What is geotagging? Geotagging refers to adding GPS coordinates of the location where pictures were taken. In other words, all of the pictures you took of your son’s birthday party at home and subsequently shared with people on Twitter or Facebook could contain information about your home’s location.

Don’t feel comfortable sharing your home’s location with everyone on the internet? You can disable geotagging images on your iPhone or you can use Geotagging Security, a free application for Windows that allows you to remove GPS information from photos you select.

In the guide below I will show you how to use Geotagging security to safely remove location information from photos so that you can share them online without compromising your personal information.

Software/Hardware used: Geotagging Security running on Windows 7.

Once you have downloaded and installed the application, click on the application shortcut to launch Geotagging Security.

1. Click Browse to select the folder containing the images with geotags you wish to remove.

2. Select the folder you wish to scan and click OK.

3. Click Start to begin scanning and removing geotags from images.

A. Review the changes made to your images. You will see how many images were scanned and found along with how many images with geotags were found and geotag information removed.

4. Click Next to review the log file. When you reach the next page you will be presented with a log file of the changes made to your images. At this point you can close the window to return to Windows.

This application is free, however if you purchase the upgrade for $19.95 you can add monitoring to specific folders so that geotags are automatically removed as photos are added. This is a great feature that ensures certain images will always be geotag free.

Download Geotagging Security from Geotagsecurity.com

If you have any comments or questions please use the comments form below.

Panoramio is a Google owned website which allows the organization, storage and the ability to geo-locate your photographs.  While Google Latitude is a great tool to share with your friends to let them know exactly where you are, which is available on most mobile devices. Since Google Latitude will store your history, you can go back and see exactly where you’ve been in the past. Don’t the two seem to fit perfectly together? Location mapping and manual geo-tagging photos, hmmm?

Google has now added the feature to instantly synch your Google Latitude history with your Panoramio photos. You have to enable the feature in your Panoramio settings, which will give access to your Latitude history. Once it accesses this history it takes the settings, like time and date, of the photos you’ve uploaded to Panoramio, makes sure everything is correct and then automatically geo-tags your photos, so you don’t have to manually do them.

Now you can go places and take pictures without ever having to worry about where you took the pictures; just make sure you have Google Latitude running on your mobile device.

The other day I came across Rollip.com, a very easy to use online photo manipulation site that allows users to choose from 40 different filter effects ranging from vintage effects to black and white conversion. I found the website fast and easy to use. I personally like to use programs like Picasa to do my any photo editing, but I found this site to be great for on-the-fly filter effects when a program like Picasa is not available. Below I will walk you through the steps necessary to upload and apply a filter to your pictures. If you know of other websites like this or have any questions, please post them below.

Using Rollip to Apply Filters to Your Pictures

1. Head on over to Rollip.com and click on the Click here to start! button.

2. Choose the layout of your photograph. You have the option of a Polaroid look (which reduces the size of the image) or the original size. Simply click on the layout you wish to use.

3. In this example I chose the Polaroid and as such I was provided with the options pictured above that allow me to add decorations to the border of the "Polaroid". Click on the option you would like to use and you will be taken to the next screen.

4. Again I chose the Polaroid layout so I was given the option to enter text, enter the text you wish to appear and click Ok, continue or you can cancel if you wish to do so.

5. Once you have customized the options you now need to upload the picture you wish to use. Click on the Click here to upload photo! button.

6. Browse to the location where your image is located, select the image you wish to use and click on the Open button.

Your Image will upload…

Once upload is complete wait a few seconds for the settings you chose to be applied to the image.

7. Share your photo with the world! or just download it to your computer. You can click on the download photo link or share your picture by email, facebook, myspace, or Flickr.

Sample of image that I uploaded and modified.

If you use Picasa to organize your pictures you may or may not be aware of the various options available to edit the photographs in your digital albums. Although simple to use in nature, some of the editing capabilities found in Picasa match that of photo editing packages that would normally carry a hefty price tag. Below I will walk you through the Tuning tab and provide you with a description and an example of each tool. If you have any comments or questions please post them below.

Note – Don’t fret, all changes made to your pictures using the tools below will not affect the original image. Like photo editing packages (Lightroom and others), Picasa is non-destructive, this means that Picasa will show you what your picture modifications will look like without actually modifying the original image. Of course if you wish, you do have the option of saving changes to the original image.

I used Picasa 3.5 for this tutorial. All pictures below were taken by me.

If you would like to familiarize yourself with the Basic Fixes tab, read the 9 Basic Fixes to Jazz Up Your Pictures in Picasa guide.

