Photo Solutions: Editing Digital Photos

This is part of the Photo Solutions series I’m doing…no matter what your “picture problem” is, we have a solution!

Today, I’m going to show you how to edit your pictures very simply using Memory Manager. You’ve already seen how great Memory Manager is at organizing, but look what else it can do! (And remember – it’s 40% off - $23.95 – until the end of the month!)

I was about to trash this picture, when I decided to hit the auto contrast button. Voila! The auto contrast button is on the “image ribbon” which has all the basic wizard functions. Even if you never move past this ribbon, your pictures will look much better!

I love this picture of my dad and Adam, but not the blue tones. A few seconds of playing with the color balance and I’ve got this instead! Color Balance is on the “adjust ribbon” which has slightly more advanced editing options.

Ever wondered how to do that fancy-schmancy spot color? Easy with Memory Manager. Check out the lady’s face - that’s where I started. There is a brush that you can make bigger or smaller that takes away the color. I start with a big brush around the edges and then zoom in with the little brush closer to the “colored” parts. This is part of the “touchup ribbon.”

And one of my absolute favorite features – cloning. See the pole behind hubby’s head? I was able to “clone” some of the leaves and use them to cover it up! Again, this is part of the “touchup ribbon.”

Here are some more “boring to better” pictures that I edited in Memory Manager.

I’m pretty sure you need this program. :) And at $23.95, who could pass it up! Go HERE to order!

February Showers…

Didn’t I just post pictures of Adam on a “snow day?”
Well, here he is (with his fireman) enjoying our first thunderstorm on the season early Sunday morning.

Okay, so February doesn’t really count as “spring” in Iowa. So I guess this is the first thunderstorm of the WINTER season?
Whatever – the precipitation was wet, not frozen, and that makes us happy!

To Do: Adam’s Dresser

Sneak peek…

So close to “done” it’s not even funny. I just need to touch up the white paint where I accidently hit it with the sander and/or stain.
Maybe tomorrow. :)

Photo Solutions: Organizing Digital Photos

I recently looked through almost 80 years worth of photos to do my husband’s grandparents’ heritage album. Let me tell you, it was a LOT easier to look through the first 30-40 years of pictures, because there just weren’t as many! Then, starting in the 1980s or 1990s, there were TONS of pictures. (I think this had to do with all the grandkids being born then!) Boxes and boxes and boxes of snapshots.

And I’m sure you realize, with digital cameras, we have even MORE photos now than ever before.

Many people grapple with exactly how to organize them. Many have “lost” photos somewhere on their computers. And many, MANY do not have their pictures backed up!

So today, I’m going to show you how I organize my digital photos using Creative Memories’ Memory Manager. ($23.95)

I have the same tips for organizing digital photos as printed photos, except they work a little differently.

Tip #1: ~~Decide on a system.~~ In my “printed photos” post, I said you could organize them chronologically, by holiday or vacation, or by family member. With Memory Manager, you can do all 3 (or more!) but the picture is only saved on your harddrive once. It’s kind of like “tagging” on facebook.

This is my actual Memory Manager screen. At the bottom, it shows the date the picture was taken. Then, on the left side, you can create as many sort boxes and folders as you want, and put each photo in multiple folders! On the lower left, you see the stars…I rate my pictures, and then can sort by “3 stars and above,” for example. So, you don’t have to decide on only ONE way to organize – you can search for photos in many different ways!

One of my favorite things is that I can look for photos that are in the Bart (hubby) folder AND the Adam folder, AND are 3 stars or above AND are from 2008. Observe:

Adam pictures from 2008…(200 some)

Adam AND Bart pictures from 2008 (48 of them.)

Pictures of Adam AND Bart from 2008 that are 3 stars or higher…(17 photos) and now I can easily pick one for a Father’s Day card or something!

You have to admit…that’s pretty cool!

On to the next tip…

Tip #2: Start with the MOST RECENT photos. This is exactly the same as with printed photos. I know, that seems a little backwards, but it works much better. If you start with the oldest photos, you may NEVER get caught up. The task seems too large and overwhelming that way. But if you start with the “freshest” photos, it doesn’t seem quite so impossible!

Tip #3: Label the pictures ~~with a PHOTO SAFE pen or pencil~~. Sure, it might be obvious to you who the baby is, but in 20 years, no one will remember. And those family reunion pics? Your kids won’t know who all those people are, either. Trust me, I know.

Another cool Memory Manager trick – You can type notes over on the right hand side for each picture (or multiple pictures at once by pressing control when you select them!) and if you print your photos through the Creative Memories Digital Center, the “story” will be printed on the back!

Tip #4: THROW AWAY the bad pictures! Yes, I’m serious! You can do it!!! You don’t need to keep them all! If they are super blurry or otherwise “bad” just get rid of them! Do it! (I bet my mom is dying right now reading this. She thinks I purge too much.)

With the kazillions of digital pictures we take, it is IMPERATIVE that you trash the bad ones! There’s NO REASON to keep them!

