{"id":291,"date":"2009-11-25T10:05:43","date_gmt":"2009-11-25T17:05:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/?p=291"},"modified":"2009-11-25T10:05:43","modified_gmt":"2009-11-25T17:05:43","slug":"windows-7-review-photos-videos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/windows-7-review-photos-videos\/","title":{"rendered":"Windows 7 Review: Photos & Videos"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Lori Cunningham<\/span><\/p>\n

Windows 7 provides a playground full of opportunities to learn and play with your digital media– your photos and videos.\u00a0 We’ve all seen those great short movies that some of our friends have created using their vacation photos and videos.\u00a0 How we wish we could do that too.\u00a0 But who has the time or interest to learn it all?<\/p>\n

With the help of Windows 7 and Windows Live\u00a0 Essentials<\/span> <\/span>(free download), it is now easier than ever to upload your photos and videos, tag, label, and file them, fix or correct (photos), and\u00a0 even create a “movie” with them.\u00a0 I am a photo and video enthusiast and I have been waiting for years to “have the time” to create movies out of my photo\/video memories.\u00a0 With Windows Live Movie Maker, this dream is quickly becoming a reality.<\/p>\n

This article is the final part of a three part series reviewing some of the compelling reasons why you should consider Windows 7.\u00a0 The first article, \u201cWindows 7 Review:\u00a0 Media Center<\/span><\/a>,\u201d reviews the benefits of Media Center and it\u2019s potential to share pictures, movies, TV shows, and videos on computers and TVs throughout the house.\u00a0\u00a0 The second part of the series, “Windows 7 Review:\u00a0 Useful Features<\/span><\/a>,”<\/span> explains\u00a0 many features that make\u00a0Windows 7 more efficient to find things and get things done more effectively.\u00a0 A copy of Windows 7 Premium was given to me by Microsoft to review as a result of the Windows 7 house party<\/span><\/a> I threw on their behalf.<\/p>\n

This article covers how you can use Windows 7 to upload photos and videos, organize them, and make them into slide shows and movies to share with others.<\/div>\n
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Uploading Your Photos & Videos<\/span><\/h2>\n

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Windows 7: Importing pictures just got easier<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

\"LoveUploading media onto my computer using Windows 7 was a “wow” experience for me.\u00a0\u00a0 The process of uploading media from a camera or a media disk is similar to how it is in Vista.\u00a0 However, now there is a new option called “Import pictures and videos using Windows Live Photo Gallery.”\u00a0 ALWAYS use this option as it provides\u00a0 enhanced functionality.\u00a0 If\u00a0you don’t see this option when uploading your photos or videos, this means that you did not first download and execute the free Windows Live\u00a0 Essentials<\/span> package, as discussed in the “Windows 7 Review:\u00a0 Useful Features<\/span><\/a>” article.<\/p>\n

\u00a0After you choose the “import pictures and videos using Windows Live Photo Gallery” option, you will receive the “Import Photos and Videos” screen above.\u00a0 Choose “Review, organize, and group items to import.”\u00a0 This option will provide you with a very helpful screen that allows you to select only those dates you choose to from your camera.\u00a0 I have a 60GB hard drive on my camcorder\/camera.\u00a0 I like to keep my trip pics on the camera to show friends our latest trip.\u00a0 Now with Windows 7, I only download the pictures that I choose.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Windows 7: Import only those pictures you select<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

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A short\u00a0video that shows all of the steps in action:\u00a0<\/div>\n
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\u00a0\"LoveAnother thing to point out is that Windows 7 recognizes HD digital video formats.\u00a0 This is a HUGE benefit for those of us who were early adapters and purchased HD video camcorders.\u00a0 In the past, I had to use\u00a0 Sony proprietary based software to view my videos and I could not\u00a0 view them from Windows Explorer file folders.\u00a0 Now, I can easily view my video thumbnails, watch the video, and tag them as easily as I can my pictures.<\/div>\n

