Beecher's Handouts >
Computer >
4.1 - Download Your Photographs
(From Camera to Computer)
Click one of the downloading situations in the menu below.
To download, transfer, your photographs from your camera to your
computer, read your camera instruction manual.
Or, do the following.
1) If you haven't already, install the camera software.
Look for the CD or DVD that came with your camera.
When you insert the disc, an installation wizard will appear.
For the software to work after installation, you may have to
restart your computer.
2) Turn your camera on.
3) Make sure your camera batteries are fully charged.
If the batteries fail during the downloading, your photographs
may be corrupted.
4) Turn your camera off, and connect your camera to the computer
with the cord supplied with your camera.
The smaller of the two connectors fits into your camera.
The larger, flat, connector fits into a USB port on your computer.
5) Turn your camera on.
Several windows may appear.
For example, let's say you have a Canon camera and Photoshop
Elements.
Three windows may appear.
• Canon downloader
• Photoshop Elements downloader
• A window from your computer operating system, such as the
Windows Autoplay window
Select the download method you prefer.
6) Make sure the option to Erase Card After Transfer, or a similarly
named option, is not selected.
If the option is selected, the photographs on your memory card
will be automatically deleted at the conclusion of the download.
That's convenient.
But, what if the download failed?
Your photographs won't be on your computer, and they've been
deleted from the memory card.
7) Click Download, Transfer, Get Photos, or the button with similar
commands.
8) Your photographs, unless you specified differently, are downloaded
to a folder in Pictures (Windows Vista and Mac) or My Pictures
(Windows XP).
The name of the folder will probably be the same as the name
of the manufacturer of your camera.
9) Check to make sure your photographs downloaded by opening
several of them.
Don't just look at the thumbnails.
The thumbnails of the photographs may have downloaded
correctly, but not the actual photograph files.
10) After you have ascertained that the photographs have
downloaded successfully, format the memory card in your camera to delete your photographs.
You could use your camera to delete the photograph files from
your memory card.
However, by formatting the memory card, you remove hidden
administrative files as well as the photograph files.
The administrative files can confuse the downloading process
later.
To format your memory card, check your camera instruction
manual.
Card Reader to Computer
If you're not familiar with card readers, go to
Card Readers.
Do the following.
1) If you haven't already, install the camera software.
Look for the CD or DVD that came with your camera.
After you insert the disc, an installation wizard will appear.
For the software to work after installation, you may have to
restart your computer.
2) Connect the card reader to your computer with the cord supplied
with the reader.
The flat connector fits into a USB port on your computer.
3) Insert your memory card into the card reader
Several windows may appear.
For example, let's say you have a Canon camera and Photoshop
Elements.
Three windows may appear.
• Canon downloader
• Photoshop Elements downloader
• A window from your computer operating system, such as the
Windows Autoplay window
Select the download method you prefer.
6) Make sure the option to Erase Card After Transfer, or a similarly
named option, is not selected.
If the option is selected, the photographs on your memory card
will be automatically deleted at the conclusion of the download.
That's convenient.
But, what if the download failed?
Your photographs won't be on your computer, and they've been
deleted from the memory card.
7) Click Download, Transfer, Get Photos, or the button with similar
commands.
Don't remove the memory card during downloading.
A LED on the card reader may blink during the download.
8) Your photographs, unless you specified differently, are
downloaded to a folder in Pictures (Windows Vista and Mac) or My Pictures
(Windows XP).
The name of the folder will probably be the same as the name
of the manufacturer of your camera.
9) Check to make sure your photographs downloaded by opening
several of them.
Don't just look at the thumbnails.
The thumbnails of the photographs may have downloaded
correctly, but not the actual photograph files.
10) After you have ascertained that the photographs have
downloaded successfully, format the memory card in your camera to delete your photographs.
You could use your camera to delete the photograph files from
your memory card.
However, by formatting the memory card, you remove hidden
administrative files as well as the photograph files.
The administrative files can confuse the downloading process
later.
To format your memory card, check your camera instruction
manual.
If there's no downloading program available on your computer,
use Breeze
Downloader Pro, or similar software.
