New Shutterfly/digital photography post

[lmintzer]

(Sorry--I originally posted this under someone else's Shutterfly post and realized it probably wouldn't get viewed there. So here it is again.)



I finally gave in and got a digital camera (a Minolta Dimage F300, 5 megapixel), and I am definitely feeling like a complete novice at this. Can anyone help me with Shutterfly? Here's the story and some questions.

I managed to upload some pix to Shutterfly using the "checkbox" method (which method is that? the 1 by 1 or using their software)? This was after hooking the camera to the computer via USB port and finding, thankfully, that the pictures were magically "sucked" into a folder on my hard drive.

So, here are my questions:

1. Is anyone using Shutterfly with a Macintosh computer (this is what we're doing, and I wonder if there are any differences between Mac and PC)?
2. Was what I did using the "1 by 1" method or what others are calling "using their software"?
3. Whatever I did took about 1 min./picture. And it looks like you can only click off 10 pix at a time. Is this optimal, or is there something else I can do to speed up the process? We are expecting baby #2 in Dec., and if this isn't easy, I know I won't do it! I'm trying to get up to speed now so that I'll be set for using the camera, uploading the pix, sending albums to friends, and ordering prints.
3. Do those of you who use Shutterfly edit in another program like Adobe or do you just do the simple crop/red-eye reduction in Shutterfly before sending away for prints?
5. On a more general digital photography note, do people who want to e-mail pictures or upload them to a personal website save an additional e-mail or onscreen viewing version that is smaller? My pix have been roughly 1.1 MB each, and that is far too big for hotmail or for my son's website on Tripod.


TIA for any help. Somehow, I feel like I dinosaur--when I was in college, I was up on all the modern technology, and now I've been left behind in the dark ages!

Lisa
& Jack, 4/20/01
& Little brother-to-be, e.d.d., 12/15/03

[beckyr88]

Lisa, I can try to help...I'm no pro though...

>1. Is anyone using Shutterfly with a Macintosh computer
>(this is what we're doing, and I wonder if there are any
>differences between Mac and PC)?

I am using a mac, but I don't know the differences btw. Mac and PC.

>2. Was what I did using the "1 by 1" method or what others
>are calling "using their software"?

I think you're using their 1 by 1 method. I also have their software (it's free on the shutterfly site), but if you're only downloading 10 or so, I find it just as fast as their software. If you regulary have like 30 to post, download their software. It should be really easy, everything is on their site.

>3. Do those of you who use Shutterfly edit in another
>program like Adobe or do you just do the simple crop/red-eye
>reduction in Shutterfly before sending away for prints?

I use the software in iphoto on my Mac, but I have used the shutterfly cropping. I find it's just way faster to do in in iphoto.

>5. On a more general digital photography note, do people who
>want to e-mail pictures or upload them to a personal website
>save an additional e-mail or onscreen viewing version that is
>smaller? My pix have been roughly 1.1 MB each, and that is far
>too big for hotmail or for my son's website on Tripod.

Can't help you there...I would like to be able to save a smaller version of certain pictures too, but I don't know how! I just send everyone the shutterfly albums.

Hope that helps. I'm sure others have more experience in this, but thought I'd give a first crack at it.

Good luck!

[houseof3boys]

I can help with a few of these:

*Mac and PC should be pretty much the same thing
*I think you used the 1 by 1 method. I used to do that and found it took to long and I would forget what picture I was on when I uploaded a bunch of pictures. I love the new software they have. I uploaded 150 pictures the other day and with DSL it took about 8 minutes and I just clicked on the boards so the time flew by.
*I use the crop function in Shutterfly since the new software they have takes into account the digital camera format (different cameras...different ratios) and it doesn't skew it. I don't like their color fix or instant fix (I don't remember what they call it) so I do that in a photo program like Microsoft Picture It (came loaded on my Gateway laptop) or Adobe Photoshop or PhotoDeluxe. I also use the shutterfly if I am just turning into a b/w or sepia tone.
*For your web pics or for just emailing pictures, I would just save them down. Meaning that whatever photo software you are using, you should be able to save a smaller jpeg file. The most common way without looking at your software is to just do a Save As and you should have an options or advanced tab right there and that will give you various compression options so just save it with less quality since it won't matter for web viewing (it will still look great on screen) and then you will have a much smaller file. Does that make sense? I think it is so much easier to just "share" the pictures with Shutterfly by them sending an email with link of pictures you have chosen someone to see. This way, someone's email doesn't get bogged down with attachments and they can look through all of the pictures faster. This is probably my favorite thing about Shutterfly hosting since you can show different people, different pictures by just using the check boxes for the ones to show and then put in their email and a message.

Here are a few new pics of my little cutie from last week:
http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b32d2a158495

[lmintzer]

Thanks to both of you for the very helpful posts. Like I said, I really have no clue with all of this digital stuff. I don't love the first batch I ordered from Shutterfly, but it could be my camera setting or my photography skills. I'll have to try again.

Is it really that easy to download their uploading software? I thought I saw a message that said it wasn't yet compatible with Mac OS X, but I'll have to try again.

I also have to work on learning Adobe PhotoDeluxe.

How do you all save your pictures? I am thinking about saving in a Mac program called iPhoto.

Thanks again,
Lisa

[lmintzer]

BTW Debbi, Ryan is beautiful! And what fabulous, artistic photos. : )

[houseof3boys]

Thank you, we think he is quite a cutie too! I have a bunch of beach pics that I am playing with for a collage but it takes so much longer with him on my lap at the computer.

As far as saving them, I don't do anything special. I just put them in folders and label well!

I just checked the Shutterfly site and (finally) found that it said Mac 8.5.1 or higher. You might want to send them an email just in case though since you thought you heard it somewhere. They have a fairly decent help section if you want to browse through it. It might answer some other questions that you have but don't know you have yet, KWIM? I just skimmed through it and thought there were some helpful things.

Good luck and ask away if you have questions!