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Do you sometimes want to center a paragraph, but do not see the formatting icons on the toolbar? This means you have to put the curser in the paragraph you wish to center, go up to the Format menu, select "Paragraph" and under "General alignment" select "Centered." You can save mouse clicks and time with frequent tasks by having an icon on the toolbar to click. Or, you may have a lot of icons on the toolbar you never use and would prefer the extra workspace. The solution is simple.
Just right click anywhere on the toolbar above the work area. A context menu will appear with the various toolbar groups. Just click on an unchecked item to add, or click on a checked item to remove, a toolbar group from the toolbar. By clicking on an unchecked item, you will be able to see which icons are included in the group. By un-checking an item, you can see which icons are removed. Some toolbar groups may appear below your work area.
You don't know what some of the icons are for? Just rest your mouse arrow over the icon and a little text box will appear with a description.
Do you ever need to insert symbols (copyright, trademark, foreign character, funny face, etc.) into your documents? There are at least a couple of ways to do this:
First Way: 1) Open the Character Map (works only with Windows-based programs). To do this, click on Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools & click on Character Map. 2) When Character Map opens, select a font & click on it. Each font has many more characters than we normally use. Also there are the Wingding & similar type fonts. 3) Double-click each character you want to insert. 4) Click on Select. 5) Click on Copy. This copies your selection to the clipboard). 6) In the document, click where you want to insert the characters. 7) From the Edit menu, click on Paste (or right-click the mouse and select paste from the context menu). This is the longer method of the two given here.
Second Way: 1) In Word, on the Insert menu, click on Symbols. This will open a quite different Character Map. It has two tabs, "Symbols" & "Special Characters." 2) Select the character you want. 3) Click where you want to inset it. 4) Click on Insert.
In WordPad or NotePad you will need to use the first method. Other programs may have similar approaches, using the Windows Character Map. If not, the first method should work.
You don't have to open your Internet browser to go to websites on the internet. You can use Windows Explorer (not Internet Explorer). It is the program in which you view your folders (left pane) and files (right pane). At the top of Explorer you will see the Address field. Just enter the URL and press Enter. The web page will appear in the right pane. This is convenient when working back and forth between your folders and the web. Explorer has the Favorites, Home, Mail, Forward & Back, & other tool bar buttons like Internet Explorer.
You should make it a practice to regularly back up your data files. You should do a full (Normal) backup of your data the first time you make a backup set and, once a week, month or quarter thereafter, depending on your computer use. Once you have selected the files you wish to include in your backups, you can save the setup with a file name. If you later make changes to the selections, you can save the changes just like you do in other applications. They will all be included in a Normal backup and searched for changes when doing an Incremental backup. After doing a Normal backup, you can do Incremental backups. An Incremental backup will only back up the changes (files that have been deleted, added or altered) since the last backup. You must be logged on as Administrator or Backup Operator in order to do backups with Windows XP Backup utility.
If you wait too long between Normal backups, you may have too many Incremental sets to easily keep up with. It is also wise to backup your files before making major changes on your computer that may put your data at risk. To restore all your files, you will need the last Normal backup and all the Incremental backup sets that follow it. When you have safely completed a Normal Backup, you can delete the previous Normal and Incremental backups in order to save space.
I generally do not backup my programs. If disaster comes, I can always re-install them. You will want to backup your "My Documents" folder with its subfolders and any other folder that stores user data. In addition, you will probably wish to include your e-mail folders and perhaps your favorites.
Backup files can be saved to a hard disk, floppy disks, or to any other removable or non-removable media, such as a CD or tape. If your target is a tape, you must have a tape unit attached to your computer. The backed up files will be compressed into one file. The Restore operation will restore the files to their original locations and sizes.
Various third-party backup and restore programs are available. However, Windows XP has a built-in backup and restore program. The Windows XP program is the one I will discuss here.
