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UK Wiki Portal > Mac Wiki > Wiki Pages > Digital Cameras  

Digital Cameras

Digital Cameras

Introduction

This document covers the basic use of digital still cameras on Macintosh computers in the Student Computing Services computer labs. If you are looking for information related to video cameras, see our documentation on digital video storage options.

Please note that you must activate your Macintosh account before using any of the computers in our labs or hublets.

Most digital still cameras can be connected to a computer with a special USB cable. This cable typically comes with the camera when purchased, but may also be purchased separately. You must bring your own cables to the lab – we do not offer them for checkout.

Using a digital camera with the Finder

It is often preferable to access digital camera photos via a software program like iPhoto or Image Capture. However, some cameras and most flash cards used in flash card readers will appear as a disk on the desktop and provide direct access to their contents. If you wish to download files using this method, we recommend that you use the column or cover flow finder views to see thumbnails of the images on your disk.

Warning: Do not attempt to rename or rearrange the image files on the camera or your camera may not be able to display them anymore.

If your camera does not appear on the desktop, refer to your camera documentation. Some cameras need to have certain settings configured before they are accessible by a computer. Other cameras' files are only accessible via software or by using the camera's storage disk in an external card reader.

Using a digital camera with iPhoto

Mac OS X will recognize most digital cameras as soon as they are connected and will automatically open iPhoto, Apple's digital photo editing and organization program. This application is great if you want to download all your pictures at once and edit and organize them within iPhoto. However, be aware that high quality digital photos can quickly consume all the storage space on your account. The current version of iPhoto will allow users to select only those pictures they wish to download. We recommend this method of downloading photos to avoid running out of space.

To delete photos from your iPhoto library, select them, hit the Delete key, and then choose Empty Trash from the iPhoto menu at the top of the screen. For assistance, ask a helpdesk consultant.

You can configure iPhoto's Preferences to automatically open Photoshop (or any other editing application) when you want to edit your photos. You can also export individual photos if you need to directly access or copy the image's file.

Using a digital camera with Image Capture

Users who want to select and download only specific images for use outside of iPhoto may find the Image Capture application to be preferable. This program allows you to see thumbnails of all the images on your camera and lets you select only the ones you want to download. You also can specify which folder you want the images saved in. If you plan to edit your photos only in Adobe Photoshop, this is probably the best way to download them from your camera. Image Capture is located in the Applications folder on the Macintosh HD.

You can choose which application (or no application) should open by default when the camera is connected via the Preferences panel in Image Capture.


Publication Date: 01/05/2009
Revision Date: 01/20/2009
Operating Systems: Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
Related Documents:

Student Computing Services
Activate Your Macintosh Account
Macintosh Locations
Account Basics

Please contact IT Support if you have any questions or problems while following these instructions. Our contact information and availability are available on the Main Wiki Page.

University of Kentucky Information Technology Support

© 2009 University of Kentucky. This document is maintained by the University of Kentucky Information Technology department for the students, faculty and staff of the University. All rights reserved. Duplication of this document is permitted to the aforementioned audience.

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Last modified at 1/20/2009 6:31 PM  by Lacefield, Virginia W (Email Only)