The Little Digital Camera Book

by Baron, Cynthia L.; Peck, Daniel

• ISBN13: 9780321125309
• ISBN10: 0321125304
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-01-01
• Publisher: Peachpit Pr

Summary

Looking for a friendly, comprehensive primer on digital cameras that assumes you know next to nil about digital photography, yet manages not to treat you like a dummy? Look no further. InThe Little Digital Camera Book, authorsCynthia BaronandDan Peckhelp you go digital by providing a no-nonsense, jargon-free introduction to shooting, enhancing and sharing images from a digital camera.The Little Digital Camera Bookcovers everything nonprofessional photographers need to know about purchasing the right digital camera, how to get the best image that the camera and image-editing software can provide, and how to share those images in print, email, and on the Web, as well as how to turn your photos into cards, calendars, and other projects. Baron and Peck begin with an easy, conversational explanation of what digital photography is and how it works. Then they discuss how to choose the right hardware, including cameras, accessories, and printers, and how to use some of the most common features found on digital cameras. Finally, they discuss how to use image-editing software to fix typical problems such as red eye, cropping, and color correction, and the different options out there for sharing digital images. ReadingThe Little Digital Camera Bookis like having a friend at your side to answer all your questions--you'll be teaching everyone else you know the ins and outs of digital photography in no time!