"But how do I do it?" you're probably asking. OK, here's what you do:
1. Click on Start, go to All Programs/ Accessories/ System Tools, and click on Backup.
2. In the Backup Wizard utility click the Advanced Mode button.
3. Click on the Backup tab, then on the Job menu (at the top) and click on "New."
4. Choose the files and folders for back up by clicking on the check box (to put a check in it) for each one you choose. If you wish to back up an entire drive, just check the box for the drive.
5. In the "Backup destination" field below the left pane, either click "File" (the default) to back up the data to a file name or click a tape device if you plan to backup your files to a tape. If no tape device is attached, the options may not be available. You will later provide a file name.
6. In the "Backup media or file name" field there are two choices (if a tape device is attached).
· If you are backing up to a file, type a path and file name for the backup file, or click the Browse button to find a folder, and name the file. The filename may be anything you want. You may wish to create a system for your backup filenames, such as N10-15-03 (normal backup on October 15, 2003), etc. or I-02-21-03 (incremental backup on February 21, 2003), etc. The default extension for the backup is .bkf. However you can change this if you wish.
· If you are backing up to a tape, click the tape you will use.
7. In the Backup program's Tools menu you can click on "Options" and set any options you wish. When you have set you options, click "OK."
8. Click the Start Backup button and then make any changes you wish to the Backup Job Information dialog box.
9. Click "Start Backup" to begin the backup.
10. A note from Windows about Backup: "You can use Backup to back up and restore data on either FAT16, FAT32, or NTFS volumes. However, if you have backed up data from an NTFS volume used in Windows XP, it is recommended that you restore the data to an NTFS volume used in Windows XP, or you could lose data as well as some file and folder features. Some file systems might not support all features of other file systems. For example, permissions, encrypting file system (EFS) settings, disk quota information, mounted drive information, and Remote Storage information will be lost if you back up data from an NTFS volume used in Windows XP and then restore it to a FAT volume or an NTFS volume used in Windows NT 4.0." I might add that some Windows XP systems use FAT32 instead of NTFS.
For frequently used programs or files, you can place a shortcut icon on the Quick Launch bar, the left end of the taskbar near the Start button. If you have set the taskbar to always be in view, those shortcuts are immediately available. The icons on the Quick Launch bar require only one click to open, while those on the desktop require a double-click. Those on the desktop are often hidden by application windows that must be moved in order to access them. The long way around is to go to Start> All Programs, then select the program you want. After the program opens, you open the file you want.
You may have had some Quick Launch icons but lost them. Here is how to get them back. Right click on a blank space of the taskbar and select "Toolbars" in the context menu that appears. Then click on "Quick Launch." You should now have your Quick Launch bar back. This works the same in both Windows 98 and Windows XP.
The Volume Control icon normally appears in the system tray in Windows 98. The same area of the taskbar is called the Notification Area in Windows XP. It is the right end of the taskbar where the current time is located.
By clicking on the volume control icon you can regulate the volume of audio files being played. Sometime this icon gets accidentally removed. You can restore it very easily. The process is slightly different in Windows 98 and Windows XP.
Windows 98: Just go to Start> Settings> Control Panel. In the Control Panel double click on the Multimedia icon. On the audio tab of the Multimedia Properties box, check the box that says "Show volume control on the taskbar."
Windows XP: Click on Start, then on Control Panel. In the Control panel double click on the "Sounds and Audio Devices" icon. On the volume tab of the Sounds and Audio Devices dialog box, check the box by "Place volume icon on the taskbar."
That was easy, wasn't it?
Some people plug their computer, printer and other hardware peripherals into a surge protector and think the system is protected. Then along comes a thunderstorm and the computer gets zapped. What happened? Probably the phone line to the modem was not protected. Lightning can follow phone lines to you computer just as it can electric lines. Be sure your surge protector has a provision (phone modular port) for plugging your modem into it.
