- "iMovie 3 Solutions: Tips, Tricks and Special Effects" Sybex Books, June 2003.
"Digital Video Essentials" Sybex Books, January 2003
- "Digital Photography Essentials" Sybex Books, September 2002
My Books
iMovie 3 Solutions
Rec.Photo.Digital Welcome FAQ
Rec.Video.Desktop Welcome FAQ
Digital Photo Finishing FAQ
Video Stream FAQlet
Recordable DVD FAQ
Contact the Author...
Updated 5 June 2002
WELCOMING FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
for rec.photo.digital
Welcome to the rec.photo.digital Usenet newsgroup. Before you rush off
to post, we strongly recommend and request that you peruse this small
document, which attempts to answer the most Frequently Asked Questions
about the rec.photo.digital newsgroup. This is *not* the full R.P.D.
FAQ. You'll find the R.P.D. FAQ at http://rpdfaq.50megs.com
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. CHARTER OF REC.PHOTO.DIGITAL
2. GENERAL COURTESY AND NEWSGROUP SPECIFIC CONVENTIONS
How to post so that you don't look foolish or upset people
3. MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
1. Which camera or printer should I buy?
2. Which software should I use for...?
3. How do I create a VCD from my photo album?
4. What batteries/charger should I use?
5. How do I....?
6. Is something wrong with my camera?
7. Which is better...?
8. Is 'company-name' a good online retailer?
9. Where can I learn more about taking good pictures?
10. JPEG or TIFF?
4. NEWSGROUP RESOURCES & ARCHIVES
1. The r.p.d. FAQ
2. The online photofinishers FAQ
5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
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1. CHARTER OF REC.PHOTO.DIGITAL
"This group is for the discussion of all aspects of digital photography,
including digital cameras, scanners, image manipulation software,
printers, and CD-ROM technology. All postings made to this group should
conform to existing Usenet guidelines (see news.announce.newusers for
guideline documents). This group explicitly prohibits the posting of
commercial advertisments or other promotional material, whether or not
it is an any way related to photography. Binary postings (i.e. non text
postings) are prohibited."
About this group:
The rec.photo.digital Usenet newsgroup offers a forum in which to
discuss past, current and future digital imaging solutions, devices
and software. Feel free to ask for help or advice on how best to
perform imaging tasks using cameras and other related hardware such
as card readers, power sources, CD burners, etc. This group does
NOT permit commercial posts. Do not sell your hardware, your business
or your site on this group.
2. GENERAL COURTESY AND NEWSGROUP SPECIFIC CONVENTIONS
Please use standard Usenet netiquette when posting on r.p.d. Treat
other posters with courtesy and follow standard conventions when
replying to posts. Please trim the posts you reply to, retaining
only the significant portions in your follow up. Preserve attributions
(the bits that specify who wrote what in each post) and limit your
signature to 4 lines or less. To ensure readability, do not use
HTML in your posts and keep your line lengths to the Usenet standard
of 80 characters. You can read more about netiquette at many sites,
such as http://www.pbs.org/uti/guide/netiquette.html
** Do recall that this is Usenet. No one can "police" this group.
** We rely on individual courtesy to help this group function properly.
3. MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Before posting, we politely request that you spend some time reading
through the group, and peruse the group FAQ. The FAQ answers many
questions usually posed by new posters. You can find the most current
FAQ at http://rpdfaq.50megs.com
Help limit bandwidth. Please keep the group on-topic with current
issues that haven't already been covered. If your question has to
do with camera-specific issues, please point your Web browser at
http://groups.google.com and search through the Google News
archives of rec.photo.digital to find previously posted answers.
To find recent articles, use the advanced search option--sort
results by date.
Nevertheless, there are a few questions that arise again and
again, and to save you some time, we've included them here in
this mini-FAQ.
1. Which camera or printer should I buy?
Of course, the answer to this will depend greatly on your
personal needs and budget. Please refer to one of the many
excellent sites that review and discuss particular cameras.
Let us recommend the following sites.
* Digital Photography Review: http://www.dpreview.com/
* Steve's Digicams: http://www.steves-digicams.com/
* Digital Camera Resource Page: http://dcresource.com/
As far as printers go, many people recommend the Epson line.
You may wish to consider using an online or retail photofinisher
to create prints from your camera. Walmart now offers 29 cent
4x6 prints. Just walk in with your pictures on a CD or floppy.
2. Which software should I use for...?
There's an awful lot of software out there and people certainly
have their favorites. Here are some that get mentioned a lot.
