iSay backup your iPhone pics.

This post is nothing more than a simple reminder to BACK UP YOUR PHONE PHOTOS and VIDEOS.  More and more we are capturing treasured photographs with our phones... and they are hanging over a dark precipice when they are not backed up in some other place.

PHONE PHOTO BACKUP:
Attach your phone to your computer with the USB cord. Open Memory Manager / Library tab / Get Media / the Camera or Phone.  Then GET PHOTOS.  I recommend putting phone photos in a separate vault.  (Select NEW MEMORY VAULT on the Start Menu.)

VIDEO BACK-UP:
Connect your phone to your computer with USB cord.  Click on COMPUTER / then  PORTABLE DEVICE.  After selecting your PHONE, click on INTERNAL STORAGE / then DCIM folder.  Find the folders with VIDEOS in them - which are distinguished with the black film edges.  Select them and add to a FOLDER on your desktop (or wherever).  I then RENAMED each one because some of these are my new favorite movies - like "Splash, Splash, Splash" featuring Eleanor Grace. 

Then open Memory Manager / Library tab / Get Media - and go to your new video folder and GET VIDEOS.  Did you know that Memory Manager stores your video images too?  Yep.  It is THE BEST!

where are my vaults?

Another favorite feature of our Memory Manager software is that I can have NUMEROUS vaults to house my photo collection.  For me, this means that the hundreds (and thousands?) of before & after pictures we took during our house renovation are in their own vault, which I call THE DREAM HOUSE.  This means that when I take photos of OTHER people's families and weddings and sporting events, they are housed in their own vault. 

I also recommend keeping your phone photos in their own vault.  I love the convenience of my iPhone camera and treasure the pics I can snap on a whim, but I personally don't like having these low-resolution pics in the same place with my "good camera" pics.  The point is: YOU HAVE CHOICES.  Use them.

Where are your vaults? They are on your hard drive - or on the C: drive of your computer.  And it is handy if you record the exact "address" on your computer.  I keep a list of all my Memory Manager Vault locations in a file folder at my desk for easy reference.

Or how about this?  When in MM, select OPEN VAULT on the Home Page or Start Menu to view a listing of your recently used vaults.  Then snap a photo with your phone!  Vault Address List DONE.

want fast? try auto-fill.

(Cover)

Want to get your photos in an album REALLY FAST?  Do you have 30 minutes to try?

For speed and ease, try the AUTO-POPULATE feature of your StoryBook Creator software.  Did you know that you can select a predesigned template - and the software will automatically put your photos in the album if you select this feature?  Yes, it is true.  I decided to try it out for myself.  To be honest I had resisted the concept in the past because I did not like any of the templates available.  They were too fussy and over-decorated for my taste.  But that has changed.  I have three favorites now:
SIMPLE LIFE 12x12
WEDDING GALLERY 12x12
PHOTO A DAY 12x12

My mom is turning 81 next week and I know that a photo album is the best gift I can give. Since I was short on time I thought I would try letting the software do the work for me. AND IT DID. I am amazed at the outcome.   I selected 116 photos from the 838 I took on our trip to France in 2007 for this album.  (This took 20 minutes.)  Then I started.  I opened my SBC software and followed the prompts:  CREATE NEW PROJECT / STORYBOOK / 12x12 HARDCOVER / then selected the SIMPLE LIFE template. My next option was to ADD PHOTOS - which I did. And then all I had to do was select the YES button for "Do you want your photos automatically placed on the pages in the project?"

After hitting the YES button I ran to the kitchen to grab a cookie.  When I came back my photos were in the album - like magic!   I could technically have printed the album just as it came out, but I wanted to add some text boxes for stories.  There was also a few places where the "auto-fill" left a blank or gray photo box because my selected photo did not fit the format.  I just want back into Memory Manager and picked another photo that was the right shape for the job.  I spent just over an hour filling in the stories - and boom! this birthday album was ready to order. Want to take a look?

http://www.cmphotocenter.com/photos/share.php?code=pZr8y_7vXHSRXIzZ1FRMeltGN_mGoZ4Z&share_type=storybook

Each 20 page Predesigned Template album holds approximately 100 photos.  If you have more photos than that, it will automatically add more pages.  Note: Use the 12x12 format even if you want to print an 8x8 size.  It gives you more options at ordering time.