Many surge suppressor strips take care of most surges & spikes but do not adequately protect against the powerful ones. You will be safer with a UPS (uninterruptible power supply). It has a battery unit in it, giving more isolation from the lightning bolts. With a phone port, it protects from receiving spikes through the modem. It also audibly lets you know when the electricity goes off and continues to run your computer for several minutes. This gives you time to save your work and shut down properly. No office with important data, should be without this type of protection at least on its server. The most popular UPS units also come with a warranty to replace any equipment damaged by lightning or electrical surges, up to $20,000 or $25,000.
Sometimes when you install programs, an icon is placed in the System Tray (98) or Notification Area (XP), located on the right end of the taskbar. This is often done without asking you. Unlike icons on your Quick Launch bar, which use no system resources, each of the icons in your System Tray/ Notification Area represents a program that loads each time your computer boots. Each of them is using some of your system resources. Having too many of these start-up programs can slow down your computer. How do you get rid of the ones you don't want? Here is one way that works in both Windows 98 and XP.
1. Click on Start, then on Run.
2. In the "Open" field on the Run box, type "msconfig" (without the quotes) and click OK.
3. In the System Configuration Utility, select the Start-Up tab.
4. A list of your start-up programs will be shown. Windows XP will list many more essential Windows files than Windows 98. But also your other start-up programs will be here. A checked box means that the program starts at boot up. Uncheck a box to prevent it from automatically loading. However, be careful that you do not uncheck a file that Windows needs to operate. Sliding the "Location" column to the right, revealing more of the "Command" column, may help you identify the files. Uncheck files you do not want to run at startup. Be sure you recognize any program you uncheck or you could get into trouble. Most non-OS programs can be opened manually when needed. Be sure not to uncheck your anti-virus program. You need its continual protection. Files necessary for a network connection also should not be unchecked
5. Click OK, then restart the computer.
Well, that's about it for this time.
-- Don
Do not confuse Restore, a part of Backup and Restore, with System Restore. They are not related to one another. Before getting into the Restore process, I suggest you read the Microsoft's statement at the close of Backup item above. You must be logged on as Administrator or Backup Operator to Restore backed up files.
1. Open the Backup Utility (Start/ All Programs/ Accessories/ System Tools/ Backup) and click Next. The Backup Wizard will automatically start. If you are not logged in as Administrator, or member of the administrative team, the wizard will be disabled.
2. Click the Advanced Mode button.
3. Click the Restore and Manage Media button, then select the files you wish to restore.
4. Click the Start Restore button. A dialog box will appear.
5. Click the Advanced button on the Confirm Restore dialog box.
6. Set the restore options you want and click OK. You can restore the files to their original folder or folders, to alternate folders or to a single folder. This last option does not retain the structure of the backed-up folders and files There are three options for how you want your files and folders restored. These options are:
· Do not replace file on my computer (To prevent files from being overwritten).
· Replace the file on disk only if the file on disk is older.
· Always replace the file on my disk (to replace the files on your hard disk with the files in your backup set). If changes have been made to the files since you last backed them up, you will lose the changes.
7. Start the Restore operation. Backup will ask you to confirm that you are ready to restore the data. You will be able to set advanced restore options.
Of course you are familiar with switching among open programs by clicking on a program's icon on the middle section of the Taskbar. Also, you already know that you can just click on a program's window protruding from behind the one on which you are now working. You can also do it another way. Just hold down the Alt key and press the Tab key. Each press of the Tab key rotates to the name of another opened program. When you get to the one you want,just take you finger off the Alt key.
Does your Inbox get cluttered with spam and other unsolicited & unwanted e-mail? There are a number of small shareware programs to screen this for you, but if you use Outlook Express 5.x there is another solution. Highlight the header of the message you wish to stop receiving, then on the Message menu choose "Create Rule from Message." The New Mail Rule box will appear. In the first (top) pane select the basis on which you want the mail to be screened (the From line contains a person's name, Subject line contains certain words, message body contains specific words or the To line contains a particular person). Next, in the second window tell OE what to do with the message. If you choose "Delete it," it will go to your Deleted Items folder (From there you can delete them as a group). In the third pane you will be given the opportunity to enter the word or words that are the basis for the screening. The fourth window will show the name for this rule. You can add other rules. To view your list of blocked senders, go to the Tools menu, point to "Message Rules" and select "Blocked Senders List."
