. Maybe taking a few photos and applying some creative touches to them will ease the problems the weather has created.

Wayne http://www.correctphoto.com/index.html

Virginia on her 90th Birthday--Passed Away 1/31/10 at 92

This past week my wife and I traveled to St. Louis for my mother-in-law’s funeral. She passed away last Sunday at the age of 92 (she would have been 93 this month). The night before the funeral we were visiting with my wife’s four siblings and family when someone asked, “Should we have some photos of mom at the luncheon?”  Since most had traveled from other cities and nobody thought to bring photos the room was quiet. I finally volunteered that I had my laptop with photos from Mom’s 90th birthday party three years ago and from and Dad’s 70th wedding anniversary two years ago. I offered to select a few photos and put a little slide show together and make my laptop available at the luncheon.  While there were certainly a few people who took the time to view the photos, watching my father-in-law (he is also 92) in his wheelchair and relive those memories was a real joy.

Create Memories from a Snapshot
It doesn’t require a lot of work to turn and average snapshot into a memory.  And, you might be glad you did. I took this photo of Virginia at her 90th birthday party. I was standing in the back of the room when she received a phone call from one of her grandson’s who was away at school and couldn’t attend.  It was only after editing the photo that the joy the phone call gave to her became apparent.

Turn a Snapshot into a Memory with CorrectPhoto Editor

You can find out how I created this memory by going to:  http://www.correctphoto.com/CreateMemory.htm

Share the Memories.
There are, of course, many ways to share memories. However, in this particular case I had to use my laptop to quickly assemble and display a slide show.  Fortunately, I had my external drive with my photo files with me so I quickly went through the folders of the three events and selected photos I thought would be of interest. I copied the files to a new folder on my desktop (or you could create a new folder in the Pictures folder). (To learn more about organizing photos go to http://www.correctmyphotos.com/2009/12/07/a-simple-way-to-organize-your-photos/.)

Start the Slideshow
When it came time to start the slide show I right-clicked on the folder I had created and selected Preview.

Right Click on photo and select Preview

In Windows 7 the following preview window opens. There is a similar function in Windows 7 and Vista. If you are using XP and the folder containing the photos is in My Pictures you can select “View Slide Show” under the Picture Task window.

Click the Slide Show Button in the Center to launch the show

Then click on the Slide Show button in the middle and the show will begin and automatically cycle through the photos in the folder.

Lessons to Learn
There are a few lessons to learn from this brief discussion on creating and sharing memories. The first is to take a lot of photos at events you share with family and friends so you can share the memories in the future. Second, take the time to turn those snapshots into memories. It really is quite easy and fun to do. And, for those of you who didn’t know how to create a slide show on your computer you now know how to do it. You don’t need any special software. All you need is in the Windows operating system.

Here is one more photo memory of Virginia and her five children on her 90th birthday.

Create and Share a Memory-Virginia and her children on her 90th Birthday

Wayne,  wayne@correctphoto.com, www.correctphoto.com

Photo Import Options
I normally use a card reader when importing pictures but decided to use the USB cable that came with the camera for this example. When I connected the camera cable into the computer Windows 7 automatically installed the driver for my Canon PowerShot G5. Then the Auto Play window popped up giving me several import options. The same option window will appear if you use a card reader or if you plug in the memory chip into a slot on your computer if it supports camera memory chips.

Windows 7 Auto Play Photo Import Options

 I prefer using Windows Explorer to organize and manage my photo files as opposed to Photoshop Elements, Windows Photo Gallery, or other photo organizing software as they tend to take over one’s computer and complicate the process.  The easiest import option is the first one in the list, “Import pictures and videos using Windows”.  The disadvantage of this option is that it forces you to import all of the photos in your camera to a single folder. Since most people are like me and have photos from multiple events in the camera by time they get around to downloading them I generally use the “Open device to view files using Windows Explorer” option. Here is a brief description using both methods.

Import pictures and videos using Windows
Selecting the Import pictures option will pop up the following window.

Windows 7 Import photos with AutoPlay-Enter Folder Name in Tag Field

The first time you use the import function you should click on Import settings and select the settings according to your preferences.  The “Tag” will become the destination folder for the imported photos.

Upload Photo Preference Window

I would suggest setting the Other options as shown. When you click the Import button Windows 7 will automatically create the new folder and transfer the photos to it.  When the transfer is complete Windows Explorer will open and by right clicking on a photo you can select the next action you wish to take. If you just want to look at the photos click on Preview. If you want to edit the photos click on Open with and select the photo editor. 

