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Many of the people you share pictures with might not have a way to view them unless you make old-fashioned prints.
  technofile
Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983

T e c h n o f i l e
What's the best way to send a digital photo?


Oct. 12, 2003


By Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2003, Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2003, The Post-Standard

   What's the best way to send a digital photo to someone else? What if the recipient says the picture you sent can't be deciphered?
   And why do some publications tell you to send an actual print instead of a digital photo?
   These are some of the questions raised by artist Sallie Bailey in a letter she wrote asking for help. Like many other digital photo enthusiasts, she's frustrated by the general lack of information about this topic.
   Let's start at the beginning. Photography used to be simple and easy to understand. You sent someone a photo by putting a picture in an envelope and mailing it or by handing it to them at the office or at school. A photograph was a physical thing. You could hold it. You could see it without the need for a machine.
   For many of us, that's all changed. When I take photos at a family picnic, I use a camera that wouldn't know a roll of film from a hot dog bun. When I want to see the photos I took, I can view them on a small screen on the back of the camera or I can work some magic and pop them up on my computer screen.
   I never need to hold them in my hand.
   This is wonderful. But it's also a sign of mindless progress. Those who don't have a way to view my photos won't be able to see them unless I make physical prints of my digital photos, using an inkjet printer or a photo-printing service online.
   So the basic problem needs to be looked at this way: Many of the people you share pictures with might not have a way to view them unless you make old-fashioned prints. If you want to send a digital photo to someone you don't know very well, mail a print instead. Explain that you can send the photo in digital form, too, if the recipient would like it that way.
   When you do send digital pictures, remember that digital photos are just ordinary files to your e-mail software. This means your computer has to bundle them up in an attachment that is carried along with your e-mailed letter.
   Unless they are small photos, send only one at a time. This helps them clear the mail server and makes things a lot easier on the receiving end. (Older computers sometimes balk at huge attachments because they don't have much memory.)
   What format should you use? Digital photos come in many types, called formats. The most common is JPEG, also spelled JPG. Always send JPEG images. They take up less space than the other formats (their files are smaller, in other words) and they're the universal image format worldwide. Anyone with a modern computer, no matter what kind, will be able to view a JPEG image.
   If the pictures you want to send are not JPEGs, you can change them into JPEGs easily. Open each one in your image software and click the "File" menu. Look for "Save As" and choose JPEG or JPG. If your computer asks you to choose a "quality" setting, pick the setting that's about three-quarters of the way up.
   Bailey also asks why some publications refuse to accept digital photos. Maybe they're just not able to deal with them, or perhaps they're worried that pictures they get won't have enough resolution to print properly. I'll explain this final mystery next week.