There are software programs that block such mail and you never see it. One is Novasoft's shareware program quot;SpamKiller." It is available at http://www.spamkiller.com/ and provides for 30 days free use.
CD. Regular CDs that you buy today are pressed from a mold and, once pressed, cannot be written to. Some CDs are designed to be read from CD players. Others are designed to be read by CD-ROM drives on a computer. Generally those designed for CD players can also be read by computers. The content may be data, audio, graphic or any combination of these. A CD will hold about 650MB of data or about 74 minutes of audio.
CD-R. CD-Rs look identical to CDs. They are burned with a laser rather than being pressed. You can record on CD-Rs but you must have a CD-R or CD-RW drive to do so. A regular CD drive will not record. Most new computers come with CD-R or CD-RW drives. CD-R drives will read regular CDs and CD-Rs but will only record to CD-Rs. CD-R stands for "CD-Recordable". They are WORM (Write Once, Read Multiple) disks. CD-R disks can also be read using a regular CD player. Audio CDs you create on a CD-R can be played in your car's CD player. Of course you can write to a CD-R only once. The disk cannot be re-used. Most, though not all, CD players and CD-ROM drives will read CD-R disks just fine.
CD-RW. The CD-RW disks look identical to CDs and CD-Rs. These disks allow you to erase and reuse them. CD-RW drives are generally backward compatible. They will read CD, CD-R and CD-RW disks and will record on both CD-R and CD-RW media.
Additional Information. You can buy internal or external CD-RW drives. They are the same size and look about the same as regular CD-ROM drives. You can simply replace your current CD-ROM drive with the upgrade, following the instructions that come with it. Instead, you can add it as an additional drive, if you have an extra full drive bay available, or add an external drive and plug it into the port the instructions designate,
Recording on CD-R and CD-RW is similar to writing to a floppy disk but is a little more involved. It requires special software that generally comes bundled with the drive. With packet writing software, and a drive that supports it, you can record on a CD-R or CD-RW disc like you would on a floppy. You can only write to each part of the disc once, so deleting files doesn't gain any space. There are limitations. You will need to use more traditional software if you want the disk to be readable on all computers with a CD-ROM drive. With most software you will select the files you want to transfer to CD-R or CD-RW disk. As you select the files you transfer them to the visible holding area. When you have them all selected, you write everything to the disc at once. While doing the writing you cannot interrupt the drive and you cannot reclaim the space you've used, although you can delete any files transferred by mistake. You can write your files in smaller batches, but you will lose some space each time you stop and start again. Generally, the software that comes with the drive will give the options for different types of recording, including the option to make the disk readable by all computers with a CD-ROM drive.
A DVD-RW drive will read DVDs and record on CD-R and CD-RW disks, but will not record on DVD disks. A DVD burner is needed for that.
Windows XP also has a CD Writing Wizard. You can learn about it in the Windows Help and Support Center (on your computer). Just click Start and choose Help and Support from the Start menu. When the Help and Support Center dialog box opens, click on Index (on the menu bar at the top of the window). Enter "CD" in the "Type in the keyword to find" field. In the list that appears, scroll down and you will see one named "CD-RW disks." Under this, select "Copying files and folders to," then click the Display button.
I hope this clears up some of the confusion that often exists about the differences of these disks.
What Are Bookmarks?
A bookmark is an anchor that identifies a location in a document and makes it easy to instantly go to it. The bookmark may be for a selection of text for which you plan additional editing, or perhaps a series of bookmarks are used to identify various headings throughout a document. Rather than wasting time searching the document, you can go directly to it. This article will show you how to add, show, go to and delete your bookmarks.