Organize your Pictures and Videos <\/span><\/h2>\n

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From this screen you can name the folders you want to import and add tags.\u00a0 For example, I named the first folder “5-1-2009 Mexican Weekend Cruise” and tagged the photos “cruise, vacation, Mexico, family, trip.”\u00a0 The import process allows you to choose name and tags for every date or “group” of pictures it finds on your\u00a0 camera\/video camera.\u00a0 Once all the files are imported and deleted from my camera, I move all the new folders into my “2009” folder for\u00a0 better organization.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once you’ve downloaded your files, open up your pictures using Windows Live Photo Gallery to rename your pictures, add the Author (person shooting the pic\/video), and any other descriptive tags.\u00a0 A neat new feature is being able to tag\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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people in the picture.\u00a0 In the picture below I clicked on the little boy’s head and the “Tag Someone” box appears with names I’ve used to tag other people in the past.\u00a0 Using tags will help you to easily find people in pictures using the search feature later.\u00a0 Tags are written to the photo picture, so even if you share them online or e-mail them to others, the tag will show up when a person hovers their mouse over the faces you tagged.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Windows Photo Gallery Live has many great features in its menu:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"LoveFix<\/strong> – with one click you can “Auto Adjust” pictures – which adjusts light and contrast levels and corrects colors, straightens the picture.\u00a0 You can easily fix red eye and crop your picture.\u00a0 You can manually adjust colors, brightness, and contrast as well.\u00a0 Want to see the picture in a different light?\u00a0 Turn the photo into black and white, sepia, or a few other variations.\u00a0 This video shows how easy it is to adjust your pictures: <\/span>
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Publish<\/strong>– you can publish your pictures to your Microsoft Live account (if you have one), to Flickr, or YouTube easily.\u00a0 Watch this video to see how:\u00a0<\/span>
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E-mail<\/strong>– this is a great feature.\u00a0 Just select the photos you want to send and click on the E-mail tab.\u00a0 You will be asked what size you want the pics to be re-sized to (original size, large,\u00a0 medium, small, smaller) then the pics will be inserted into an e-mail for you, ready to send.<\/span><\/p>\n

Print<\/strong>– printing couldn’t be any easier.\u00a0 Select the pictures you would like to print and click on the Print button.\u00a0 You can send them to be printed at SnapFish, Kodak, Shutterfly, CVS, or FujiFilm or you can print them at home with your own printer.\u00a0 With just a couple of clicks you can print 5×7’s, 8×10’s, 3.5×5’s, etc. of the same picture or several pictures together from your home printer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Make<\/strong> – here you can make a Panoramic picture, movie (discussed later in this article), blog post, burn a DVD, burn a data CD.\u00a0 Interested in seeing how you can stitch together a Panoramic picture?\u00a0 Watch this quick video:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Want to make a quick DVD to show your latest vacation pics to your friends?\u00a0 Creating a DVD is almost effortless using Windows 7.\u00a0 Watch this video to see what you can produce:<\/span><\/p>\n


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\n<\/span>\"LoveSlide Show<\/strong> – a wonderful feature that instantly turns your pictures into a nice slide show.\u00a0 J\"Windowsust select which pictures you want and click on slide show – instantly your pictures are artistically shown in a beautiful slide show.\u00a0 Bored of the format of your slide show?\u00a0 No problem.\u00a0 There are\u00a0 7 slide show themes to choose from.\u00a0 You can also make all the pictures black and white or sepia by checking them in the slide show options box.\u00a0 This is a great way to show friends your vacation pics or enjoy your children’s childhood pics.<\/span><\/p>\n