The Tuning Tab

The Tuning tab gives users the capability to adjust the light and color in their images. Users can use the sliders to adjust the individual settings or use the One-Click fixes (small magic wands) to auto adjust the settings below.

To reach the Tuning tab simply double-click on an image in the Library view and the left pane will switch from the Navigation pane to the editing pane. The Tuning tab will be located between the Basic Fixes tab (default selection) and the Effects tab.

Fill Light Tool

In the image below you will notice that using the Fill Light tool, details about the shoreline became visible. On the photograph to the left the shoreline is just dark and details are few, on the right details about the shoreline are visible, however the city skyline now appears to be over exposed, with this tool you will need to find the balance that best suits the photograph you are working on. The Fill Light tool is used to balance the bright and dark areas of a photograph.

This tool is also found in the Basic Fixes tab.

Highlights Tool

Suppose you really wanted to make the skyline below stand out without affecting the darker areas of the picture (the shoreline). You would use the Highlights tool to brighten or darken the bright spots of the image you are working on.

You will notice that the image to the right has a much brighter skyline compared to the image on the left. The Highlights tool is great for bringing out the brighter portions of the image.

Shadows Tool

Like the Highlights tool above, the Shadows Tool amplifies or minimizes the brightness of the darker areas of the image only. You will notice that in the image to the right, the darker sections (shadows) of the image became darker and less distinguishable to its brighter counterparts. This is a great tool if you want to increase the contrast of the image.

One-Click Fix for Lighting Tool

If you have no time to fiddle with the various sliders used to modify the light in your image, Picasa provides you with a One-Click Fix for Lighting button (small magic wand) that will automatically adjust the lighting of the image you are working on. This automatic tool will only affect the Fill Light, Highlights, and Shadows sliders. If the outcome of the automatic lighting fix is not exactly what you are looking for you can always move the sliders and adjust it to your liking.

Color Temperature Tool

The Color Temperature Tool will allow you to make your picture warmer or colder. If you don’t know what I mean by that, look at the three images below.

• First image is the original
• Second image has been made colder (extremes)
• Third image has been made warmer (extremes)

Play with this tool and you will be amazed at the difference it makes on certain pictures.

Neutral Color Picker and One-Click Fix for Color

The Neutral Color Picker (small eye drop icon) can be used to specify which part of the photo should be treated as gray or white, it will then balance the colors. The Small Magic Wand will automatically adjust the colors in the photograph.

Histogram & Camera Information

The Histogram provides essential information about your photograph’s levels as well as provide (if supported by your camera) information about the photograph and the camera used to take the picture. In the photograph used above, the picture was taken with a Nikon D40X, 10 second exposure, f/4.5, ISO 100, and Focal Length of 18mm. A wealth of information can be obtained through the Histogram and Camera Information section.

Last Words…

The beautiful thing about all of these tools is that you can Undo their effects with the push of a button.

I will be working on other guides to explain each of these tools in detail, expect those in the next couple of weeks. Until then, happy editing!

If you use Picasa to organize your pictures you may or may not be aware of the various options available to edit the photographs in your digital albums. Although simple to use in nature, some of the editing capabilities found in Picasa match that of photo editing packages that would normally carry a hefty price tag. Below I will walk you through the Basic Fixes tab and provide you with a description and an example of each tool. If you have any comments or questions please post them below.

Note – Don’t fret, all changes made to your pictures using the tools below will not affect the original image. Like photo editing packages (Lightroom and others), Picasa is non-destructive, this means that Picasa will show you what your picture modifications will look like without actually modifying the original image. Of course if you wish, you do have the option of saving changes to the original image.

I used Picasa 3.5 for this tutorial. All pictures below were taken by me.

The Basic Fixes Tab

The Basic Fixes tab, provides just that, basic fixes. The tools you will find in this tab will enable you to crop images, straighten crooked pictures, remove red eyes and more.

To reach the Basic Fixes tab simply double-click on an image in the Library view and the left pane will switch from the Navigation pane to the editing pane. Basic Fixes should be the default tab selected.

1. Crop Tool

Like a specific section of a picture? Or want to remove someone who made their way into your photograph without you noticing? Use the Crop tool to select the area you wish to keep and delete the rest.

2. Straighten Tool

Sometimes it is difficult to hold up a camera straight when taking a photograph, when you can’t repeat the picture to correct the orientation, leave it to Picasa and the Straighten tool to help you straighten out that crooked picture.

The dashed red line below is used as a reference to point out the difference in inclination from one picture to the other once it has been corrected.