Adding a Bookmark
First, find the item or location at which you wish to insert a bookmark. If it is simply a location, click your mouse to set the cursor there. If the bookmark is to be for an item, highlight the item (chapter heading, paragraph heading, etc.). Then follow the steps below.
1. Go to the Insert menu, on the menu bar above Word's writing area, and click on "Bookmark."
2. In the Bookmark window, under "Bookmark name," type a name for the bookmark. You must begin the name with a letter but it can contain numbers. The name cannot contain spaces but you can use underscores or dashes to separate words.
3. Click the Add button.
Showing Your Bookmarks
1. Go to the Tools menu and click on "Options." In the Options window select the View tab.
2. In the "Show" column, place a checkmark in the checkbox by "Bookmarks."
If you bookmarked an item, the bookmark will be in brackets ([Bookmark]). If you bookmarked a location, the bookmark will be shown as an I-beam. Neither the brackets nor the I-beam will print.
Going to a Bookmark
1. Go to the Insert menu and click on "Bookmark."
2. Select whether you want your bookmark names sorted by Name or Location.
3. If you wish hidden bookmarks (such as cross-references) to be displayed in the list, place a checkmark in the checkbox by "Hidden bookmarks."
4. In the "Bookmark name" box, click the bookmark you want to go to.
5. Click the "Go To" button.
Deleting a Bookmark
1. Go to the Insert menu and click on "Bookmark."
2. In the "Bookmark name" box, click the name of the bookmark you want to delete.
3. Click the Delete button. If you wish to delete the bookmarked item and the bookmark, go to the item, select (highlight) it and press the Delete key on the keyboard.
What is a cross-reference?
A cross-reference refers to a related item elsewhere in the document. The referenced items may be numbered items, headings, bookmarks, footnotes, endnotes, equations, figures or tables. Once the cross-reference is created, you can change the item to which it refers.
Creating a cross-reference
You can only reference items that are in the same document, if you wish to reference items that are in other documents you must first combine them into one document. Here is the way to create a cross-reference.
1. In the document, type the text that begins the cross-reference such as "For instructions see."
2. Go to the Insert menu, rest the mouse pointer on "Reference" and click "Cross-reference."
3. In the Cross-reference window, under "Reference type," use the drop-down menu to select the type of item you wish to reference (for example: Footnote).
4. Under the "Insert reference to" box, from the drop-down menu click the type of information you want inserted in the document. The options in this list will change, depending on your selection of Reference type.
5. In the "For which footnote7quot; box (assuming this is the type of reference selected), click the specific item to which you wish to refer -- such as 18 (for footnote 18). The heading for this window will change, depending on the Reference type chosen.
6. Place a checkmark in the "Insert as hyperlink" check box (click on it) so users can jump to the referred item.
7. The "Include above/below" check box may or may not be available. If it is, you can select this check box to include information about the relative position of the item referenced (stating whether it is above or below the cross-reference on the page). If the referenced item is on another page, the cross-reference will state "Name of cross-reference on page 35," for example.
8. Click Insert.
9. If you wish to insert additional cross-reference information, just click the location in the document and type the additional text. Then repeat steps 3 through 8.
10. Click Close.
Note: Cross-references are inserted as fields. If the field code is what you see, instead of the field results, the keyboard shortcut ALT+F9, will show you the field results. Instead of ALT+F9, you can right-click on the field code and select "Toggle Field Codes" from the shortcut menu to get the same results.
Introduction
I have been engaged in an interesting project for the past few weeks. The aim is to provide a CD-ROM for each child & spouse and each grandchild (now adults) that contains all of the family pictures to which I have access. Following is my organizational approach, the steps to digitize them and the how I changed poor quality pictures (including slides) into acceptable images.
