Movie Maker 2.1 for XP

The download page for Movie Maker 2.1

Scanning in photos

Scanning - using the Scanner and Camera Wizard

• Scan a photo for the highest resolution for which the image will be used. Standard for video monitor is 72 dpi
• For printing scan at the same resolution as will be used as when printed (eg 300 dpi)
• Scanning at a higher resolution is acceptable, at a lower resolution is not
• Ensure any print, especially those with a glossy surface, are scrupulously clean. Any specks of dust, fibres, loose hairs will show up sharply on the resulting scans

(from Photoshop Elements 3 by Carole Matthews and Doug Sahlin)

But note:

A Note on Resolution: The vast majority of scanning projects require resolutions lower than 300 dpi. For example, scanning a photograph at resolutions higher than 150 to 200 dpi only produces a larger file, not more detail.

from Scanning 101 - All about digital images

Digicamhelp

...is here - Digicamhelp.

Layers introduction by means of making a simple Valentine's day card in Photoshop, not Elements but the steps carried out will apply in Elements just as well.

Ransom notes with Flickr

The Pod

Photodoto review of The Pod beanbag tripod.

Midlothian at BBC Scotland's Your Pictures

Crichton Castle near Gorebridge featured in BBC Scotland's Your Pictures last Friday.

And Vogrie Park also featured in a snap taken by someone from Gorebridge.

Photodoto

Photodoto looks interesting (and not too overwhelming), with tips and techniques by photography enthusiast John Watson (flagrantdisregard - fd of fd's Flickr toys).

Eg How to photograph a child on a swing

fd's Flickr toys

Good fun to be had with fd's Flickr toys.

Flickr tools

Uploadr for Windows XP etc.

Organising your digital photos

Tips on how to organise your photos on your hard disk using the XP system.

What is a layer?

See the Wikipedia article section on layers.

Class notes available online

I have added a section to the sidebar on the right hand side of the page entitled My class notes. This will provide links to pdf versions of the notes for each lesson. To download a copy of the notes right-click a link and select Save Link as... this should begin the download process.

Eg to download class 1 notes, move the mouse pointer over the link Class 1 and click on the link using the right mouse button and select Save Link as...

Judy Howle

Judy Howle's site has lots of interesting links to sites on digital photography, Elements (v 3), and much else related to creative computing.

Mistakes to avoid

Just as important as any top 10 tips

Top 7 Digital Camera Newbie Mistakes to Avoid

1. Sending enormous files by email
2. Not backing up your photos
3. Using the camera's digital zoom feature
4. Using too much in-camera compression to reduce memory use
5. Using low resolution to reduce memory use
6. Settling for the software that came with the camera
7. Not taking time to learn the equipment

Online tutorial on Adobe Photoshop Elements

Keith Cooper is a photographer and photography tutor in Adult Ed who has kindly made his tutorial in Elements, and his sample images, available online. This is what he had to say in reply to my request for use of his materials

That's not a problem - I'm always happy for the images to be used for teaching purposes. Do let me know if you have any comments or feedback on their use, since I'm always trying to make the site more useful...

• Elements tutorial on techniques
• images - these will not download in the Library but will be available for you to download at home. Of course they are also available from Keith's site.

The idea here is to

• download the practise images to your hard disk (right-click the images link above and choose Save Link as...)
  
• unzip them (achieved by double clicking the downloaded file)
• move the resulting folder to, say, your My Pictures folder
  
• open the tutorial in your web browser (click the link Elements tutorial above and scroll down to The techniques)
  
• launch Adobe Photoshop Elements
  
• work through the tutorial on The techniques
  
• switch between the tutorial for instruction, and
  
• carry out the instructions in Elements

If you do not have Photoshop Elements 4.0 you can download a trial version from Adobe - download page for Elements tryout.

The screenshots in Keith Cooper's tutorial are from an earlier Macintosh version of Elements. This should not cause too much confusion if you read the instructions and concentrate on the commands shown in the screenshots.

Introduction to the course

Suitable goals for the course might be:

• to become familiar with the operation of our digital cameras
• to feel comfortable working with digital images under Win XP
• to be able to use a digital imaging tool to carry out simple editing of our photos
• to be able to back up our digital images to secondary storage
• to be able to make use of our photos creatively
• to take better photos
• to be able to digitise existing conventional photos
• be able to email photos

However I am open to suggestions and would value your input at any level.