Using XP...

Browse to the XP Digital Photography How-to Center

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/default.mspx

Organize and Store Photos-- http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/organizeit/default.mspx

Print-- Photo Printing Wizard-- http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/learnmore/printphotos.mspx

            Online: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/getstarted/orderprints.mspx

Use the Photo Printing Wizard

Windows XP makes fast, hassle-free printing a reality with the help of the Photo Printing Wizard. It's as straightforward as clicking Print this picture under the Picture Tasks on the left side of the My Pictures window. The wizard takes you through the printing set-up. It is also where you find the wide variety of layout options, ranging from a contact sheet to one 8x10 inch photo and a sheet full of 9 wallet size photos). With just a few clicks of the mouse, the printer presents you with a photograph ready to be framed.

To access printer information via the Photo Printing wizard

• When you reach the Printing Options screen of the wizard, select your printer, then click Printing Preferences.

What you can control depends on the printer. In general, you should be able to change the paper size and type, adjust the color so it better matches what's on the computer's monitor, apply special effects, and so on. The key to trouble-free printing is knowing what the printer needs to be told to produce the quality photograph you want. A little practice and a few test prints help you discover what works best. Here are some things to consider:

• Choose photo quality. If you use one printer for all your printing, the printer driver may need to be switched to a "photo quality" setting. This lets the printer know that you are printing photos and not just text documents.
• Adjust color and sharpness. Experiment with settings that affect how the printer adjusts color and sharpness during the printing process. With printers designed to deliver photographic quality, these settings are often carefully tuned and can really improve your results. Find the right combination of settings and your photos jump right off the page.
• Adjust paper type. While changing settings in the driver, check if there are options for telling the printer what type of paper you are using. Letting the printer know if you are using glossy, matte or luster surface paper helps it apply the right amount of ink for the paper's surface.
• Use high quality paper. Remember that better paper makes better prints. Always use a coated, photo-quality paper; not regular copy paper. Many printer manufacturers, as well as other companies, also sell high quality photo papers. Find a paper that fits your printing needs and stick with it. Then, have fun and experiment with the variety of results possible with different types of surfaces, like watercolor and other textural choices.
• Verify layout options. While editing, you may have cropped your photo to something other than the standard 4x6-inch, 5x7-inch, and so on. Your printer may automatically crop or resize the photo to fit a standard size, which may or may not be what you want. Verify your layout options, or see how the printer prints the photo, through the "Print Preview" option, if your program or printer software offers that.

Store-- http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/getstarted/store.mspx

Share--(Email, Publishing)-- http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/shareit/default.mspx

Create a Screensaver or Background with Digital Photos-- http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/getstarted/desktop.mspx

Fun Photo Slideshows

CD Slide Show Generator

With this PowerToy you can view images burned to a CD as a slide show. The Generator works down level on Windows 95/98 machines as well.

CD Slide Show Generator

Download Slideshow.exe
548 KB 3 min @ 28.8 Kbps

Windows XP users can create fun photo slideshows pretty easily using freely available tools. Microsoft has a free tool that lets you make cool CD-based photo slideshows. Dubbed the CD Slide Show Generator (part of the company's Windows XP PowerToys), this tool integrates with the CD burning capabilities of the underlying OS. Here's how it works: Insert a blank recordable CD in your drive and select "Open writeable CD folder" from the pop-up window. Then, drag in any photos or other pictures you'd like to be part of the slideshow. When you're done, select "Write these files to CD" as you would normally to launch XP's CD Writing Wizard. But with this tool installed, you get an additional choice during the wizard that lets you add a slideshow application so that you can share your slideshow with non-XP users. Once the CD is created, you can distribute it to friends and family: XP users will utilize XP's built-in slideshow capability (via the Windows Picture and Fax viewer), while other Windows users (Windows 95 and higher) will see the auto-generated slideshow.
 

Make a Photo Montage


Windows XP users have everything they need to turn their digital photo collections into cool photo montages, complete with background music or voiceovers. Just launch Windows Movie Maker (WMM) (found in Start, Programs, Accessories) and start a new Collection. Then, drag the digital photos you'd like to add into the Collection, and then down to the timeline, in the order you want. To add a smooth transition between each photo, drag them one at a time to the left, 2-3 seconds, as denoted by the marks on the timeline. Then, copy an MP3 or WMA file in for background music, or record a voiceover using WMM's built-in voiceover tool. Save the movie into a Web- or email-friendly format, and you can share it with your friends and family.