Right Click on thumbnail to select action

Open device to view files using Windows Explorer.
The the import method I generally use is the “Open device to view files using Windows Explorer as it provides the flexibility to put the photos into multiple folders. When you click on this option the following window will appear.

View camera photo files in Explorer-Select view Large Icons

Actually, when the window pops up it will probably show the “Tiles” view of the photos which are really too small for me. Windows 7 gives you a few more optional views. On the right side of the menu bar click on the little arrow and select Large or Extra Large Icons to increase the size of the thumbnail and it will be easier to select the photos you want to import into a particular folder.

Now left click on the first photo of the group and then hold the Ctrl key down and click on the remaining photos in the group (or, hold the Shift key down and click on the last photo in the group if they are in sequence). Then right click and select Copy.

Select photos to be copied to My Pictures folder

Open the My Pictures folder on your Desktop and select the destination folder for the photos. If you haven’t created a New Folder for the photos you can do so by clicking on New Folder in the Menu bar.

Select destination folder for photos

Then right click on the folder and select Paste and the photos will be transferred to the folder.

Copy photos to selected (Christmas 2009) folder

When the transfer is complete you can open the folder and select the next action or simply close it and go have a cup of coffee or whatever.

Well, Bob, I hope this helps answer the question, “How do I get my photos from my camera to my Windows 7 computer?”  Here are links to some other posts that might be helpful as you explore the wonderful world of digital photography and Windows 7.

A Simple Way to Organize Your Photos

http://www.correctmyphotos.com/2009/12/07/a-simple-way-to-organize-your-photos/

Storing and Archiving Digital Photos-A Simple Way.
http://www.correctmyphotos.com/2009/07/13/storing-and-archiving-digital-photos-a-simple-way/

Previewing Photos in Windows Vista (Win 7) and XP
http://www.correctmyphotos.com/2009/06/29/previewing-photos-in-windows/

Get the Red Out–What to do about Red Eye?

http://www.correctmyphotos.com/2009/06/10/get-rid-of-red-eye-in-photos/

Downloading Photos to Your Computer. Use Windows Explorer.
http://www.correctmyphotos.com/2009/05/21/downloading-photos-to-your-computer-use-windows-explorer/

Crop Photos for a Purpose.
http://www.correctmyphotos.com/2009/02/15/crop-photos-for-a-purpos/

Wayne www.correctphoto.com

A Greeting from Dickens 

Merry Christmas from Dickens-A Greeting Card Created with CorrectPhoto and ImageTitler

Pat decided to simplify the Christmas tree this year and just used poinsettias and red and white stockings with the first initials of family members. Using CorrectPhoto and ImageTitler I created a greeting card with Dickens. (Dickens, our Westie, was actually named after Charles Dickens of Christmas Carol fame.) First, I cropped and color corrected the original photo. Here is the before and after comparison.

When taking the photos I experimented with using both flash and a couple of natural light fluorescents. This shot was taken with the fluorescents which created some undesirable shadows that I didn’t want in the photo. The color was fixed with the OneClick feature in CorrectPhoto.  The next step was to add the text with ImageTitler, a process I wrote about in a previous post on creating greeting cards.

Special Effects with Color

Special effect Black and White photo created with iCorrect EditLab ProApp

I then decided to get a little creative and by using PictoColor’s iCorrect EditLab ProApp I made the black and white with color accent photo above.  Here is the screen shot of EditLab ProApp.

PictoColor's iCorrect EditLab ProApp Screen Shot for special effect

Using the one click auto black and white feature I first converted the photo into B&W.  Since the color information is still retained I then click on one of the red stockings to select the hue (color) I wanted to restore.  It only took a couple of seconds to do this using iCorrect EditLab ProApp.  It is a standalone application that was created for digital photographers with lots of photos to color correct and it probably overkill for most amateurs. But, if you use Photoshop or Elements there is a plug-in version, iCorrect EditLab Pro plug-in that is great for making fast and accurate color corrections special effects like the Christmas greeting example.

Lessons learned
The primary point of this post is to suggest or remind you to take photos of things like holiday decorations so you won’t forget what you did. Your spouse will thank you. The second point is that you can have creative fun with the photos you take.

Well, if you have been watching the weather in the US you know that the upper Midwest is getting hit with significant snow falls during the Christmas holiday and many people will have to cancel holiday plans and stay home or at least delay their departure. In Burnsville, MN we had 7 inches overnight and expect up to 20 inches before it stops on Saturday.  I usually can’t resist taking snow pictures so you might see a few in a future post.  If you find yourself stranded this weekend and you get bored why not sit down at your computer and edit and organize your photos.

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season.

Wayne www.correctphoto.com