3. Redeye Repair Tool

The Redeye Repair tool will automatically correct all the red eyes detected in the photograph. When the correction is made you will notice that a green box will surround the eyes corrected. In instances where the red eye cannot be detected automatically you can always manually correct the red eyes. This is one of my favorite tools because so many people forget to enable the red eye removal feature in their cameras.

4. I’m feeling Lucky Tool

This is similar to I’m Feeling Lucky when searching with Google except that it pertains to a photograph. The I’m Feeling Lucky tool will adjust the color and contrast of your photograph to find the ideal setting for your picture.

You will notice that the image to the right (below) seems ‘colder’ whereas the picture to the left is a little ‘warmer’ (the original photograph).

5. Auto Contrast Tool

Auto Contrast will automatically adjust the brightness and the the contrast of your photograph to the perceived ‘optimal’ level. there are times where you will find yourself undoing the effects of this tool because it completely messes up the picture and there will be times where you don’t notice that it was even applied.

I tried locating a picture where this effect would be more prevalent and decided on this photograph. Notice that the cross has a more vibrant red and the roof tops in the background contrast better against each other (picture on the right).

6. Auto Color Tool

The Auto Color tool will balance the color in the photograph without affecting the brightness or contrast of the picture.

The results in the photograph below show how the Auto Color tool cooled the color tones of the photograph on the left. In this specific photograph it is not the result I would like, but it serves as an example of the tool’s effect.

7. Retouch Tool

Probably one of the most powerful tools in Picasa’s arsenal of features, the Retouch tool allows you to repair/retouch photographs that have been damaged. Let’s say you have a picture of your great grandfather and the photograph has a wet stain – not a problem. The Retouch tool will repair this with a couple of mouse clicks.

I simulated a ‘damaged’ picture to demonstrate the power of this tool – The image to the left has been retouched and the red line was completely removed. This tool works great with pictures that are torn, scratched, stained, etc. Try it out…with this tool anyone can be photo restoration expert.

8. Text Tool

Often overlooked, the Text tool allows you to add text on top of your pictures. Very handy when you need to write something on a picture. The tool has a slew of options from text borders to transparency, quite powerful for a free application.

9. Fill Light Tool

There are times when photographs will have areas that are underexposed due to a bright background or another area where the camera measured the light and underexposed portions of the photograph, leaving out important details. The Fill Light tool resolves this by filling in those underexposed areas and exposing objects that were once hidden by underexposure.

Although not the best example of this tool, the area directly below the Eiffel tower on the picture to the left is very dark and details are hard to identify. After using the Fill Light tool you will notice the dark area (along with the rest of the picture) was lit up and details can now be picked up on the image to the right.

Last Words…

The beautiful thing about all of these tools is that you can Undo their effects with the push of a button.

I will be working on other guides to explain each of these tools in detail, expect those in the next couple of weeks. Until then, happy editing!

One of the most annoying aspects of shooting RAW is MS Windows inability to display RAW images natively. I came across the media section in one of my favorite books that describes how RAW support can be added to Windows Explorer and Picture Viewer. The article below shows you how to find and install the codecs necessary to accomplish this.

I own a Nikon DSLR so I have written this article for Nikon owners, however if you are a Canon, Sony, Olympus, or Pentax owner scroll to the bottom of the page so that you can find the appropriate link to the codec specific to your manufacturer. If you have any comments or questions, please post them below.

Note: The Nikon Codec currently supports Windows Vista SP1 32bit and Windows XP. Some of these codecs will work for XP, make sure to read the codecs requirements before installing.

The Nikon codec will not work on Windows Vista 64 bit, trust me I tried it, I had to install in one of my Virtual 32 bit Vista installations for it to work.

NIKON Codec Download and Installation

Screenshot above is how RAW images are displayed in Windows Vista (before codec installation)

1. Go to the Nikon website (follow this link) and click on the I agree – Begin Download button to download the codec

2. Before proceeding make sure to restart your computer after installation.

3. After your computer reboots browse to the directory that contains the RAW images, when you open the window you should be able to view the RAW files as thumbnails, you can also double-click to open the RAW files in Vista’s Photo Viewer.

Codec Downloads for (almost) All Camera Manufacturers

To download codecs for the camera manufacturers follow the links below.

