Incorporating photos

Photographs bring a life story . . . to life! Computers make this much easier and more professional, although remember the warnings about how memory-hungry pictures can be. As with any computer work, save your files regularly, and make backups, in case anything goes wrong.

Scanning the images

Scanning is a fairly simple process. All software packages have slight variations, but it is usually a case of placing the image face down on the scanner (as you would on a photocopier), and then clicking the scan button. Some provide a preview of the images, so by clicking the mouse and dragging a box, you can highlight exactly what you wish to scan.

Choosing the correct resolution

You should be presented with a choice of resolution for scanning the image. The resolution is usually measured in the dots per inch, or ‘dpi’. The higher the number, the better the quality of the photograph when it is reproduced. However, there are several points that must be taken into consideration. Pictures scanned at extremely high resolution take up an enormous amount of memory and so are very slow to handle with normal computers.

The resolution of your pictures need only be as good as the resolution of the printer you are going to use – it is a waste of time scanning at 1200 dpi if your printer has a maximum resolution output of 300 dpi. 150 dpi is too low for a final print, and 600 dpi is more than good enough, so anywhere from 300 dpi upwards will produce good results.

When the image has been scanned, you often have the opportunity to edit the picture. A good tip at this stage is to crop out any extra material you don’t wish to reproduce in the final document – for example, the frame around a photograph, or large amounts of background that are not relevant to the picture you want to show and which would distract from the image.

Selecting the format

Once you are happy with what you have scanned, you will need to save the image. Programs usually allow you to specify in what format the image is to be saved. The root of the filename determines the format – the three letters that come after the dot following the name you give the picture. The computer usually inserts the three letters; you just have to choose the format. So, Granny.jpg is in the JPEG format, eif-feltower.tif is in the TIFF format, and buckinghampalace.gif is in the GIF format.

As computers have developed, numerous different formats have been created for saving digital images. Some have specific uses and are best suited to a particular environment – for example, JPEGs and GIFs are most frequently found on the Internet. The different formats handle data in different ways, and some image types are not always compatible with other software programs. The best options are either JPEGs at a fairly high resolution, or TIFF files. Practically all software packages can use these, so there should be little compatibility problem if you are taking your document to be printed elsewhere.

Practice makes perfect

Scanning is a fairly time-consuming process, and it takes a while to get it right, so spend time practising. Also, most programs allow you to do many things to a picture – brighten it, change the contrast, even remove scratches and red-eye, so have a play and see what you come up with. You still have the original, so don’t be scared about harming the digital image – you can always re-scan and start again.

Placing pictures in the text

Word allows pictures to be placed via the Insert – Picture – From File menus; you choose the image that you have previously saved and drop it into the text. The picture can then be centred or justified, as with text, and enlarged or shrunk by clicking on the square dots on the corner of the image and dragging accordingly. This is one of the great advantages of doing images digitally on computer – in theory you can have them where you want and in the size you want.

When you click on a picture, the computer usually highlights it with a box which has eight dots around it – one on each corner, and one on the middle of each side. To change a picture’s size, click and drag the corner dots – this will preserve the aspect ratio of the picture (that is, the ratio between the height and the width of the picture will remain the same, however big or small it becomes). If you don’t do this, and click and drag on one of the side dots, you can end up with images resembling something out of a hall of mirrors – stretched faces, or squashed people!

Cropping photos

To crop a picture, click on the image; a picture menu should then appear, from which you can choose the crop icon (two crosses on a diagonal) and cut out parts of the picture you don’t want. One customer did this on her wedding picture to her ex-husband . . . deliberately!

Experimenting

If you are feeling adventurous, there are many more options for playing with photos — place your cursor over the image. then right-click the mouse and explore the options you are presented with. If anything goes wrong, press CTRL-Z, and the document will be restored to the status before the last option – a very useful tip to know!

Pictures look best with good margins around them. A brief caption is also usually helpful – especially for the uninitiated who cannot tell Great Uncle Tom from Great Aunt Mavis!

Getting carried away

Too many pictures can be a problem – we all have thousands these days, but it is best to be selective. It must be remembered that this is a life story, not a photo album, and you don’t want all your hard work in writing to be overshadowed just because you have dozens of pictures of grandchildren and a sophisticated scanner. Those reading your book will prefer to see pictures of you, and older pictures are invariably more interesting than recent ones.

Looking after the computer

Once you have a few pictures in your document, the size of the file will increase rapidly and the computer will slow down. Save the document, and if it becomes really slow, break the book down into separate files for each chapter – then each file will only be a fraction of the final size. If you do this, remember to start the new chapter with the correct page number!

Designing the cover

If you have enjoyed designing and producing the rest of your book, there is no reason why you should not design your own cover. If a copy shop is producing your books, they will be happy to provide you with the required specifications.

Should you prefer, the copy shop will be happy to design your cover for a modest fee. A single image, or a collage of three or four pictures, should not be onerous on the pocket, although costs will increase with the complexity of your requirements.

And finally . . .

Enjoying the project

It is hoped that writing your book will have been a highly enjoyable process. If your enthusiasm for producing it starts to wane or you feel bogged down with the technology, consider seeking external help, either from a friend or a specialist company. Having assistance to produce your book can be more enjoyable once the headache of having to work everything out for yourself has been removed.

Writing your life story should be an immensely satisfying and stimulating project. Ensure that it remains so right up to the moment of opening a bottle of bubbly to celebrate its launch.

Checklist

• Ensure consistency in the size and style of chapter headings.
• Check spellings in the photo captions if they have been added since proofreading the final draft of your book.
• Before your book goes to print, check the final proofs thoroughly, paying particular attention to the overall appearance of each page and how pleasing it is to the eye. What you fail to alter now will appear in the finished book.

Assignments

• If the books are being printed by a third party, ask to see a sample of the quality of photos you can expect, so there are no nasty surprises when you receive your precious books.
• Give some thought to the design of the book cover, allowing your mind to wander regarding what you would like to see. After all, having come this far, you may as well get what you want!
• Seek advice from the copy shop about the book cover or dust jacket, and ask for sample copies and a quote for printing and design costs.