What do to with your digital photos

While Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 is a must-have for serious Windows users, there's also a Mac version available to enhance and go beyond what iPhoto 5 already brings to the table. I've tried using both on a Mac, and Elements is definitely a welcome addition to iPhoto 5, picking up the baton and vastly increasing your ability to perfect your photos. $89 download at www.store.adobe.com, or $99 on CD-ROM.

Create your own scrapbook
Scrap booking has become a huge trend in recent years, and the advent of digital photography has really exploded this hobby. Now many digital camera users are turning to photo books as a better way to share a whole album of related prints and have a permanent record that looks great on a coffee table or given as a gift. Apple's iPhoto 5 software has a built-in photo book creator that lets you put together professional looking photo books simply by dragging and dropping photos from your iPhoto library to the photo book templates, and then a few mouse clicks later you've sent your order to the Web where Apple will take your images, print and bind a hardcover photo book, and get it to your doorstep in about a week. My friend and professional photographer Jay Seldin uses iPhoto 5 to create custom photo portfolios to show clients, and they look amazing. And the price is surprisingly reasonable: $29 for a hard-bound book of 20 of your favorite photos, printed on 8.5-inch by 11-inch professional photo paper. I love the cute little $3.99 2.6-inch by 3.5-inch soft flip-books for giving Grandma the latest 20 pictures of the kids.

For Windows users, Epson just announced a new photo book kit called Epson StoryTeller, which should hit the stores sometime later this month. Epson StoryTeller lets you create the same type of hard-bound photo books Mac users can with iPhoto, except with the Epson kit you print the photos (on any photo printer, including Epson's own) yourself and then build the photo book yourself using the supplies that come in each StoryTeller kit. For the hardcore scrap booker, the journey matters as much as the destination -- I know, I don't get it either, but for those who want the hands-on photo book experience, Epson StoryTeller is the perfect way to share and preserve your favorite photos. Prices: $19.99 for the 5-inch by 7-inch version, $24.99 for the 10-page 8-inch by 10-inch version, and $29.99 for the 20-page 8-inch by 10-inch version. Availability: Late March 2005.

©2005 Corey Greenberg

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