Smart ways to do more with your photos

When was the last time you took a roll of film in to be developed? For most adults, it's tough to remember, and a lot of kids and teenagers have never done it at all. The norm is now bringing in a CD, a memory stick or your camera's memory card, if you want to get prints. However, digital photography makes it easy to take your photos well beyond 4 x 6 prints.

For starters, a number of sites on the Internet allow you to post and store your photos. They also enable you to organize your photos into groups, categories and slideshows and share your favorite snaps with other shutterbugs around the world. Just be aware that some sites charge for keeping your photos up for extended periods of time, or in very large numbers. Still, it makes it easy to share everything from daily snapshots to vacation photos with friends and family.

Digital photography has allowed even the most casual picture-takers to improve the quality of their photos by editing out bad shots. But for amateur enthusiasts who know how to use all the bells and whistles on their cameras, digital is opening new worlds. In addition to the effects that new cameras offer, the ease with which photos can be put on computers allows advanced users to manipulate images to create works or art.

For a unique way to send greetings, you can add your snapshots - whether casual or high art - to photo cards from websites like Vistaprint.com. Use a family picture for holiday greetings or baby's first picture on a birth announcement, or design all-purpose cards that you can use to say everything from "thank you" to "happy birthday."

If you've grown tired of storing photo albums and boxes of pictures, creating photo books online might be the perfect solution. Rather than the time-consuming task of putting individual prints into albums, photo books let you compile your memories in a more streamlined, professional-looking format. Upload your photos and arrange them in a way that tells a story, and you can have your photo book printed either as a flipbook or as a hardcover volume, either leather-bound or featuring your photos on the cover.

You can also use your photos to make unique gifts and souvenirs for memorable occasions like family reunions or anniversary parties. Customized photo mugs are easy to design online and make a great favor for guests to take home.

To make the process of creating customized items like photo cards and books easier, at Vistaprint.com, you can either upload your photos to the site and create your products on the Internet, or you can get a free desktop application that will allow you to work on your project even when you don't have Internet access - you just need to get back online to make the order.

Courtesy of ARAcontent