Store, share photos online at no cost

Etan Horowitz | Sentinel Staff Writer

November 17, 2007

Storing photos online can free up space on your computer and make it easier to share them with family and friends.

1. Transfer the photos from your digital camera to your computer. If you don't know how to do this, consult the software and instructions that came with your camera.

2. Pay attention to where the photos are saved on your computer. If you have an Apple computer, you should use the iPhoto software that is pre-installed to organize your photos before uploading them. Windows PCs typically don't come with photo organizing software of similar quality.

3. Choose an online photo-sharing site to use. Your camera company may already have a photo-sharing site that you may want to use. Some other popular photo-sharing sites include Flickr.com, Photobucket.com, Shutterfly.com and Snapfish.com.

4. Once you've chosen a site, go there and create a free account. Choose the option that says something like "create album," "add photos" or "upload photos." If possible, click on the "uploader" tool, which allows you to see tiny previews of your photos before you upload them. Accept any Web-based software you have to install to use the uploader. Follow the instructions to select the photos to upload, create captions, name your album or collection and save it.

5. Once you have photos online you can order custom items or invite family and friends to view them. Some sites allow you to send and print your photos at a local store such as Target. If you are concerned about your photos being available for anyone to see, use the privacy controls or settings.