Organization
Hundreds of family pictures are in my folders. On the final CDs I will divide them into folders and perhaps create one or more slide show with them. I am including full identification of the person(s), occasion & date as available. This can be included in the file names, as you are allowed over 200 characters; spaces are considered characters. The characters \ / : * ? " < > | cannot be used in a file name. If you choose this method, you should be aware that the file name information will not print or load with the picture into a program for viewing, but will be visible with the picture files, as viewed in Windows Explorer. This info can then be written on the back of a printed photo.
An alternative is to create a separate text document for the descriptions (using Notepad or other text editor) with the same file name as the picture (at least the first few words for ease of relating to the image) and save it in the same folder as the picture. The extension to the text document will be .txt instead of .jpg, .gif, or other extensions for images. Number the pictures and text files at the beginning of their file names so they will appear in the order you wish. To prevent Numbers 11, 12, 13, etc. appearing after 1, and 21, 22, 23, etc. from appearing after 2 etc., you must precede single numbers with 0 (ex.: 01, 01a, 02, 02a, etc.).
For a slide show, the identifications can be inserted upon the images or in a text panel. I am first putting the pictures in folders. After that, I can put them in the form of presentations if I choose.
Here is the way my folders will eventually be sorted:
1. One folder, or the first part of a slide show will include Nora (my wife) & me, our parents & extended family (relatives). It will also include our children, beginning as infants, until their marriage.
2. Next, there will be a folder for each of our children, beginning with their marriage. As our two grandchildren are not yet married, their pictures will be in the parents folders. Our grandson is working & taking a course of study in computers; our granddaughter is a pre-med student at Baylor (Names in the above image are ficticious).
Until the final stage, I am sorting the pictures into a larger number of folders in order to find them more quickly.
Digitizing Overview
First I will give an overview of what I did to each type of picture. Then I will detail the steps in Paint Shop Pro, the graphics program I am using. I have other graphics programs but I like this one the best. However, the learning curve is a little high for ones who have never used this type of program.
Corel, which has now absorbed Jasc Software, also makes Paint Shop Photo Album. It is a good program for putting the photos into a presentation format, among other things. Other similar programs exist.
Following are three types of photographic material with which I am working in this project. I will not deal with other process, such as capturing still images from DVDs or digitizing VHS tapes.
Note: For their protection, You should not overwite your original photos. Save the ones you work on into another folder. This is especially true for jpeg (.JPG) images downloaded from your camera. Jpeg is a "lossy" format, meaning it throws away information about the image. Each time you edit and resave it, more info is lost. Also, for printing hard copies, you may want the full resolution as downloaded. You will probably want a reduced resolution for the copies you put on CDs in order to save space on the disk.
1. Digital Camera Pictures. My most recent pictures (the last few years) are already digitized because I took them with a digital camera. I just downloaded them to the computer, They have been in folders, ready to use. However, on some of them I did do some processing steps to set the resolution and size, and to clarify or adjust saturation, etc. when needed.
2. Hard Copy Pictures. I scanned the hard copy pictures into the computer using a flatbed scanner. Mine happens to be a HP model 5550c. I like it, but yours will probably be just as good. When the pictures are in the computer, they are digitized. Some of these, especially very old ones and those with exposure problems, require considerable processing using the graphics program.
3. Slides. Slides do not scan well. Even with a transparency adapter, you are not likely to get a satisfactory image. I set up a projector and projected the images on a screen. Then, with the lights out and the camera on a tripod and the flash turned off, I took pictures of the screen images with my digital camera. It is important to use a tripod with this method, as the shutter speed will be slow and the camera must not be moved. This worked well. A flash will wash out the picture, so don't use it when capturing projected images. I have had these slides for many years. The color on some of them has faded. Others are almost black and any detail is difficult to see. It is amazing what can be done with these slides, using a good graphics program. Many of the slides are still sharp. However, nearly every one of them was improved with some processing.
Note regarding scanned images: If features on pictures to be scanned are not distinct, they will also be indistinct on the scanned image, because the computer can only see what is on the original picture.
