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The My Pictures folder located inside the My Documents folder enables you to collect all your favorite graphics that you've scanned, taken with your digital camera, or downloaded from the Web, and stores them in one easy-to-find place.
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Figure 1: The My Pictures window. |
The My Pictures window automatically displays all the files in the thumbnail view so that you can tell what images it contains at a glance. However, the coolest thing about the My Pictures folder is that it also lets you do a whole bunch of nifty things to the graphics in the Image Preview window, which you open by double-clicking the graphics file icon, such as:
- Zoom in or out on the graphic in the Image Preview window.
- Print the selected graphic in the Image Preview window.
- Rotate the selected graphic either clockwise or counterclockwise in the Image Preview window.
To open the My Pictures window from the Windows XP desktop, click the Start button and then click My Pictures (second from the top in the right-hand column in the Start pop-up menu). To open this folder from another folder, such as My Computer, click the Address bar drop-down button (on the right side) and then click My Documents at the top of the pop-up list (right below Desktop at the very top). You can then open My Pictures by double-clicking that icon in the My Documents window.
 | If you're partial to graphics and use the My Pictures folder a great deal, you might want to create a shortcut to this folder on the Windows XP desktop. That way, you can always open the folder from the desktop in a single operation. The easiest way to create this shortcut is to open the My Documents window, right-click the My Pictures folder, and then choose Send To-->Desktop (create shortcut) from the folder shortcut menu. |
If you want to set a picture whose thumbnail you can see in the My Pictures folder as the background graphic for your Windows XP desktop, select the file in the list box of the My Pictures window and then click the Set as Desktop Background hyperlink in the Picture Tasks section of the My Pictures navigation pane.
The navigation pane on the left side of the My Pictures window contains a link to the Photo Printing Wizard that enables you to format and print your photographs. The Photo Printing Wizard automatically selects all the loose graphics filed in the My Pictures folder. To print photographs from a folder within the My Pictures folder, click the folder to select it before you click the Print Pictures link.
1. Click the Print Pictures link to open the Photo Printing Wizard and then select the Next button to move to the Photo Selection dialog box.
2. By default all the photos in the My Pictures folder or the specific subfolder are selected in this dialog box. To print just some of these photos, remove the check marks from all the ones you don't want to print. To remove check marks from all the photos, click the Clear All button (you can then select the photos that you want to print by individually clicking those check boxes).
3. After selecting the photo to print, select the Next button to move to the Printing Options dialog box. Here, you can select a printer to use and/or a new paper size. To select a new printer, select it from the drop-down list box marked with the heading, "What printer do you want to use?"
4. (Optional) To change the layout of the printing or the paper source, click the Printing Preferences button to open the Document Properties dialog box for your printer and then select the new paper source from the drop-down list on the Paper/Quality tab and/or modify the orientation or number of pages per sheet on the Layout tab.
5. (Optional) To change the paper size or number of copies, click the Advanced button (available on either the Layout/Quality or the Layout tab of the Document Properties dialog box for your printer). Click Paper Size in the outline of your printer options and then select a new paper size from the drop-down list. Click Copy Count and type the new number in the text box or use the spinner buttons to select the new number. Click OK in the Advanced Properties dialog box, and OK in the Document Properties dialog box for your printer to return to the wizard.
6. After changing your printing options, select the Next button to move to the Layout Selection dialog box. This dialog box displays a list box of Available Layouts on the left with a Print Preview box on the right. Select the most appropriate layout by clicking it in the Available Layouts list box. Then see how the photos will look using the selected layout in the Print Preview box on the right.
7. After selecting the layout, select the Next button to move the last dialog box of the Photo Printing Wizard that shows you the progress of the photo printing. Note that you can click the Cancel Printing button in this dialog box at any time during the printing process if you run into some kind of printing problem that necessitates abandoning the photo printing.
| If you don't have a printer suitable for printing your photos (perhaps you only have a black-and-white printer but want color prints), you can have them professionally printed by an Internet Print Ordering service. Select the photos to print or the graphic folder that contains them and then click the Order Prints Online hyperlink in the My Pictures navigation pane. Doing this opens the Internet Print Ordering Wizard where you can select the Internet printing company to use (such as OFOTO or Kodak) and then specify the print size(s) and quantities. The Internet printing company you select then makes your digital prints. The prices run from about $0.49 a print for a 4 x 6-inch print up to around $3.99 for an 8 x 10-inch print of a photo. The bill is charged to a credit card and the prints are shipped to you via a courier service in a few business days. |
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