Instruction manual

Note: Most digital cameras show up as a removable drive in Explorer, so you

can just click the drive letter to open the drive. Your pictures will probably be in a

sub-folder rather than in the root of the drive. Drag the photos onto the applicable

‘Unedited Photos” sub-folder on your hard drive to copy them.

6.1.2 Memory Card Reader

The easiest and most versatile way to import pictures into your computer is

through a USB media card reader that plugs into your computer; this allows fast

and easy downloads from a camera’s memory card. The best choice is a USB

2.0 card reader that accepts multiple types of cards; those that read six or more

types can be found for $20 - $40 (e.g., Zio Corporation’s Dazzle series, the

SanDisk 8-in-1 ImageMate USB 2.0, and the Edge or SimpleTech 6-in-1 digital

media readers). This is handy during a large mission when crews may be using

different types of cameras with different media cards. [Note: A Firewire card

reader is almost twice as fast as a USB reader, but is much more expensive than

a USB reader. Also, many computers do not have a Firewire port.]

Another advantage to a card reader is that it enables a crew to drop off their

memory card and take the camera back out for another sortie, while the staff

processes the photos.

When you insert the card into the reader, a Windows pop-up asks you what

you want to do with the images on the card (slideshow, download to a folder, etc.).

You can also open Explorer where the card shows up as a drive; you can then

drag-and-drop the photos into the desired folder.

Some computers (laptops, in particular) come with slots that accept cards

directly into the computer or via a PC card adapter. These features essentially

function in the same way a card reader does, although much faster.

Some printers also come with built-in card readers. They allow you to print

photos without using a computer.

6.2 Capturing Photos

For ease of use and to make it simple to find all your photos, you may decide

to store all your photos in the ‘My Pictures’ folder (under ‘My Computer’) or in a

separate location. Either way, you should first create folders and sub-folders for

each use or mission; this is discussed in the next section, “Organizing Mission

Photos on a Computer.”

There are three basic ways to capture photos to your computer’s hard drive:

using the Windows Scanner and Camera Wizard, using the capture feature of an

photo editing program, or copying photos from your camera to your hard drive

using Windows Explorer (drag and drop).

6.2.1 Capturing Photos using the Scanner and Camera Wizard

If you’re using a USB cable and your camera is a “Plug-and-Play”, the

Scanner and Camera Wizard start once you connect your camera to one of the

computer’s USB ports. Click “Next” and follow the instructions in the wizard. If

you do not see the wizard you may have an older camera that is not Plug-and-