How to Use a Digital Camera to Convert Photos
- 1). Organize the photographs by size before shooting. By shooting photos in groups based on size, you can shoot faster, and you don't have to use the zoom and wear down the battery.
- 2). Set up an area in your home where you can have these working conditions -- a clean, carpeted floor space that you can use to spread out your photos plus an area to put your copy board. Position two lights with 100 watt bulbs 1 to 2 feet away from the copy board at 45-degree angles pointed (light beams should cross each other slightly) towards the center of the copy area.
- 3). Set your digital camera to "Close-up" or "Macro" based on your camera's brand. Check your instruction manual if you are not familiar with how to set this function. It is also important to have the megapixel setting at 5 or higher for optimum quality and to set your camera to the "light bulb" setting (not daylight setting).
- 4). Gather the first group of photographs. Take the first photograph and place it in the center of the copy board where the lights are focused most brightly. If the photo is bowed, place weights on the sides to flatten it, making sure the weight does not create a shadow on the photograph.
- 5). Next, stand above the photograph and locate the photo you are copying in the viewfinder at the back of the digital camera. Don't use the zoom at this point. Just move your camera down towards the photo on the copy board until it fills the frame and comes into focus. Just before taking the photograph, hold your breath and exhale gently (to lessen camera movement) as you take the photograph. Repeat this step, taking at least 2 to 3 shots of each photo that you are copying.
- 6). Use the zoom function to enlarge certain parts of the photograph. Simply repeat the same process as in Step 5, but engage the zoom while looking through the viewfinder. Try to keep the lines of the photo you are copying parallel with the lines of the viewfinder frame so it is centered.
- 7). When finished copying your photographs, import the digital files you've taken into your computer. Use the photo enhancement program to make any adjustments such as cropping, fixing contrast, sharpening, color compensation and resizing. Re-size photos you want to send on the Internet to about 1000 MB for a 5X7 photo.