If you have heard yourself say "I don't have time"... Auto-Populate might be your new best friend.

make a goal calendar!

Just finished one of the most fun projects I have ever made --- and I am jazzed to help you make one for yourself.  I believe that WRITTEN GOALS are one of the most forces in the universe, and this 'visual goal' reminder takes that to a whole new level.  This $14.99 Calendar could change your life!
It is a 4 x 10 size on a spiral that can sit up on your desk in a prominent place.  Your goals can be up-close-and-visible throughout the year.

The starting point is taking out a piece of paper and WRITING down your GOALS for 2013.  Just write or even scribble.  This is the start of defining how you want to spend your year!  If you have already documented your 2013 goals, grab the list.

1. From your written list of 2013 GOALS, select 12 things to be represented on your calendar.

2. Now (the fun part!) capture this goal in photo. Collect them in a file folder in MM.

 

3. Now you can start the actual calendar! Open STORYBOOK CREATOR. Select NEW PROJECT / then CALENDARS / then DESK CALENDARS.

You can click on FREE 2013 CALENDAR TEMPLATES if you have not done so already.

Download the 2013 BLANK DESK CALENDAR DIGITAL PAGES.

Select the BLANK PAGES option in the project set up. Name it 2013 GOALS DESK CALENDAR and you are off.

4. Start filling the calendar and having some fun!

Here is a link to my 2013 GOALS Desk Calendar:

 

To see the shared Calendars Karen Blanc shared with you, simply follow this link:
http://www.cmphotocenter.com/photos/share.php?code=ovOgRwpcJaOmhq5IJENaK1tGN_mGoZ4Z&share_type=calendar

OPTIONAL A:

I started by changing the FONTS because I am a font freak and cannot live with Verdana, which is the default font. I don't recommend taking time for this because the mantra for this calendar is "Done is better than perfect. Done is better than creative." And let's just get it on our desk before February is over!

 But if you want to - Left Click anyplace on the actual calendar grid, then select FORMAT CALENDAR. You can change the fonts or the layout or the colors or any sort of thing. Just read the screen and follow the options.

 OPTIONAL B:

Because "Remembering my girlfriends' birthdays" is one of my goals, you will notice that I added names to my calendar grid. To add text to your calendar, left click over the square you want to write in, then click on CALENDAR CONTENTS / then EDIT CALENDAR CELLS. Write in the text box with whatever you want to say.

 Word of caution:

These boxes are very, very small and hold a minimal amount of writing. If your text is "too big" for the spot, remember that you can change the font size to something smaller by selecting FORMAT CALENDAR, then DATE STYLE (like in Optional A above).

What I want you to remember:  CM Calendars are AMAZING and anybody can figure them out without any instructions by just DOING IT. If you can read, you can do it. Have FUN! These calendars will be a powerful encouragement in our lives to take us where we want to go... and become who we want to be!

HAPPY CALENDAR-ING!

 

favorite fonts.

You are looking at the list of fonts that I use most with my photo projects.  Here is a basic how-to for installing new fonts to your computer - which means new fonts for your StoryBook Creator projects.

1. Go to a web site that offers free fonts - like dafonts.com or Fonts101.com. (There are dozens of options and thousands of fonts!)

2. DOWNLOAD your favorite (or some of my favorites!) to the DESKTOP of your computer.

3. Once downloaded, click on your new font and select EXTRACT. Now it is ready to join your other fonts.

4. Under your CONTROL PANEL, open your FONT FOLDER.

5. Now just DRAG the new (extracted) font into your FONT FOLDER. Voila.

Tips:

TrueType Fonts are the ones recognized by your StoryBook Creator software.

When working on a StoryBook (digital) album, I recommending using two fonts - one for the main text and another for page titles.  Too many fonts in a project can be distracting.

Happy FONT-ing!