Photos 101: Save and Share Your Photos, Produce a Slideshow, and Print Your Images

Share Your Trip | Post Your Video | Photos 101 | Top Photo Sharing Sites

BURN VISUALS TO A CD OR DVD

Easy ways to (physically) share: CDs (700 MB memory, cheap, can’t store video) or DVDs (4.7 GB, more flexible in terms of playback). Remember: Saving your photos onto a disc doesn’t automatically create a slideshow–it just saves a collection of images. You actually need to save it as video (compatible with, say, QuickTime), then burn it. And for that, you need software like PictureS how Deluxe ($40) or Photo Slide Show (downloadable, $35).

MAKE HARD COPIES OF YOUR PHOTOS

• Get your glossies printed through various photo-sharing websites (see Top Photo Sharing Sites).
• Send a CD to a high-end processor like Photocraft (pcraft.com) for professional color correction.
• Use an inkjet printer like Epson’s Stylus R380 ($130, epson.com). 
• Get a custom photo book made at blurb.com ($12 and up).
  

TURN PRO (SORT OF)

• jpgmagazine.com Submit pics, and fellow photogs vote to publish the best in a national magazine.
• photrade.com Upload your images and get a share of advertising revenue when they’re viewed.
• istockphoto.com, dreamstime.com Contribute to these “agencies,” and your work could be bought by graphic designers.

PRODUCE A SLIDESHOW

• Import your pics Upload your images into PowerPoint or iPhoto, or use Picasa’s “Create Slideshow” function. 
• Go easy on the transitions No need to go overboard with psychedelic effects. A simple fade in/fade out is best. 
• Give them a few seconds Like 2 to 6. Some pics need more explanation, and others speak for themselves.
  
• Tell your audience where you were–exactly Take a screen grab of your map and add it to your slideshow like you would any other image. 
• Choose your tunes YouTube’s AudioSwap tool lets you add music to your videos for free. 
• Make it portable You can share slideshows on some photo sites. But if you want effects and personalized audio–or the ability to embed your slideshow into your blog–drop your photos into a video-editing program (see “Make Your Masterpiece”), create a file, and upload it to YouTube.