WINDOWS PHOTO GALLERY INSTRUCTIONS

1) Double-click on the Windows Photo Gallery icon on the desktop (or click on the round Start button, then click on Windows Photo Gallery).

[2) Scroll up to the top on the left, then click on the tiny Right Arrow next to  w All Pictures & Videos, unless you can already see Pictures below All Pictures & Videos.]

3) Click on Pictures at the upper left. You should be able to see all of the pictures on your hard drive on the right side.

4) Scroll down on the right until you see the picture you want to open. The pictures are arranged by the date (year) with the latest pictures at the top. If you know the year the picture was taken, you can click on the year at the left.

5) Double-click on the picture you want to see enlarged.

Tip: You can roll the center wheel button on the mouse with your index finger to zoom in or out on the picture.

TO EDIT THE PICTURE:

1) First, make a copy of the picture, so you will have a copy of the original picture if you mess up while editing the picture:

1) Click on File, then on Make a Copy.

2) Type a name for the copy, such as Baby picture copy.jpg in the File name: box, then click on the Save button.

Note: You will be working on the original after you make a copy of it.

2) Click on the Fix button at the top of the window.

3) Click on Auto Adjust at the right, if you want to try automatically adjusting the brightness and contrast, or click on Adjust Exposure, if you want to manually adjust the brightness and contrast.

4) Click & drag the sliders under Brightness and Contrast while watching the picture to see how the brightness and contrast change.

Tip: If you make a mistake, click on the Undo button to undo the changes you have made.

5) Click on Adjust Color if you want to change the color temperature to make the picture colder (bluer) or warmer (redder) and/or change the tint (hue) and saturation. Click & drag the sliders under Color Temperature, Tint and Saturation until you are satisfied with the colors in the picture.

Tip: If you make a mistake, click on the Undo button. (You can click on the Undo button multiple times to go back a number of steps in the editing process.)

Tip 2: You can click on the Redo button if you want to redo the change you made after you clicked on the Undo button.

TO CROP THE PICTURE:

1) Click on Crop Picture.

2) Click & drag the tiny “handles” (squares) on the “Selection Rectangle” in or out to change the area on the picture you want to keep.

Selection Rectangle:

Tip: You can move the mouse pointer into the middle of the Selection Rectangle, then click & drag the Rectangle around if you want to change the area enclosed by the Rectangle without changing its shape.

Tip 2: If you make a mistake, you can create a new Selection Rectangle by clicking & dragging the mouse pointer from the upper left-hand corner of the picture to the lower right-hand corner of the picture.

3) Under Proportion, click on the Down Arrow next to Custom, then click on 16 X 9, 8.5 X 11, 5 X 7 or whatever, to constrain the ratio of the height and width of the Selection Rectangle to those values. (Click on Rotate Frame if you want to rotate the Selection Rectangle.)

4) Click on Apply to actually crop the picture.

Tip: Click on the Undo button if you are not satisfied with the way the picture is cropped, then start over again from step # 1 in this section.

TO FIX RED EYE:

Note: “Red eye” is caused by the light from the camera’s flash reflecting off of the subject’s retina.

1) To zoom in on the eyes, roll the center wheel button on the mouse with your index finger.

2) Click on Fix Red Eye.

Tip: To pan or move the picture around while you are zoomed in, hold down the Alt key, then drag the picture around with the Hand Cursor:  I . Release the Alt key.

3) Click & drag a tiny rectangle around the eye. The red eye should disappear.

4) Repeat for the other eye.

TO PRINT THE PICTURE:

1) Click on Print at the top of the window.

Tip: To select more than one picture to print out:

1) Return to all the pictures by clicking on Back to Gallery at the upper left-hand corner of the window.

2) Hold down the Ctrl key, and click on the pictures you want to print out.  Be sure you are clicking on the right pictures. (Check the file names by moving the mouse pointer on the pictures).

Note: It’s probably best to limit the number of pictures you print out to a maximum of four at a time.

2) Be sure the correct printer shows in the Printer: window.

3) Click on the Down Arrow next to whatever is in the Paper size: box, then select the paper you want to use, such as Letter or Legal.

4) Click on the Down Arrow next to whatever is in the Quality: box, then select the number of dots per inch, such as 300 X 300 dots per inch or 600 X 600 dots per inch. (The more dots per inch, the sharper and more detailed the picture.)

5) Scroll down on the right and select the number and size of the printouts:  Full page photo, 4 X 6 in. (2), 5 X 7 in. (2), 8 X 10 in. (1), 3.5 X 5 in. (4), Wallet size, or Contact sheet (35)  

Note: A “contact sheet” will print out tiny “thumbnails” of a single picture or many pictures (up to 35) in a folder, depending on how many pictures you selected in step # 1 above and how many copies of each picture you selected next to Copies of each picture:.]

6) Be sure there is enough paper in the paper tray of your printer, then click on the Print button at the bottom of the window.

Note: To print on photo paper, replace the plain paper with photo paper, then click on Options.., then on Printer Properties…, then select Photo Paper under Paper/Quality (or equivalent).

TO E-MAIL A PICTURE:

1) Click on the E-mail button (after selecting the picture).

Tip: To select more than one picture to e-mail:

1) Return to all the pictures by clicking on Back to Gallery at the upper left-hand corner of the window.

2) Hold down the Ctrl key, and click on the pictures you want to print out.  Be sure you are clicking on the right pictures. (Check the file names by moving the mouse pointer on the pictures).

Note: It’s probably best to limit the number of pictures you e-mail to a maximum of four at a time.

2) Click on the Down Arrow next to whatever is in the Size: box, then click on Medium: 1024 X 768 pixels (dots per inch) or Large: 1280 X 1024

Note: You can click on Original size here, but each picture may print out on multiple sheets of paper at the recipient’s end. Only select Original size if the recipient wants the sharpest possible printout and knows how to change the size of the eventual printout.

3) Click on Attach. Your e-mail program should automatically start and show you a blank e-mail message with the picture attached to it. You can then address it and type a subject and message in the usual way before you send it.

TO RETURN TO THE “GALLERY” (TO SEE ALL OF YOUR PICTURES AGAIN):

1) Click on Back to Gallery at the upper left-hand corner of the window.