You’re In the Movies!<\/span>\"Love<\/span><\/h2>\n

Now it’s your turn to turn your\u00a0 beautiful pictures and videos into a brilliantly produced movie to impress your friends.\u00a0 With Movie Maker (part of the Windows Essentials Live download), turning your media into a movie is a snap.\u00a0 The Movie Maker is easily accessible from Windows Live Photo Gallery by clicking on the “Make” menu, as described just above and selecting “Make a Movie”.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Microsoft claims you can make a cool movie in under 30 seconds.\u00a0 Don’t believe it?\u00a0 (I do, I’ve done it).\u00a0 Watch this video and after a brief introduction, it will show you how to make your movie within the first 45 seconds of this video.\u00a0 The movie continues to show you how easy it is to customize your video once you have used the feature called “Auto Movie.”\u00a0 The video is nearly 6 minutes long – but I highly recommend watching it if you’re interested in making movies – Windows Live Movie Maker makes it incredibly easy to do – for novices and experts alike.<\/span>
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Making a movie is easy, just open the program, add your pictures and video, and click on “Auto Movie.”\u00a0 Movie Maker will than ask you if you’d like to add music to your movie and direct you to your “My Music” folders so you can select a song.\u00a0 Then Movie Maker will add transitions and a title slide for you to edit.\u00a0 In addition, it will ensure that the music you selected ends when your pictures\/videos end.\u00a0 So you won’t have music lingering on well after your movie has ended.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Click on Edit to make any\u00a0 changes to your movie – you can change the music, add another song, change the transitions, make one of the pictures black and white or sepia, add text in between or on any of your pictures, shorten video clips, the list goes on.\u00a0 “Auto Movie” helps you to get started and will produce a great movie.\u00a0 Still, you have the option to tweak the movie and enhance it if you’re so inclined.<\/span><\/p>\n

Furthermore, you can easily burn your movie to DVD.\u00a0 Movie Maker supports High Definition, so you can save your movie in 480, 720, and 1080 high-definition formats.\u00a0 You can also upload your video to YouTube, FaceBook, and other online sites to share with your friends and family.<\/span><\/p>\n

Create a stunning video of your family pics to share with the grandparents.\u00a0 Volunteer to create a DVD movie to showcase all of the great playing your daughter’s soccer team did during the season.\u00a0 Create a quick movie showing the fun everyone had at your last party and e-mail it out to all those who attended.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It’s never been easier or faster to create and share your pictures and videos.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A<\/span> Mom’s View\"Windows<\/span><\/h2>\n

I highly recommend Windows 7.\u00a0\u00a0 The ease of use and enhanced functionality when working with pictures and videos is alone enough reason to upgrade.\u00a0 Windows 7 gives you a way to organize and create professional looking slide\u00a0 shows and movies showcasing your children and family activities.\u00a0 If you’ve never taken the time to learn how to work with your pictures on your computer, now is the time.\u00a0 If you’re like me and have thousands of pictures on your computer but have never made them into interesting creative movies and slide shows to share with friends and family, your time has come.<\/span><\/p>\n

I took the time to write a three part Windows 7 Review series because I have used Windows 7 extensively have found it to be very beneficial in helping me to find programs and files more easily, work more effectively despite having 6 programs and 20 Internet Explorer windows open at one time, upload, organize, and showcase my pictures and videos, record TV shows, and share my media (photos, videos, movies, and music) around the house using Media Center.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0I hope you enjoyed the WellConnectedMom.com’s series on Windows 7.\u00a0 If you missed the first two articles of my Windows 7 Review, you can easily click to see them here:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Windows 7 Review:\u00a0 Media Center<\/span><\/a>,\u201d<\/span> reviews the benefits of Media Center and it\u2019s potential to share pictures, movies, TV shows, and videos on computers and TVs throughout the house.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0“<\/span><\/span>Windows 7 Review:\u00a0 Useful Features<\/span><\/a>,” <\/span>explains\u00a0 many features that makes Windows 7 more efficient to find things and get things done more effectively.<\/span><\/p>\n

I am happy to say that there are even more neat features I didn’t get to in my reviews.\u00a0 Nonetheless, I covered most of the features that I have found to be the most useful.\u00a0 Please leave comments with your thoughts and if your using Windows 7 now, comment with the good things and the bad about your experience with Windows 7.<\/span><\/p>\n

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