no digital camera -- how scan & e-mail these?

[CdnMom2]

Can anyone give me simple instructions on how to scan in some of my better WDW photos to attach & e-mail to family, friends at the right size for them to receive them (i.e. small enough to transmit easily then view on-line)? We have lots of different software here, but I have no idea when I'm getting into resizing by pixels what I'm doing!

 

[rachael95]

How high a resolution you use will really depend on what you want your family to do with the pictures.

If you're just sending them the pictures and they don't plan on having them printed, you can go pretty low (and a small file). Stick with either .jpg or .gif files. (these can be opened in a person's web browser if they don't have special software. You can also choose the resolution when you go to save these files and how much you want them compressed (made smaller, which means quality will go down slightly.) Try playing with the files and save several versions until you've found a happy medium between quality and size.

If you want to send a really high-quality photo so they can get it printed, you will need to make sure the resolution is higher. Remember though that some internet service providers will not allow their clients to recieve a very large file through email.

One option is to look at some of the photo places on the web. You can upload photos to these places at fairly high resolution for free, people can view the photos for free and if they want pictures, they can order them from the online place for a pretty good price. Some good places I've used are Ophoto and Imagestation.

You might want to check out Sony's ImageStation:

http://www.imagestation.com/

I've ordered from them before and been happy. You can also include a password on your album on these sites so you don't have to worry about strangers being able to see your pictures.

As a general rule though, most scanners will scan at a higher resolution than you really need for an acceptable quality photo, especially if it's just being viewed on a monitor. If you're going to just view on monitor, try scanning at about 300 dpi. If it's going to be professionally printed, you could go about 600 dpi and probably be more than happy. But again, scan these at different dpi-s and find what you're happy with.

And finally, (sorry, didn't realize it would be this long) you may be able to take your film to Walmart or Sams and get them to create a CD for you with all your pictures on the CD for a pretty cheap price and save yourself the trouble of scanning all the photos.

rachael

 

[safetymom]

If all you are going to do is have them view them on screen 72 dpi is all you need. If you don't have a scanner or camera you can have your pics put on cd. Then you can play with them and lower the resolution before you send them

 

[safetymom]

rachael95,scanning at 300 dpi makes for a large file. Especially if all they are doing is viewing it online. For those of us that still have dial up a 300 dpi file would take awhile to view.

The dpi you use depends on the size of the photo and the size you want to print it at. You need to scan at a good dpi instead of scanning it a lower resolution then enlarging the photo.

 

[rachael95]

From safetymom
"rachael95,scanning at 300 dpi makes for a large file. Especially if all they are doing is viewing it online. For those of us that still have dial up a 300 dpi file would take awhile to view."

I was thinking more of her final personal copy and then just saving it compressed to send other people. That way she has a good quality personal copy that she can print and save and can send a smaller version to another person. But yes, it does make a bigger file than I'd want to download on a modem. That's actually one reason I like the online photo places. I don't have to worry as much about size and the people with modems can view the preview picture without having to download the huge 'real' picture and still be able to get a good quality print themselves. I'm afraid cable modem has spoiled me.

 

[rachael95]

about the dpi though and scanning, it's true that it is easier to say, print an 8X10 if you've scanned at a higher dpi but if you have a lower quality printer, you would get a better print if scanning at a lower dpi. It really just depends on your equipment. If I were using my personal photo printer, I don't think I'd go for higher than a 300 dpi scan because it tends to look muddy if you print the higher quality (like 600 dpi) scans. but if I'm printing from a professional place, then the higher dpi the better and I can print larger photos.

That's one reason I suggest playing with her scanning until she finds what she likes. It really just depends on what her equipment is capable of. Though if all she wants is to send grandma a picture that won't be printed, go as low as possible. I'm thinking more of the printing a hard copy later aspect.

 

[Lewisc]

Some of the newer scanning software actually asks what you're planning to do with the image and then picks the settings for you.

Yes, 72dpi is the appropriate resolution if the images are just going to be viewed on a monitor but NOT FOR PRINTING.

 

[CdnMom2]

Thanks for clearing things up for me. Hope I'll get time to play some this aft with the photos! Nice to know clearly my options: do I or relatives want to print this later (yes, some) OR do I just want to send the quick funny photo via e-mail (most).

It seems like none of my various photo play-with software here gives me the straight idiot-proof options. Taking out red-eye or that tree growing out of Dad's head are beyond me for now...

 

[CdnMom2]

OK, I've played a bit. Thank you! It worked. Now I have some scanned in so far & resized & sent to myself to check. So far the photos are coming out as 23kb to 36kb in size each. So assuming someone has dial-up still how many is decent to group together into one e-mail so it doesn't take forever to download at their end? And presumably someone who has DSL or cable can have more at once?

Thanks again!