Tip #3516 - Create Your Own Photo Album
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Create
Your Own Photo Album
So, now that you have
returned and unpacked after a great vacation, it’s time to go through
all the pictures you took! But, first things first. You are going to want
to make sure your pictures are backed up on your computer for safe keeping.
If you use a digital camera, you can simply connect the camera to your
computer and copy the pictures. If you use a film camera, then after you
get home with your prints, you can use a scanner to copy the pictures.
But, where will you put the pictures on your computer? Organizing your
pictures should be a priority. You don’t want to have to spend time
hunting for them later, do you? So, let’s begin with a little bit
of planning before you copy those pictures to your computer.
Windows XP makes it
simple to organize your pictures. Windows XP even provides a default folder
called My Pictures to help with organizing your pictures.
I recommend creating your own subfolders within the My Pictures folder
for easy access to your pictures later on. After all, you won’t
be able to forget where your pictures are if you copied them into a folder
with just “pictures” in the title! So, before you copy your
pictures, let’s create a new subfolder for them.
First, access the
My Pictures folder through the Start menu. Click on Start,
My Documents and then My Pictures. This
will display the My Pictures window. I recommend setting the My Pictures
folder to display in a Thumbnail view. This view allows you to see small
versions of your pictures in the My Pictures window instead of just picture
names. To set this view, use the View menu and select
Thumbnails. To create a new folder, click on the Make
a new folder link under the File and Folder Tasks
menu to the left.
A new folder will be displayed in the My Pictures window with the name
"New Folder" highlighted in blue. You can type
in a new name for the folder while it is highlighted in blue. Or, you
can select the folder and click on the Rename this folder
link in the File and Folder Tasks menu.
Make sure you give the folder a descriptive name so that you will know
in the future what this folder contains. A picture from your vacation
pictures could be named “Family Vacation 2007,” for example.
Now, you are ready
to copy your pictures into the new folder. Once the pictures are copied
over, you can customize the folder to optimize it for pictures. To customize
the folder, right click on it and choose Properties from
the pop up menu. Select the Customize tab from the Folder
Properties dialogue box.
Use the “Use this folder type as a template”
drop down list to select the Photo Album template. You
can also select a picture to be displayed on the folder icon by clicking
on the Choose Picture button under the Folder
Pictures section. You will now be able to select one of the pictures
in the folder to be displayed on the folder. Click OK
to save this setting. The picture will only be displayed on the folder
while using the thumbnail view. Click Apply and OK
to save your customizations and close the Folder Properties dialogue box.
You have just created
a photo album for your pictures! When you open this folder, the pictures
will be displayed in a film strip type view.
The first picture in the folder will be displayed in a larger size with
the other pictures in the folder displayed along the bottom, in smaller
thumbnail versions. You can use the horizontal scroll bar to see all the
thumbnail images. Also, note that beneath the first picture, there are
four icons. The blue arrow icons will allow you to view the next or previous
pictures in the folder. The green and blue buttons allow you to rotate
your pictures so they are displayed correctly.
Once you have your
photo album set up with all the pictures rotated so they are displayed
correctly, it’s time to think about sharing your pictures as a slideshow.
Open your new photo album. To start a slideshow of your pictures, click
on “View as a slideshow” in the Picture
Tasks menu to the left.
A full screen slideshow of your pictures will begin. Note that you have
a toolbar at the top left. There are controls for Play, Pause, Previous,
Next and Close. The slideshow will advance the pictures automatically.
But, if you wanted to speed up the process, you can advance them using
the next button. The slideshow will loop until you end it by clicking
the Close button.
A slideshow is a great
way for sharing your pictures quickly and easily with others! Plus, it's
so simple to put one together using a folder customized just for your
pictures. Have fun!
~ Katherine Bennett
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