• Nikon NEF format – Website
• Canon CR2 format – Website
• Olympus ORF format – Website
• Pentax PEF format – Website
• Sony SRF format – Website

Article source Windows Vista Annoyances: Tips, Secrets, and Hacks

One of Picasa’s newest features (introduced in version 2 and expanded in 3) is the ability to view RAW pictures and convert these images to JPEG’s. All you have to do is add your RAW files to Picasa and follow the instructions below to convert them to the JPEG format. As far as I can tell JPEG is the only format that Picasa exports to. The instructions to convert your RAW files to JPEG’s are listed below.

Note: This guide will also show you how to watermark your images in Picasa.

Video Guide Followed by Step-by-step Guide Below

If you have any comments or questions, please post them in the comments section at the end of the guide. If you don’t know what RAW format is and would like to find out more, read this Wikipedia entry.

Software/Hardware used: Picasa 3 running on Windows, but the same will apply on the Mac version of Picasa.

1. Select the images you wish to convert from RAW to JPEG in Picasa and click File then Export Picture to Folder…

2. The Export to Folder dialog box will open, click Browse to select the destination of the folders you are exporting. Select the directory where you would like Picasa to place the converted images and click OK. This directory is where the folder containing the converted JPEGS will be located.

4. The Export to Folder window offers several options;

A. Name the folder your files will be exported to.

B. Select the Image Size you would like to use by choosing Use Original Size or Resize to: (move slider left to right to adjust dimensions)

C. Select the Image Quality from the drop-down menu. If you chose Automatic it will preserve the original image quality.

D. Add a watermark: You can add a text watermark to your picture.

Once you’re done, click OK

Note: Depending on the number of pictures you chose to export and your computer’s performance, it may take anywhere from a couple of seconds to a couple of hours to convert your pictures.

When you browse to the directory that your exported pictures were saved, you will be presented with JPEG files and watermarks (if chosen) located on the bottom right of the picture.

If you have any questions please use the comments form below.

The wear and tear on your vehicle can be determined (most of the time) based on the number of miles driven. Believe it or not digital cameras have something similar to mileage, it’s called actuations. The number of actuations is the number of times that the shutter inside your camera has opened and closed, simply put, the number of pictures taken. So why is this important, well it tells you how much wear a camera has sustained.

Let’s say that you find a great camera like a Nikon D200 or a Canon 30D for a really low price, aside from the overall condition of the camera, you might want to take a look at the number of actuations (miles) the camera has. Most semi-professional cameras like the one’s mentioned above are rated (you can expect to get) to perform about 50,000 actuations or 50,000 pictures, after which the camera will in most instances continue work, but it’s usable life has been diminished by 50,000 actuations. I’m not suggesting that this is the only thing you should look at when buying a used camera, but certainly something to note when doing your research.

So how and were is this information located? Camera manufacturers store a large amount of data (metadata) every time a picture is taken, this data is referred to as the EXIF specification. It contains information like the camera model, lens type, focal length, shutter speed, GPS coordinates, shutter actuations, and other useful information, more on EXIF can be found here.

This guide serves two purposes, the first is to inform my readers about a camera’s mileage (actuations) and how it can be used to make better purchasing decisions. Secondly, a short guide to help you obtain that number from your camera. I hope that this guide will be useful to those of you that didn’t know about this and that you are able to make better purchasing decisions. If you have any comments or questions, post them below.

Note: Your camera may not support the ability to store number of actuations in EXIF. I also want to make clear that the number of actuations does not entirely reflect the condition of a camera, so make sure to take other factors into consideration, conditions where camera has operated, camera handling (how it was treated), and price. Think of it as buying a car, you don’t look at only the miles do you?

1. Before we can determine the number of actuations your camera has performed, we need you to download a free version of PhotoME (this software allows you to view all of the EXIF data stored in your pictures).

2. Once you’ve installed PhotoME, find one of the latest photographs you’ve taken.

3. After launching the program click Open file… on the left pane

4. Locate the picture I asked you to find in step number 2 (ideally the last picture you took with your camera). Click Open.

5. When your picture is opened in PhotoME you will be presented with all of the data contained on the picture file (JPEG, RAW, etc formats).

6. The first thing you should try is scrolling down on the pane to the left until you locate a field named Shutter Count, Actuations, and others.

7. If you don’t find the field by looking around (it can be overwhelming with the number of fields available). You can use the built-in search function and enter one of the following keywords;

Shutter, count, actuations, or any other words that may describe the number of pictures taken. You can perform a search by typing your query in the Find: box located at the bottom of the program screen.

The example below is for a used camera on eBay, the seller states that the camera has about 1,500-2,000 actuations. In a case where the seller is guessing the number, I’d ask him to confirm it by following the steps above.