If a distant image is cropped to provide a closeup, you will not gain greater detail. However, a picture that is taken with a digital camera and downloaded directly into your computer can be cropped so that a distant will be close, because the computer has the information needed to average the pixels as it enlarges, so the end result can be as good as if you took a closeup to begin with. This may not be completely true for Jpeg images. Others are more knowledgeable about this than me.
Processing Steps in Paint Shop Pro (PSP)
1. Scanning in Paint Shop Pro. After you place the picture(s) on the scanner's glass and close the lid, go to the File menu in PSP and rest your mouse arrow on "Import." In the slide-out menu that appears, select "From Scanner or Camera." If a camera is connected to the computer, you will be given an opportunity to select the scanner. A window will appear, providing some options and containing a previewing screen as well as Preview & Scan buttons. Click the Preview button. You will hear the scanner start and see the picture(s) as they are ready for scanning. A selection border will be around all the items you have placed in the scanner.
Decide How Much of the Image You want to scan. If you wish to change the area to be scanned, adjust the selection borders by dragging them with your mouse.
When you are ready, click the scan button and the scanned item(s) will open in the work area of PSP. If you placed multiple objects on the scanner glass, they will open as one object, unless you adjust the selection border in Preview to enclose only one object. The last portion of this article explains how to separate multiple images opened in PSP as one image.
2. Decide How Much of the Image You Want. When I first load the picture into Paint Shop Pro, I decide how much of the picture I want. If there is just one image and it is composed to your satisfaction, you can move to the next step, If you wish to cut out some of the background, or persons, to compose the picture, just click on the Crop Tool It is located on the side toolbar.
3. Straighten the Image. If the image is crooked, needs rotated or is turned the wrong way (mirror image), Paint Shop Pro makes it easy to correct this. In fact, you may want to do this before any cropping. On the Image menu, select "Flip," "Mirror" or "Rotate." You can even rotate a fraction of a degree (ex.: enter .25 for ¼ of a degree).
4. Resize the Image. On the Image menu, click on Resize. If you choose pixel dimensions (ex.: for web use), you can choose the number of pixels or percent of the original size. The resize box will show the original size at the top. If choosing print size, you can choose inches or centimeters. The resolution is also selected here in the Resize window and it can be either in pixels per centimeter or pixels per inch. Another nice feature is that you can lock in the aspect ratio (default setting), so you only need to change either the width or height. The other dimension changes automatically.
For posting on the web or sending to someone by e-mail, a resolution of about 72 pixels per centimeter is suggested for quick transfer. I often kick it up to 100 pixels. Or, if you know html, you can make a low resolution picture to appear on a web page as a hyperlink for a higher resolution one. The page will load more quickly. The larger picture will also load quickly when called for because other web page content is not loading.
If a picture is to be printed, you can make the resolution as high as your printer is capable of printing. Don't make it more than the printer's maximum resolution. Sometimes that confuses it and you may get a lower quality printout. For my project, I am using a resolution of 200 pixels per centimeter. They will be on CD-ROMs and, I'm sure, some will get printed.
I am not the best authority for the resolution and size in which these should be saved. If you have better information, use it. Whatever you do, save the original photo in its original size, in a separate location from those on which you are working. You may wish to privide different file names for the original and the work copy to avoid confusion.
While you are on the Image menu, go down to the "Increase color depth" item, unless your photo already allows for 16 million colors. This choice is necessary for some of the features to be available.
5. Enhance the Photo. If the picture needs work to make it a quality photo, this is your next step. Before going to all the manual changes you can make, there are some built-in automatic features. Just click on the "Enhance Photo" button on the lower toolbar (above the workspace). The first option listed is "One Step Photo Fix." Click on this. It adjusts such things as color balance, contrast, clarify, saturation. If the end result is not what you want, just one click on the undo arrow will return the picture to its original condition. The undo arrow is the arrow that is curved to the left, on the tool bar above the work area. Even after several steps, you can undo each step with a click. There are other automatic choices on the Enhance Photo drop down menu. Within these options, there is room for you to set the amount of change for most items.
