Just like film photographers of yore, you won’t get very far as a digital photographer without a few items in your toolkit. To get the most out of this book you’ll need:
A digital camera. You knew that, of course. But even if you don’t have a camera in hand, this book will still serve you well: Chapter 1 is all about what to look for when you’re buying a new, or replacement, camera.
A Windows-based PC. Pretty much any flavor of Windows will do, though most of the advice you’ll read about in this book is geared toward to folks whose PCs are running Windows XP. If you’re one of the early adopters of Windows Vista, don’t run away. The programs featured in this book will all run on your system. On the other hand, if you’ve got a computer from the good people at Apple, you’ll want to check out iPhoto 6: The Missing Manual. It’s got everything you need to get started with digital photography.
Photo-editing and-organizing software. Your choices here run the gamut from free and easy-to-use programs like Google’s Picasa to slightly more robust tools like Photoshop Elements. But you don’t need to decide just yet which program to use. Each chapter highlights the pro’s and con’s of the half dozen or so programs covered in detail in this book; once you decide which application is best for you, you can download the one you want to use.
A printer. Actually, this piece of photo-producing hardware is more of an option, than a necessity. That’s thanks to the many photo printing services you’ll learn about in Chapter 16. But if you want to churn out your own pictures right on the spot, you’ll find full instructions on how to use your printer is also in Chapter 16.
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