So, you've got all of those pictures in your new digital camera, what are you going to do with them now? 

 

 

Once it's installed, transfer the pictures from your camera. Almost all cameras offer two ways to transfer your pictures to a computer: a direct connection and a card reader.

 

If your printer has memory card slots, you can use your printer to move images to your computer. Just slide your memory card into the correct slot, and with the touch of a button, images transfer to your computer.

A different route is to use a memory card reader to transfer images. Readers simplify the transfer process by connecting to your computer's USB port. All you have to do is remove the card from your camera and put it in the reader, and the images download automatically.

Editing is one of the best benefits of digital imaging. Most digital cameras come with software that lets you edit pictures. Red-eye can be fixed and blemishes blended, but that's just the beginning. You can cut and paste figures and backgrounds from one picture to the next. Photos can be cropped to eliminate unwanted extras. And you can lighten, darken and change colors to create the perfect picture. With photo editing, the options are limited only by your creativity. 

How would you like to be able to take a picture and then email it instantly to anyone with an email address? Think of it—you can come back from a vacation and share your pictures with everyone right away. 

The easiest way to get great prints of your pictures is to use your home printer. With special photo paper and photo ink cartridges, home printers can produce photographs similar to ones developed from traditional film.

 

Another option for prints is to use an online photo service. Once you transfer your images to the service website, you can edit out imperfections, add borders and create special effects. You can also order prints for yourself and give people access to your online album so they can order the prints they want.  

Another beautiful thing about digital images is that your pictures and negatives don't stack up inside drawers. Instead, you can store them in a variety of "digital shoeboxes," including CD-R/RW discs. The benefits are that your pictures won't fade and they won't take up nearly as much space.
 

With up to 700MB of space each, CD-Rs/RWs store lots of pictures—as many as 7,000 on a single disc. You can also store images directly on your computer's hard drive, but we don't recommend this because pictures take up a lot of disk space—space you may need to store a program or save an important document. Also, you should never keep the only copy of any file on your hard drive, because if the drive crashes, you could lose it forever.