Manage, organize, and enhance treasured photos with Windows Vista
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If a picture is worth a thousand words, the built-in suite of photographic solutions in Windows Vista can help you capture all of them.
These basic tools and desktop features are yours to enjoy right out of the box. They’re simple and intuitive enough that beginners can jump right in and start making memories, yet powerful enough that experienced shutterbugs can turn any scene-stealing moment into an instant classic.
Manage, organize, and enhance treasured photos with Windows Vista
Related Links
|
If a picture is worth a thousand words, the built-in suite of photographic solutions in Windows Vista can help you capture all of them.
These basic tools and desktop features are yours to enjoy right out of the box. They’re simple and intuitive enough that beginners can jump right in and start making memories, yet powerful enough that experienced shutterbugs can turn any scene-stealing moment into an instant classic.
Ready to learn how to catalog, touch up, and edit anything from family portraits to vacation snaps? Here’s everything you need to know to produce eye-catching images and distribute them by e-mail, animated slideshow, CD, or DVD—not to mention go from amateur to paparazzi overnight.
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Organize your photos |
Organize your photos
All it takes to get started is a Windows Vista-ready PC and digital camera.
To import from an older PC, use Windows Easy Transfer. Access it by entering “Easy” into the Search Bar. Otherwise, begin by transferring photos onto your computer using one of the following solutions:
| 1. | Connect your camera, and an AutoPlay window appears that will walk you through the process of importing photos.
Auto-import options make transferring photos from digital devices to your PC easy. |
In the AutoPlay dialog box, click Import pictures and Windows Vista will automatically scan for photos in all formats. Hint: To save time, set default actions to be performed every time photos are found on a newly inserted disc, device, or storage platform.
Next, assign images textual descriptors known as tags (e.g., “Spring Break” or “Jane’s 1st Birthday”). Not only do they offer a great way of quickly and clearly naming large groups of photos, tags make finding photos easier. Once you have given tags to your pictures, you can type the first few letters of the phrase into the Search Bar, and matching entries will appear.
Assign pictures tags for easier search and retrieval.
Pictures can be assigned multiple tags to help refine searches. This way, it’s possible to quickly pull up only family photos featuring summer picnics, for example, or shots of your child scoring the winning touchdown or goal.
Manage and edit images
You can store and edit all your pictures in Windows Photo Gallery. From here, you can:
| • | Catalog pictures, displayed as stunning thumbnails (just hover your mouse over any to enjoy a larger view), which can be rotated or increased in size on command. A few ways to sort snapshots, all of which are user adjustable, include:
Windows Photo Gallery centralizes all your digital photography needs. |
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| • | Find any photo with the Search Bar at the top of Windows Photo Gallery. | ||||||||||
| • | Instantly determine file size, graphic resolution, tags, ratings, and date/time stamps, or add captions at a glance using new Info Pane features. | ||||||||||
| • | Improve photos by removing imperfections, enhancing lighting, and brightening colors with editing tools. |
User-friendly, built-in tools enable you to enhance any image.
To do digital touch ups, just highlight a picture and select Fix in the Windows Photo Gallery. A simple slider bar and mouse-driven interface helps you quickly and concisely adjust options like:
| • | Exposure |
| • | Color |
| • | Red eye |
| • | Brightness |
| • | Contrast |
Use editing tools to improve your pictures.
Hint: For the best results, use the Auto Adjust options, and crop photos to emphasize your images’ most striking features. Don’t be afraid to experiment with tint and saturation, either—subtle changes can affect the entire mood or feel of any scene.
There’s no need to be scared of making a mistake. You can click Undo to roll back unwanted changes one adjustment at a time. Windows Vista also saves digital negatives: In case of a grievous mishap, you can always hit Ctrl+R to instantly revert to a picture’s original, pristine form. You can even schedule regular backups to keep hard copies of your collection on hand.
Sharing snapshots
Windows Vista offers more great ways to share favorite photos than Microsoft Windows XP. For example:
| • | Send buddies best wishes in the form of single or multiple images by selecting them in Windows Photo Gallery and clicking E-mail. The Photo-Video E-Mail Wizard immediately appears, helping you effortlessly resize photos (smaller files transfer faster and minimize chances of clogging recipients’ inboxes) and attach them to outgoing correspondence. |
| • | Print professional-looking snaps or full-contact sheets featuring up to 35 gorgeous images right at your desk using the Photo Print Wizard‘s predefined templates. You can even customize paper size, print quality, and color settings to ensure creations are instant attention-getters.
Templates and adjustable settings make printing pictures more effortless than ever. |
| • | Save time with online printing. To do so, in Windows Photo Gallery click the arrow next to the Print button and choose Order Prints. The Online Print Wizard makes ordering from trusted vendors like CVS, Kodak Gallery, and Shutterfly easy. |
| • | Create CDs and DVDs ready to hand out as gifts or party favors using the Burn command in Windows Photo Gallery. |
| • | Make memories come alive as special effects-laden slideshows complete with snazzy transitions using the Slide Show function in Windows Photo Gallery. You can even set your slideshow as your screen saver. |
| • | Integrate pictures or slideshows into awesome home movies using Windows Movie Maker or Windows DVD Maker. |
| • | Enjoy life-changing shots or family reunion-ready animated albums in high-definition on your living room TV with Windows Media Center. You can even stream content to your Xbox 360. |
Boasting better built-in virtual darkroom options than any other operating system of its kind, it should be obvious: Windows Vista clearly raises the bar for digital photography.
A suitable learning tool and companion for shooters of all ages and skill levels, Microsoft’s newest operating system won’t just improve your picture-taking talents in record time. Happily, it’ll also give friends and family more ways to share in the magic than ever.
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Scott Steinberg Scott Steinberg is managing director of Embassy Multimedia Consultants. A freelance author and radio/TV host, he’s covered gaming/technology for 275+ outlets from CNN to the LA/NY Times, Playboy, Rolling Stone, and TV Guide. Other ventures include software publisher Overload Entertainment and Games Press, the ultimate resource for game journalists. |
