MS-Word --- Letter Wizard

Computer Info – November 21, 2001

This Week’s Meeting

We will start the meeting with a 15 minute presentation on Taking Snapshots by Mitch Barchuk. We will follow with a look at an EXIF viewer and some photo editing tools in PhotoShop.

Taking Snapshots

Snapshots are what most of us are taking with our cameras. We are not into taking portraits; but instead are just taking a quick capture of what is going on at the moment.
(1) You should always try to make your snapshot interesting. So, learn to get closer. If you think you are close enough – then take a couple of steps forward before taking that picture.

Portrait of young Afghan Refugee

You have probably seen this picture of a young Afghan refugee, taken by the world-renown documentary photographer, Steve McCurry on television lately. This picture first appeared on the cover of "National Geographic" in 1985. and has graced countless other magazine covers as well as several books and noted articles written over the last 15 years.
This is one of the most striking portraits in the history of photography. So, who is this beauty? A 12 year old girl who had been walking with her family for 2 weeks through the mountains of Afghanistan after her village had been destroyed by Soviet forces. She had finally arrived at the Pakistan border, when McCurry got this shot.
This picture definitely illustrates the impact of getting close enough to your subject to show the emotion.

PowerPoint Pack and Go

What happens to your presentation when you run Pack and Go? A couple of weeks ago we were talking about including a music file with your presentation – but what happens to your music file when you move your presentation to another computer? Since the music file is just a linked file – it is not included in the PowerPoint Presentation – only linked to it. When you move your presentation to another computer, it no longer can find the linked music file. So, this is where we use Pack and Go.
Pack and Go will create two files for you. One is named Pres0.ppz (this is your presentation and your music file) and one is Pngsetup.exe (this is the program that you run to place your presentation on another computer.

What is EXIF?
(Info from PcPhoto – December, 2001)

        EXIF stands for Exchangeable Image File Format. It is basically a JPEG file format with some additional information about the stored image and how and when it was created.
        One big feature of this format is the use of metadata. Metadata is data about the data. Stored right with the image is the date and time, shutter speed, aperture, focal length, exposure program, exposure index, metering mode and more. Some image programs allow for viewing some of this information and some don’t. You can download one at
                 http://oneilsoftware.hypermart.net/Exif/Exif.html
or search for a EXIF Viewer.

Printer VS. Image DPI
(Info from PcPhoto – December, 2001)

        Printer dpi isn’t the same as scanner dpi or image dpi.
        No inkjet printer on the market today requires any more than 300 dpi in the image file at the printing size. If you want to print a 4x6 image at a 4x6 final print size, then you need to scan the 4x6 at 300 dpi. If you want to print that image twice as big, then you need to scan it at twice the dpi or 600 dpi.
        The printer will print at a different dpi than the image. This is how the printer lays down ink on the paper, not how a photo is structured with pixels. Changing Print Size         How do I get a perfect 4x6 or 5x7 picture on my printer? You will have to resize the picture. This can be done in PhotoShop, under IMAGE – IMAGE SIZE. First, uncheck the RESAMPLE IMAGE box and change your resolution to 300 to see the printing size of your image. You will want to be sure the CONSTRAIN THE PROPORTIONS button is always checked so as not to distort the image. Now place a checkmark back in the RESAMPLE IMAGE box and change the image size by using inches rather than pixels.. Notice that as you change one of the dimensions, the other dimension automatically changes.
        By changing one of the dimensions, you will discover if you need to crop any of the print to make it a perfect photo size. Video CD         A number of companies have now come out with programs that let you create a Video CD – a CD that will play in a DVD player. Oak Technology has a program called SimpliCD; Ulead has these capabilities in its VideoStudio 5.0 DVD Edition. Using these programs, you are able to "burn" a CD-R that will act like a slide show when inserted into a DVD player.
        The DVD player must be capable of playing Video CDs that have been recorded on a CD-R. A television does not have the resolution that your computer monitor has, therefore your images won’t look as good. It scales your picture down to 640x480 before being written to the CD. Ten Tips For Great Family Photos
(Info from PcPhoto – December, 2001) 1. Be Real. Convey something about the subjects before your camera – emotions, action, etc.
2. Don’t Pose Keep things loose and easy. Have an idea in mind before you put people in position so that you are ready to start clicking.
3. Have Fun A family portrait session shouldn’t be an ordeal, but rather an important, bonding time. Enjoy the moment, and don’t get uptight if the younger family members get fidgety.
4. Black and White Black and white is much kinder to skin tones and doesn’t convey shininess or bad makeup jobs.
5. Include Your Four-Legged Friends Besides being a part of the family, including animals in family shots helps relax the two-legged members of the family.
6. Use the Environment Environmental portraits, that is. Images that include a subject’s environment can help convey more about the people before the lens, as well as serve as a historical document of one’s neighborhood, etc.
7. Depth of Field Keeping a fairly shallow depth of field will help keep the focus of your photograph on your subjects.
8. Evenly Balanced Light Whether working with a single subject or group of people, it’s important to watch that the light on all your subjects is evenly balanced.
9. Open Shade This is the most beautiful light in the world for people photography. Positioning your family in even, open shade increases the chances of non-squinty eyes and open faces. Shooting with the sun behind your subjects and using flash-fill is also a way to avoid squints and frowns.
10. Include Yourself You are part of the family.