Table of Contents

What Is Digital Photography?	3	(10)
A Brief History of Photography	2	(1)
How Film Photography Works	3	(1)
Inside a Digital Camera	4	(2)
Film Photography Advantages	5	(1)
How Digital Photography Differs	6	(2)
Digital Photography Advantages	7	(1)
Preparing Your Computer	8	(5)
RAM	9	(1)
Storage	10	(1)
USB	10	(2)
CD Recorder	12	(1)
Buy Your Camera Gear	13	(14)
Resolution and Megapixels	13	(2)
Megapixel	14	(1)
Megapixels	14	(1)
Megapixels	14	(1)
Megapixels	14	(1)
Optical vs. Digital Zoom	15	(1)
Auto and Manual Modes	15	(1)
Price Comparison Shopping	16	(2)
Basic (under $500)	16	(1)
Deluxe ($500 to $800)	16	(1)
Professional (over $800)	17	(1)
Mail Order	17	(1)
Retail Store	18	(1)
Comparing Battery Types	18	(2)
Batteries	18	(2)
Battery Packs	20	(1)
Adapters	20	(1)
Comparing Storage Media	20	(3)
SmartMedia	21	(1)
CompactFlash	21	(1)
Memory Stick	22	(1)
Card Readers	22	(1)
Do You Need the Extras?	23	(4)
Camera Bags	23	(1)
Lenses	23	(1)
Filters	24	(1)
Tripods	24	(1)
Odd and Ends	25	(2)
Compose a Good Photo	27	(16)
Setting Up a Shot	27	(2)
Framing the Shot	29	(3)
Avoiding Framing Problems (Parallax)	30	(2)
Choosing the Optimum Distance	32	(2)
Determining What's in Focus	33	(1)
Working with the Light	34	(4)
Gauging the Light Source	35	(1)
Shooting Against the Light	36	(2)
F-Stop and Shutter Speed	38	(1)
Shooting Motion	39	(4)
Set the Camera Options	43	(16)
Resolution	43	(1)
Choosing the Right Resolution for Your Purpose	43	(1)
Setting Resolution on the Camera	44	(1)
Focus	44	(3)
Using Autofocus	46	(1)
Using Manual Focus	47	(1)
Using Macro Focus	47	(1)
Exposure	47	(4)
What Does Autoexposure Do?	48	(1)
Setting Shutter Priority	48	(1)
Setting Aperture Priority	49	(1)
Using Manual Exposure	49	(1)
Setting Exposure Compensation	50	(1)
Setting White Balance	50	(1)
Zoom	51	(1)
Using Optical Zoom	52	(1)
Using Digital Zoom	52	(1)
Flash	52	(5)
Reducing Red Eye	53	(1)
Using the Flash to Fill In Light	53	(1)
Shooting without the Flash	54	(1)
Shooting at Night	54	(1)
Flash Correction	55	(2)
Self-Timer/Remote Control	57	(2)
Store and Transfer Your Photos	59	(18)
Choose Your Images	59	(2)
Viewing Stored Images	60	(1)
Deleting an Unwanted Shot	61	(1)
Connect to Your Computer	61	(3)
Connecting Directly to Your Computer	62	(1)
Connecting a Card Reader to Your Computer	63	(1)
Organize Your Computer for Images	64	(1)
Transfer Your Photos	64	(4)
Transferring Photos from Flash Card to Computer	64	(2)
Transferring Photos with Infrared Connection	66	(1)
Erasing Your Flash Card	66	(1)
Swapping Flash Cards	67	(1)
View Your Transferred Photos	68	(2)
Viewing Your Photos on a Computer	68	(2)
Viewing Your Photos on a TV	70	(1)
Save and Organize Photos	70	(2)
Renaming Transferred Photos	71	(1)
Saving Your Originals	71	(1)
Organizing Your Photos	72	(2)
Burning a CD of Your Images	73	(1)
Recording Your Images on a VCR	74	(1)
Organize with iPhoto	74	(3)
Choosing Editing Software	77	(18)
Why Do You Need Software?	77	(1)
Choosing Software	78	(2)
Freeware and Shareware vs. Commercial Software	79	(1)
Types of Editing Software	80	(15)
Drop and Crop	84	(2)
Image Editors	86	(2)
Freeware Image Editors	88	(2)
Commercial Image Editors	90	(2)
Photo Editors	92	(2)
Professional Editing Software	94	(1)
Photos and File Types	95	(14)
Choosing an Image File Type	95	(7)
JPEG	96	(2)
TIFF	98	(1)
RAW	98	(2)
System File Types	100	(1)
Web Graphics Format	100	(1)
Proprietary File Formats	101	(1)
Changing an Image File Format	102	(7)
TIFF Options	104	(1)
JPEG Options	105	(1)
Quality	105	(2)
Standard or Optimized Options	107	(1)
Progressive Option	107	(2)
Image-Editing Basics	109	(28)
Knowing What to Fix	109	(2)
Image-Editing Tools	111	(19)
Selection Tools	112	(1)
Red-Eye Reduction	112	(2)
Hue, Contrast, and Brightness	114	(3)
Levels	117	(2)
Curves	119	(1)
Dodge and Burn	119	(1)
Layers	120	(3)
Masks	123	(1)
Cloning	124	(2)
Cropping	126	(1)
Sharpening	127	(3)
Changing Resolution and Size	130	(4)
Changing Print Resolution and Size	130	(2)
Changing Image Resolution and Size	132	(1)
Proportions and Aspect Ratio	133	(1)
Final Touches	134	(3)
Adding a Border	134	(1)
Adding a Caption	135	(2)
Improve Your Photos	137	(16)
Fixing Brightness and Contrast	138	(3)
Using Brightness and Contrast Sliders	138	(2)
Using Levels	140	(1)
Correcting Color Shifts	141	(3)
Using Hue/Saturation	141	(1)
Using Levels	142	(2)
Altering and Editing Images	144	(9)
Making People Look Better	144	(4)
Erasing Large Objects	148	(3)
Creating a Mask	151	(2)
Print Your Images	153	(22)
Why Print at Home?	153	(1)
Inkjet Printers and Cartridges	154	(6)
General-Purpose vs. Photo	155	(2)
Types of Cartridges	157	(2)
Maintaining Your Printer	159	(1)
Choosing Your Paper	160	(4)
Paper Types	160	(2)
Special Papers	162	(2)
Setting Up Your Image	164	(3)
Printing Several Images on One Page	164	(3)
Having Professionals Do It	167	(8)
Local Printing Services	168	(1)
Online Photo Printing Services	169	(1)
Uploading and Ordering Photos	170	(1)
Prints from iPhoto	171	(2)
iPhoto Printed Albums	173	(2)
Share Your Photos	175	(16)
Sharing without a Computer	175	(2)
Emailing Your Images	177	(4)
Preparing a File for Emailing	177	(1)
Why do you need compression?	178	(1)
Compressing files	179	(1)
Attaching an Image to Email	180	(1)
Sending and receiving attachments in AOL	181	(1)
Online Photo Services	181	(6)
Using Photo Service Pages	182	(1)
Selecting an Online Service	183	(2)
Using iPhoto to Share Online	185	(1)
Creating a Personal Web Page	186	(1)
Displaying Photos on PDAs	187	(1)
Making a Digital Slide Show	188	(3)
Photo Projects	191	(16)
Make a Picture T-Shirt	191	(2)
Create Photo Greeting Cards	193	(1)
Make a Photo Panorama	194	(3)
Use Your Photos for Auctions	197	(1)
Customize Your Computer Desktop	198	(5)
Create Desktop Backgrounds	198	(3)
Create Your Own Screensaver	201	(2)
Shoot Movies with Your Camera	203	(2)
Make a Movie with iPhoto	204	(1)
Add Sound to Your Images	205	(2)
Appendix A Digital Camera Troubleshooting	207	(4)
Appendix B Image Editing Troubleshooting	211	(4)
Appendix C Online Resources	215	(4)
Index	219