A Man and a Camera

Organizing with iPhoto

After reading various books and articles, and experimenting, I've finally come up with a routine/strategy for organizing and archiving my photos.

Import images and video clips (if any) via Image Capture.
Group related images into folders, either during or after importing.
Open iPhoto.
Drag folders one by one into the album pane.
Each folder then gets imported as an album and as a film roll with the folder name you entered.
Set the title of each film roll to blank or the roll info title.
Make backups of the Photo Library to CD-RW or DVD-RW depending on the size of the Photo Library.
When the Photo Library size will fit almost all of a disc, make a backup to CD or DVD (not RW).
Rename (safer) or delete (more risky) the iPhoto Library folder and create a new empty one.

Optional:
Make a disc image of the CD or DVD using Disk Copy to mount the Library without having to use the actual disc. It's easier than switching between Photo Libraries.

Importing Images on the Mac

Image Capture has emerged as my software of choice to bring photos onto my Mac from my camera. Why? Because I have more control over the process than when I use iPhoto.

Not only that, but iPhoto has been taking forever to recognize my camera. In fact, I end up force-quitting iPhoto after staring at the spinning beach ball for too long. When I first started using my camera, iPhoto recognized it quickly. My friend's Sony camera was always recognized quickly, too. I don't know the source of the slowdown.

Aside from that, there are other reasons why using Image Capture has its advantages.

It opens faster.
You can choose which photos to download. (it's all or nothing with iPhoto)
You can also download movie files if you have any. (iPhoto can't)
Thumbnail previews of everything you've got on your memory card. (iPhoto shows only one thumbnail as you download, which is of no help)
You can choose which photos to delete from the camera or have all of them automatically deleted. (iPhoto can only auto delete everything)

Sold? Go to Image Capture->Preferences to set it as the default to open instead of iPhoto when you connect a camera.

Note that I still use iPhoto for cataloging my images. I'm only talking about the process of getting them onto the computer.

Graphics Tablets: Which Size?

Eventually, I would like to add a graphics tablet like the WACOM Intuos to my arsenal of equipment. It also comes with Photoshop Elements and a couple other programs which I think would make this a worthwhile investment.

However, I've been debating which size to get. I'm looking at either the 4 x 6 or the 6 x 8. I can't afford anything more expensive. Is it worth it to go bigger, especially considering I'm just getting into image editing?

Any advice would be great.

JPEG vs PNG

I have a question for the file format gurus out there. PNG stands for Portable Network Graphics, right? I thought the file sizes were supposed to be smaller than a JPEG of equal resolution. However, I exported two batches of images at the same resolution and the batch of PNGs had a filesize more than twice as large as the JPEGs.

What's wrong with this picture?

Online Developing Services

Has anyone tried to develop digital photos or scans of traditional photos online? I recently submitted an order for a few from Kodak's online service via Apple's iPhoto interface.

Just wondering what people thought of the print quality, service, etc. I'll post more thoughts when I get my order.

Did Someone Say "Discount"?

Yes, you heard that right. Discounts are available from yours truly for twenty percent (that's 20%) off the regular price of the TypePad service. Since I was lucky enough to be a beta tester, I was also lucky enough to receive discounts to dole out to the first twenty friends or family members who so desire a web site or three powered by TypePad and wish to do so at said discounted rate.

The discounts are good until November 30th, so until November 1st, I will give out the discounts to any friends and family I personally know. After that point, if any discounts are left, I'll give 'em out to any and all comers. I'll make another announcement near the end of October or sooner if I give out all the discounts before that time.

So contact me for the scoop on how to cash in your discount. I have only nineteen discounts left now.

Weblogs for the Rest of Us

This site is powered by TypePad, a new "personal publishing system", based upon the popular but inaccessible to newbies, Movable Type. I've been beta testing for about a month or so, and now the system is available to the general public. It's still a "Preview Release", in other words, not finished yet, but there's definitely enough functionality already working to get your stuff onto the web.

For those who don't follow Internet fads as closely as reality TV shows, TypePad is a way to publish your own web site, or weblog, aka "blog". What exactly is a "blog"? For that answer, I'll turn to the TypePad web site:

Weblogs, or blogs, are a way of publishing to the web one idea at a time. By simplifying the process of publishing, letting authors create posts easily, and making it simple to link to related ideas on the web, blogs make it easy to update a website while still making sure your words retain a clear, personal voice.

After using the service for a month and change, I feel it's user-friendly enough for beginners with plenty of room to grow into the more advanced features. Advanced users will appreciate the ability to tap into the power of Movable Type lying just beneath the surface of the clean, well-designed user interface. Cash-strapped users will appreciate the low price point of the entry-level offering ($4.95/month).
I'm sure the feature set will improve as time goes on, but the current release is more than enough to get you started. Plus, not only can you check out the feature chart to decide if TypePad is right for you, but you can also get a free 30-day trial.

Not only that, buy you'll feel good about helping out a mom-and-pop (or should I say husband-and-wife) Internet company who are dedicated to producing a quality product. Really.

If you have any questions regarding TypePad, please post a comment or email me. I hope to go into detail about my opinions of TypePad in the future, so stay tuned.

Why Would I "Syndicate This Site"?

Along the sidebar near the bottom you'll see a link that says "Syndicate This Site (XML)". If you're wondering what the heck that means, this information is for you. If you see other web pages that have a little orange button that says "RSS" or "XML" then this is the same thing.

The special Web page that loads when you click on the link is used by news-reader computer software to 'subscribe' to multiple Web sites. Personally, I use NetNewsWire for Mac OS X. Check out this page or this page for a big list of programs that make use of these feeds.

Once you install a newsreader program, when you see a site that you want to subscribe to, you click on the subscribe link or orange button, then copy the web site address that appears in your browser's address bar. Or you can right-click (control-click with a one-button Mac mouse) and choose "copy link" or other similarly worded command.

Then in your newsreader, paste the link in the appropriate place. Usually, you have to click a subscribe button or choose a similar menu command. Refer to your program's instructions.

Using a newsreader allows you to read headlines and/or excerpts of any sites you subscribe to without having to open up a ton of web pages. Essentially, you're skimming articles and you can visit the web page for the full article if you wish. You save time and focus on reading that which interests you most. The best of both worlds!