You've been planning your holiday for months. You've researched the destination, chosen accommodation and planned fun activities. You've packed everything you'll need in your suitcase and you've got a great camera and know how to use it. But do you know how to make the most of those special moments you'll catch on film? If you know what it's possible to do when you return home you might take more pictures while you're away.
There's a whole range of software programs to help you get the most out of your vacation snaps. Here are a few important features to bear in mind in your quest for the perfect photo.
Photo Organization
First of all you'll need powerful organization and search features for the hundreds (or thousands!) of photos you'll shoot. Photography software allows you to create folders and add keyword tags & ratings for easy categorization into photo libraries. I like programs that offer face detection technology and face tagging, providing a quicker and easier way to organize your pictures. Once all faces are tagged, you'll be able to quickly find specific people in your photo collection.
You can also locate your photos based on where they were taken with the use of geotagging features from GPS-enabled cameras (or with geotagging software and Google Earth). Then you can just zoom in on a map within the program, click on a marker and view all photos taken in that location.
Editing Tools
You can choose from a whole host of different editing options, ranging from more beginner-level photo-editing to more advanced, pixel-level editing tools. You can fix red eye & remove blemishes; correct exposure, white balance, brightness & contrast; enhance color; reduce photo noise; and resize & straighten images. Take it one step further and add borders, captions & vignettes; adjust film grain; or add special painting effects (oil painting, watercolor, impressionistic). You can also remove unwanted clutter and objects (e.g. other tourists) from your pictures.
One of my favorite tools is panoramic image creation. Some programs can stitch together photos - creating horizontal, vertical (for trees, skyscrapers) and 360? panoramas. You can get professional prints made of your panoramic masterpieces directly from within the software.
Creating Albums, Slideshows, Photo Books
Display your photos in online photo galleries and albums. Or design entertaining slideshows to share online or by burning to DVD. Choose slideshow themes, include transition effects & background music, add chapters & menus, and create fun text effects. Digital Photo Books are also a really popular way to showcase your photos - add stunning effects and when completed you can print from home or order a professionally printed & bound book, which makes a great gift. Why stop there - create greeting cards, invitations and calendars with your best photos.
Sharing Your Pictures
When you're done being creative and you're ready to share your masterpieces, software will let you do that easily. Some programs provide you with your own personal online storage space for easy access. Or your pictures can be automatically formatted & optimized for uploading to photo sharing sites such as Flickr, SmugMug, Zenfolio and Facebook. If you used face tagging when organizing your collection, photos uploaded to Facebook will already contain names.
There's also software that will optimize your images to the best size and resolution for your digital picture frame or high-definition TV, so you can show images with better display quality. And you can convert your photos into formats designed for portable devices such as iPod, iPhone, iPad, PSP, Zune, Xbox, Blackberry and more.
Burning DVDs
Protect and preserve your memories by creating professional-quality CDs & DVDs of your photos in minutes. Some programs have integrated DVD authoring tools allowing you to create a photo album DVD with transition effects, background music and Hollywood-style menus. All you have to do is choose your pictures, choose a name for your DVD, add a menu and burn. Or go straight from camera to DVD in one easy step.
Backup Online
I think backing up your precious photographs is the most important step in this whole process. You can't afford to lose those priceless memories due to accidents such as fire or flood damage, or computer malfunction. Some photography software includes up to 2GB of free storage, otherwise there are many reliable online data backup services such as SugarSync or Mozy that offer free trials and up to 5GB of free storage. They also allow you to share photos online, sync photos across multiple devices, and provide encryption and remote access. Use the automated backup feature so you can just set it and forget it.
Popular photography software brands that offer the above features and suit different budgets include: Adobe, ACDSee, ArcSoft, Corel, CyberLink, and Wondershare. Programs are compatible with Windows, Mac or both. Check out our site SoftwareVouchers.com - we have several photography software discounts and bundle offers for you to take advantage of at the moment. Happy shooting!
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