Digital photography and your PC
The joy of taking digital photographs is that you can manipulate them easily. Once your camera is full of pictures, you only need to copy them to your computer in order to free up space to take more snaps. This means that transferring pictures from your camera to your PC is an important skill to master, but how good at managing pictures are the various version of Windows?
As Microsoft Windows has developed, its handling of graphical files has became better and better. There are next to no specialised photography tools in Windows 95. In Windows 98 there is a picture viewer, but you really need your own photo-handling software (most cameras come with a suitable program). Windows Me includes the Scanner and Camera Wizard (which you can launch through the Control Panel), thumbnail views in picture folders and an enhanced picture viewer.
When it comes to handling picture files, Windows XP is the best of the lot. Most common photography tasks are easily accomplished via simple wizards, and you rarely need to install a software driver - the program that tells your computer how to operate your camera. In this tutorial we’ll be using Windows XP to show you just how easy it is to transfer your digital photos from your camera to your PC. Once you’ve got the cable correctly plugged in, the rest is a breeze. The Scanner and Camera Wizard is easy to follow with clear step-bystep guidance.
However, there’s more to transferring photographs than simply moving pictures from camera to PC. You need to name the picture files suitably and place them in appropriately named folders so you can retrieve them at a later date without problems. Windows XP handles this job well, but you might have to adopt more discipline if you’re working with an older version of Windows.
CONNECTING YOUR CAMERA
YOU NEED A USB LEAD
Most current digital cameras use the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standard. The most technical thing you really need to know is which cable to use and where to plug it in. Basically, the wider, flatter end goes into the computer and the smaller end connects to your camera.
PLUG INTO USB SOCKET
This may be located in front of, or behind, your PC. It will normally be labelled, but your cable is unlikely to fit in any other socket. When the cable is plugged in and turned on, Windows should detect the camera. In addition, Windows XP might recognise which camera you are using.
THEN INSTALL DRIVER
If Windows detects but doesn’t recognise your camera, you’ll need to install its driver and photo-handling software. There’s little more to this than popping the CD that comes with the camera into the computer’s CD drive and following the instructions it gives you.