If the automatic options do not work to your satisfaction, you can go to the Adjust menu. On that menu, with each item's slide out menu, you have about 40 items and with most of them you can select the amount of change. Choose the ones that pertain to your needs.
Sometimes the Clone Tool is a lifesaver. For example, if an old picture has light or dark streaks or spots on it, you can clone the parts of the picture next to the streaks or spots onto those defective areas so that the picture is complete as originally taken. If the area needing corrected involves a pattern, adjust the size of the Clone Brush and clone the adjoining pattern. Place it on the defective area directly in line with the pattern. By going to the Bio Info page of this site, You can see my first attempt ever at cloning. A hand was on my shoulder. I cloned the suit coat in that area to replace the hand. I have gotten much better at it since, but even a first attempt turned out OK.
Various menus provide features that allow you to merge portions of one photo into another. You can create layers and move a layer toward the front or back, make a layer transparent so layers behind it will show through (or fully opaque so they won't) or anywhere in between. There are also options for special effects.
This just scratches the surface of how you can work with photos or create graphics.
One of my photos is a recent picture of the entire family. Our grandson could not be present because of his work/class schedule, so he sent us a picture of himself. I merged it into the main picture and it looks as if he was present in the group when the picture was taken. In addition, one person's head partly obscured another's. We had taken several pictures with similar pose. I took the portions of the two people that were visible and layered them over the original. One cannot tell that editing has been done.
Scanning Multiple Images & Separating them in Paint Shop Pro
Scanning multiple Images: Assuming you have a scanner connected to your computer, align your photos on the glass of your scanner & close the lid.
On the File menu of PSP (Paint Shop Pro), rest your mouse on "Import" and select "From Scanner or Camera." If you also have a digital camera connected, you will be given the opportunity to choose the scanner. When you do so a window will pop up, identifying your scanner and providing some options. Click on Preview.
You will hear the scanner start and see your pictures in the Preview screen. Now you can do either of two things, open all of the pictures as one image, or select one or more to open as an image.
To Open all of the pictures as one image click the scan button. The adjustable selection border will already have the whole group selected. If you choose this option, you can see below how to separate them in PSP.
To open just one of the pictures, adjust the top, bottom and/or sides of the selection border to frame only the picture you wish to load. Press the Scan button. Only that picture will open in PSP. Then you can go back and repeat the process to open each of the others you have placed on the scanner. The process is similar in other good graphics programs.
Separating the Images in PSP: If you have scanned several pictures into PSP as one image, you must separate them in order to deal with each one separately. Here are the steps:
Step 1. Click on the Crop Tool (on the side toolbar) to activate it. Now place your mouse pointer at one corner of a picture you select and, pressing the left mouse button, drag the selection border to that picture's opposite corner and let go of the left mouse button. If it isn't just where you want it, you can adjust the sides & ends by dragging them. When you are ready, double click on the picture you have selected. Now you have the one picture, but where have the others gone? Don't worry, they are still around. I'll show you how to get them back. But first there is something you must do with this picture.
Step 2. Click on the Pan Tool so you can do this step. The Pan Tool is the white pointer at the top of the side toolbar. Now right-click on the picture and select "copy" (Do not select "cut"). Move your mouse arrow to an unused portion of the work space and right-click. This time select "Paste As a New Image." A copy of the image will appear. You can move it to the side out of the way. If it will help, zoom out to make the picture appear smaller, using either the mouse roller (if you have one) or the Tool Bar buttons.
Step 3. Click on the original picture to give it focus. On the toolbar above the work area, click on the Undo arrow (the one curving back to the left) and Presto! all those pictures are back! Click on the Crop Tool again and repeat the process to separate the other pictures from the pack. Save each picture with a file name in the folder you have made available, starting with the Crop Tool. Now you can work on each one, as needed, to enhance it.
Conclusion
I have just dealt with a few of the many features available in a good graphics program. If you are planning a photo enhancement, I hope this article has been some help.
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