Editing : Photoshop (Mac, PC, www.adobe.com),
Photoshop Elements (Mac, PC, www.adobe.com),
Paintshop Pro (PC, www.jasc.com)
Cataloging : Thumbs Plus (PC, www.cerious.com),
CompuPic (PC, www.photodex.com),
ACDSee (PC, www.acdsystems.com)
irfanview (PC, www.irfanview.com)
iView (Mac, www.iview-multimedia.com)
Converting : GraphicConverter (Mac, www.lemkesoft.com)
Printing : PhotoPrinter LE (Mac, PC, www.arcsoft.com)
Panoramas : MGI PhotoVista (PC, www.mgisoft.com),
Panorama Factory (PC, www.panoramafactory.com)
Resizing : GraphicConverter (Mac, www.lemkesoft.com),
ThumbsPlus (PC, www.cerious.com)
3. How do I create a VCD from my photo album?
Check out http://www.vcdhelper.com/nerophoto.htm
4. What batteries/charger should I use?
Use NiMH batteries. They are widely available, provide
excellent power, are affordable, etc.
As far as chargers go, consider the MAHA C204F available from
www.thomas-distributing.com
5. How do I....?
Before you post any "how do I" posts, be sure to stop
by the CliffShade site, http://www.cliffshade.com/dpfwiw/
This amazing site hosts many "how to" articles than span
the entire range of digital camera know-how.
6. Is something wrong with my camera?
If an article at Google does not pop up an answer to your
question, make sure to specify as much relevant information
in your post as possible.
* Hardware: Camera type, PC type, whatever is applicable.
* Operating system, with version, if applicable. e.g. Win95,
Win98, WinNT4, Win2000, Mac OS/X, etc.
* Camera or scanner brand, model, and firmware revision, e.g.
"HP Photosmart C5100A v1.00".
* Other relevant hardware details. If the camera can interface
using serial or USB, specify which you were using. For SCSI
device problems, listing the other devices on the chain may help.
* Software in use, including version numbers, e.g. "Photoshop v5.5".
* What you were trying to do, the specific steps you took,
anything you've tried to correct the problem, and if so,
the results achieved to date.
* Specific error messages seen. Write down exactly what it says,
add any numeric error codes along with it. Be sure to write
down what it said, not what you think it meant.
7. Which is better...?
Whether comparing the merits of film vs digital, or compact
flash, smart media and memory stick, do remember that each
technology offers both pro's and con's. Stop by google to
search for old debates before starting your own.
8. Is 'company-name' a good online retailer?
Before posting, make sure to check previous posts with google.
Then you may wish to stop by www.resellerratings.com,
www.bizrate.com and the Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org).
Other consumer sites include
* The Consumer Information Center http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/
* The FTC Consumer Line http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/consumer.htm
* The National Consumer Complaint Center
http://www.alexanderlaw.com/nccc/index.html
* Consumer World: http://www.consumerworld.org/
* The American Bar Association's Safe Shopping Site
http://www.safeshopping.org/
9. Where can I learn more about taking good pictures?
* Kodak Digital Learning Center
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/digital/dlc/
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/nav/takingPics.shtml
http://www.kodak.com/global/en/consumer/pictureTaking/index.shtml
* Learning Photography (not just digital)
http://www.411photography.com/LEARNING_PHOTOGRAPHY/
* Digital Photography - A Free On-line Course
Dennis P. Curtin, http://www.photocourse.com/
* Ron Parr's Digital Photography FAQ
http://www.cs.duke.edu/~parr/photography/faq.html
10. JPEG or TIFF?
http://groups.google.com/groups?
as_q=JPEG%20TIFF&as_ugroup=rec.photo.digital
(Combine lines for complete URL)
Also see:
www.cliffshade.com/dpfwiw/exposure.htm#tiff
www.cliffshade.com/dpfwiw/exposure.htm#jpeg
4. NEWSGROUP RESOURCES & ARCHIVES
1. The r.p.d. FAQ
You can find the latest version of the r.p.d. FAQ at
http://rpdfaq.50megs.com
2. The Digital Photofinishers FAQ
Check Google to find the latest version of the digital
photofinishing FAQ, or send e-mail to erica@mindspring.com
5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND ANNOUCEMENTS
This FAQ owes much to John Novak of rec.arts.sf.written.robert-jordan.
Parts of this FAQ have been extracted and osterized from the r.p.d. FAQ.
Thanks also to Barry Parker, John Beale, Mark Peot, Timothy Reed,
Martin Schuessler, Thomas Wana, Barry Pearson and Billy_RPD.
Please send any updates and suggestions for this R.P.D. Welcoming FAQ
to Erica Sadun, erica@mindspring.com
This FAQ is archived at http://www.ericasadun.com
As per our original discussions on rec.photo.digital, this
Welcome FAQ now returns to its regular once-or-twice-a-week
schedule after finishing the holiday rush.