Working with digital photos

Digital cameras enable you to take photos and transfer them to your computer. From there, you can work with the photos to make them look better or email them to family and friends around the world.

There are a wide range of digital cameras available, each one with different features and at a different price. You should take great care in selecting your digital camera to make sure that it meets your needs, and to make sure you don't pay too much. Consumer publications like Choice and Digital Camera Info often review digital cameras and provide recommendations on what uses they are best for and what sort of value they provide.

Make sure that any camera you buy:

1. Is compatible with your computer hardware and operating systems. For example, if the camera has a USB connection your computer will need one as well.
2. Comes with an instruction book explaining how to use it and how to connect it to your computer;
3. Comes with all the cables you need to connect it to your computer;
4. Has enough capacity to store the number of images you are likely to need to store - if you are going to be away from a computer for a long time you will need a larger capacity so you don't lose images.

Once you have your camera you should familiarise yourself with it by taking some pictures, uploading them to your computer and viewing them. Experiment with all the different settings, such as flash and image quality. If you are buying your camera for use on a holiday, make sure you get familiar with it before you leave. You may not be able to get help as easily when you are on the road. If you have trouble using the camera contact the manufacturer who should be able to give you a hand. The Microsoft web site has some tips on how to use a digital camera if you use their Windows operating system.

When you have worked out the basics of taking pictures and getting them from the camera to your computer you may want to do more advanced things. There are a wide range of books available from your local bookstore that can give you tips and tricks on how to use your camera more effectively. There are also online resources that can help you if you search for them.