Tip #5: THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART! ~~Choose a quality, acid free album or storage box for your photos! You don’t want to go through all this work just to have your photos rot anyway!~~

Okay, that one doesn’t really apply – but this does – BACK UP YOUR PHOTOS! (Memory Manager will remind you to, and can back them up AUTOMATICALLY to a “shadow copy” if you have an external harddrive hooked up!

Okay, I admit. I’m trying to sell this program to you. But I’m also doing you a favor – ending the days of digital pictures floating around somewhere on your computer!

And this program has amazing (EASY) editing capabilities, too, which I’ll be featuring on another post SOON.

AND….it’s 40% off in February. Did you hear me? FORTY PERCENT OFF!

which brings the grand total to…..

(drumroll, please)

$23.95

Seriously. Less than $24 for a program that will help you organize and edit your digital photos. Seriously.

Order it now. (Unless you have a Mac. It’s not available for Macs.)

Questions?

Turkey Tuesday: Little Turkeys and Little Farmers

We got a new flock of 20,000 Wednesday morning.

Wednesday evening, Adam and I went out to introduce ourselves to the “little fellows.”

I’m also guest posting over on Patrice’s blog today…Everyday Ruralty. Come visit me there to learn even more about the farm!

To Do: Adam’s Snacks

Believe it or not, I HAVE been making progress on my to-do list.

Two weeks ago, Adam and I repackaged and relocated his snacks. Instead of keeping them in an upper cabinet, we separated them into single servings and moved them to the lazy susan next to the sink.
My goal is that he will be a little more independent when I’m nursing or rocking Baby Brudder. So far, it’s working well. Next step is to put a basket in the fridge with the same idea – fresh fruit, string cheese, yogurt, etc.

There’s a lot of cereal in there now…I need to refill the pretzels and cracker varieties.

Some snacks stayed up high. I’m not sure that fruit snacks are really that much worse than the Cap’n Crunch, but he’s only allowed one fruit snack per day. (Unless, of course, he’s at either Grandma’s house…)

Will this independence backfire? Only time will tell!

Photo Solutions: Organizing Printed Photos

Many of us have boxes of printed photographs somewhere. Or maybe they are in old, falling-apart albums. Either way, something needs to be done if these photos are going to be around for future generations to see!
I think almost everyone agrees that our photos are important. So, find your stash of printed pictures, and let’s get to work!

Tip #1: Decide on a system. Photographs can be organized chronologically, but there are many other ways to do it.
You could group all the holiday photos, all the vacation photos, etc. My dad’s family takes posed pictures of each family every year at Christmas – putting those photos together is a fun way to see how the kids and families have grown and changed year to year. Here’s Adam on Christmas Eve 2008, 2009, and 2010.

Photos can also be organized by family members. This works especially well for children. If there is more than one child in the picture, see who “looks best.” They are the ones that will appreciate the photo the most. When I was going away to college, I went through my parents’ printed photos and “stole” a lot of the pictures of me growing up. There were a couple pictures of my sister and I where I looked like a total goober. I left those for her. :) (That’s me, in the huge glasses, circa 1995 – 5th grade. Becky can keep this one. That’s her in the middle.)

Tip #2: Start with the MOST RECENT photos. I know, that seems a little backwards, but it works much better. If you start with the oldest photos, you may NEVER get caught up. The task seems too large and overwhelming that way. But if you start with the “freshest” photos, it doesn’t seem quite so impossible!
I’ll start with this one…

not this one.

Tip #3: Label the pictures with a PHOTO SAFE pen or pencil. Sure, it might be obvious to you who the baby is, but in 20 years, no one will remember. And those family reunion pics? Your kids won’t know who all those people are, either. Trust me, I know.
Don’t have a photo safe pen/pencil? Want to make sure you have the highest quality? Try this one. It’s $2.50. You can order it online here, but comment or email me and if you pay through paypal, I’ll mail it to you, saving you a TON on shipping.

Tip #5: THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART! Choose a quality, acid free album or storage box for your photos! You don’t want to go through all this work just to have your photos rot anyway!
I ADORE the PowerSort Box. Adore it! And guess what?!? It’s 40% off this month! For $17.10 (instead of $28.50!) you will get a photo safe storage box that holds up to 1200 5x7 pictures! There is a storage sleeve inside the lid that will hold larger memorabilia or panoramic photos. There are 6 divided compartment boxes, and reusable dividers

Prefer an album?
These are my favorite – Creative Memories 11x14 Expandable Photo Albums.

You can fill them with these 5 pocket pages (Don’t you love the way they have room for vertical and horizontal pictures?)

or the big ol’ memorabilia pages.

And you can get these adorable photo album kits to jazz things up a bit! This one (Discover/Delight) is my favorite. Each paper is reversible so these would be great for the boys or girls in your life! And only $7.80!

Any questions? Other tips or suggestions?

Fun Fabrics

These fabrics just SHOUT summer to me! It’s obviously a little early for that, but I don’t care. I’m in zone 5 and I dug in my garden yesterday, and was awakened in the night by a thunderstorm! I love it!