Everyone has that big box of photos in the back of the closet that's worth a million and at the same time next to nothing. If you can't share your photos easily then what good are they? You'll be surprised to find out that it's simple and inexpensive to turn your deteriorating images into an enjoyable work of art. There are photo scanning services that can digitize your photos for as little as a nickel apiece. And don't try this yourself! Photo scanning at home is heart stoppingly boring!
You can build your own slideshow by purchasing software. My favorite is Pro Show Gold by Photodex. This software is relatively simple to use and has lots of features that make the project fun. You just add your photos to the program, then drag them into the order you want. With Pro Show Gold you can edit your photos and color correct, add your own music and then synchronize it to the photos. You can add text to the photo in the location you choose and use the "Ken Burns" effect to zoom from place to place on your images. With Pro Show Gold you can play your slideshow on TV. You'll be amazed at how good your 4x6 photos look on a 50" TV.
Free slideshow software is everywhere on the web. A quick search will yield tons of opportunities to create slideshows to share with friends, or to upload to your social networking site. Take a little time to investigate the features, and always download from a trusted site. Though most free software will not allow you to show the end product on a TV, they often include the ability to include music and do limited photo editing. Check out Google's Picassa 3, Extra Photo Slideshow Free, and Wildbit software.
You may want to think about placing your slideshow in a digital picture frame. Prices have come down on digital picture frames with some 14" frames selling for as little as $99. Some of the smaller frames now go for under $25. We expect this trend to continue. With memory card prices also hitting new lows you can afford to put your entire digital photo library on them. Lots of digital frames come with slideshow software installed, and some will play audio. So when your friends come over you can crawl into the back of that closet to dig out the box of gradually fading photos, or you can flip on that beautiful digital picture frame.
Look at some of the online slideshow hosting services. These can help keep friends and family from needing to download and store your slideshows. Sites like Picturetrail and Iwebphoto can make viewing your slideshow easier, especially if you have a lot of images, and allow you to edit, remove, and replace your items at will. Remember to add text to your images to help everyone understand what they are. And then go crazy with special effects. Have fun!
You should remember a few important things when you hire a photo scanning service. Don't pay to scan photos at higher than 300 dpi. If you're scanning service provides an automatic photo enhancement service it might be wise to use it. Make sure that any time you enhance, rotate, or manipulate your photos that you use a copy of your master scans. Always keep a master copy of each photo scan. Photo scanning services can vary greatly in price so shop wisely.
Scanning photographs permanently protects them from destruction and loss. Once your images are stored on a DVD and sent to two or three different places you are assured of always being able to retrieve at least one copy. You can generate copies on your computer for the price of a blank DVD to share with your friends and family. Day to day loss of quality is no longer an issue. Your treasured memories are safe and sound. - 30452
You can build your own slideshow by purchasing software. My favorite is Pro Show Gold by Photodex. This software is relatively simple to use and has lots of features that make the project fun. You just add your photos to the program, then drag them into the order you want. With Pro Show Gold you can edit your photos and color correct, add your own music and then synchronize it to the photos. You can add text to the photo in the location you choose and use the "Ken Burns" effect to zoom from place to place on your images. With Pro Show Gold you can play your slideshow on TV. You'll be amazed at how good your 4x6 photos look on a 50" TV.
Free slideshow software is everywhere on the web. A quick search will yield tons of opportunities to create slideshows to share with friends, or to upload to your social networking site. Take a little time to investigate the features, and always download from a trusted site. Though most free software will not allow you to show the end product on a TV, they often include the ability to include music and do limited photo editing. Check out Google's Picassa 3, Extra Photo Slideshow Free, and Wildbit software.
You may want to think about placing your slideshow in a digital picture frame. Prices have come down on digital picture frames with some 14" frames selling for as little as $99. Some of the smaller frames now go for under $25. We expect this trend to continue. With memory card prices also hitting new lows you can afford to put your entire digital photo library on them. Lots of digital frames come with slideshow software installed, and some will play audio. So when your friends come over you can crawl into the back of that closet to dig out the box of gradually fading photos, or you can flip on that beautiful digital picture frame.
Look at some of the online slideshow hosting services. These can help keep friends and family from needing to download and store your slideshows. Sites like Picturetrail and Iwebphoto can make viewing your slideshow easier, especially if you have a lot of images, and allow you to edit, remove, and replace your items at will. Remember to add text to your images to help everyone understand what they are. And then go crazy with special effects. Have fun!
You should remember a few important things when you hire a photo scanning service. Don't pay to scan photos at higher than 300 dpi. If you're scanning service provides an automatic photo enhancement service it might be wise to use it. Make sure that any time you enhance, rotate, or manipulate your photos that you use a copy of your master scans. Always keep a master copy of each photo scan. Photo scanning services can vary greatly in price so shop wisely.
Scanning photographs permanently protects them from destruction and loss. Once your images are stored on a DVD and sent to two or three different places you are assured of always being able to retrieve at least one copy. You can generate copies on your computer for the price of a blank DVD to share with your friends and family. Day to day loss of quality is no longer an issue. Your treasured memories are safe and sound. - 30452
About the Author:
Be sure to include your non digital photographs in your slide show creations. Pete Fontaine provides more information on photo scanning at his website www.nickelscan.com
