Windows provides strong features for working with pictures and videos- everything from easily viewing and rotating a picture to making a video of your own. The article starts by discussing the tools that Windows provides for manipulating pictures via Explorer. It then discusses how to install scanners and digital cameras, how to scan documents, and how to retrieve images from a digital camera. After that, it covers how to capture still pictures from a video camera and how to copy your pictures to the Web. It shows you how to get started with Windows Movie Maker, Windows’s built-in tool for capturing, editing, and exporting digital video, and how to create DVDs with Windows DVD Maker.

Working with Pictures in Windows Explorer

Windows includes two folders designed specifically for working with pictures:

Pictures The Pictures folder is a folder in your user account for you to keep your pictures. This folder is normally private, but you can choose to share pictures in it with other users. Windows programs for working with pictures, such as Paint and Windows Photo Gallery, use the Pictures folder as the default folder for opening and saving pictures.

Public Pictures The Public  Pictures folder is a subfolder of the Public folder that’s shared with all other users of your computer. Depending on the sharing settings that you or an administrator have chosen, the Public  Pictures folder may be shared with other users of your network as well. Both the Pictures folder and the Public  Pictures folder use the Pictures and Videos folder template, which adds to the toolbar several special buttons for previewing the selected picture, running a slide show, printing pictures, and more. You can apply the Pictures and Videos folder template to other folders to add these features to them.

Opening Your Pictures Folder

To open your Pictures folder, choose Start   Pictures. Windows opens a Windows Explorer window showing the contents of your Pictures folder. The easiest way to open your computer’s Public  Pictures folder is to open your Pictures folder as just described, click the Public link in the Favorite Links list, and then double-click the Public  Pictures folder in the document area.

Previewing a Picture

To preview a picture, either double-click it, or click it and then click the Preview button. Windows opens the picture in your default picture-viewing program. Unless you’ve changed Windows’ standard settings, that program is Windows Photo Gallery, which you’ll learn about later in this article.

Viewing a Slide Show of Pictures

To view a slide show of pictures, follow these steps:

1.  Select the pictures you want to include in the slide show. If you want to include all the pictures in the folder, you don’t need to select any.

2.  Click the Slide Show button on the toolbar. Windows starts a slide show, displaying the first picture full screen and momentarily showing a bar of controls for the show .

3.  Windows automatically displays the next picture after a few seconds, but you can also use the controls to run the slide show as needed:

•    Click the Next button to move to the next picture. You can also press , , or Page Down.

•    Click the Previous button to go back to the previous picture. You can also press , , or Page Up.

•    Click the Pause button to pause the slide show, and click the resulting Play button to restart it. You can also press the spacebar for both play and pause.

•    To change the theme of the slide show, click the Themes button, and then make a choice from the pop-up menu shown here. The different themes are better experienced than described, so play with the various choices, and find which one suits your pictures best.

•    To change the speed of the slide show, shuffle it, switch looping on or off, or mute the sound, click the Settings button, and then choose options from the pop-up menu shown here.

4.  To stop the slide show, click the Exit button on the toolbar, or press the Esc key.

Printing a Picture

To print one or more pictures, follow these steps:

1.  Select the picture or pictures you want to print.

2.  Click the Print button on the toolbar. Windows launches the Print Pictures Wizard, which displays the How Do You Want to Print Your Pictures? window, as shown here.

3.  In the Printer drop-down list, select the printer you want to use. If you change the printer, Windows makes any necessary changes to the settings in the Paper Size drop-down list, the Quality drop-down list, and the Paper Type drop-down list.

4.  In the Paper Size drop-down list, choose the size of paper you want to use.

5.  In the Quality drop-down list, verify that Windows has chosen the correct print quality. If you want to print at draft quality, select that quality in the drop-down list.

6.  In the Paper Type drop-down list, select the type of paper you want to use. For example, you might choose to print pictures on photographic paper rather than plain paper.

7.  In the list on the right side of the window, choose the type of picture you want to print: Full Page Photo normally the default choice, a standard size such as two 4˝  6˝ pictures or four 3.5˝  5˝ pictures, or a contact sheet containing a large number of tiny pictures.

8.  In the Copies of Each Picture box, choose whether to print one copy of each picture the default setting or more.

9.  If you want Windows to adjust the picture’s dimensions to fit the available area on the paper, select the Fit Picture to Frame check box. To leave the picture’s dimensions unchanged, clear this check box.

10.  If you want to turn off Windows’ automatic sharpening of pictures that you print which is intended to make them look better but doesn’t suit all pictures, click the Options link. Windows displays the Print Settings dialog box, as shown here. Clear the Sharpen for Printing check box, and then click the OK button. The Print Settings dialog box also contains the Only Show Options That Are Compatible with My Printer check box, which you can clear to make sure that Windows offers you all available settings. Normally, you’re better off staying with the settings that are compatible with your printer.

11.  Click the Print button. The wizard prints the pictures to the printer and then closes.

Sending Pictures via E-mail

To send pictures via e-mail, follow these steps:

2.  Click the E-mail button on the toolbar. Windows displays the Attach Files dialog box, as shown here.

3.  In the Picture Size drop-down list, select the size you want:

Smaller: 640  480 This size is good for sharing pictures with someone who has a slow Internet connection, but the pictures are suitable only for viewing on screen at a small size, not for printing.

Small: 800  600    This size provides moderate quality for viewing on screen with a relatively small file size or for use in web pages.

Medium: 1024  768 This size produces pictures that can be used as desktop backgrounds on a monitor running at standard XGA 1024  768 resolution for example, a typical 15-inch monitor.

Large: 1280  1024 This size produces pictures suitable for use as desktop backgrounds on a monitor running at the 1280  1024 resolution for example, a typical 17-inch monitor or for printing at modest sizes for example, at 5˝  7˝. The file size is relatively large, so the pictures transfer slowly over a dial-up Internet connection.

Original Size This option sends the pictures at their original size. Use this option if you want to send the pictures at their full quality.

4.  Click the Attach button. Windows changes the file size unless you chose Original Size and starts a message in your default e-mail program for example, Windows Mail.

5.  Address the message and send it as usual.