Work with Files and Folders

What is a File?

A file is a basic unit of storage. A file can be a document, a program, a spreadsheet, a picture, or another type of information. Each file has a specific name and is separate from any other file. On the computer, files are usually stored in folders. Icons, or small pictures, symbolize the files and are followed by the file name. The icon depicts the type of program that opens the file.

In a digital camera, each picture is an individual file. When you take a picture, the camera assigns a unique name to each picture file. The name consists of letters and numbers, such as Dcp_0057.jpg. It’s a good idea to change the name of the file to a meaningful name that will later help you identify the picture.

Picture File Formats

Depending on the camera, you may be able to choose the file format in which the camera captures images. Most KODAK cameras store pictures as JPEG files. The file format defines the way data is stored and laid out on the screen. Some common types of image file formats are:

• JPEG – A standardized format that many digital cameras use to store images. Most of the new KODAK cameras capture images in JPEG format. Use this format for images on the World Wide Web and images attached to e-mail messages. JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group, the group that established this file standard. JPEG is a standardized image compression mechanism designed for compressing full-color or grayscale images of natural, real-world scenes.

• TIFF – Tagged Image File Format is a versatile and widely supported file format. These files tend to be very large. In most cases, the file size of a TIFF image is too large to send as an e-mail attachment or to use on the World Wide Web. Only some KODAK cameras capture images in TIFF format.

• GIF – CompuServe developed the Graphics Interchange Format to allow the exchange of image files across multiple platforms, like MACINTOSH computers and PCs. Although photographs can be saved as GIF files on the computer, they are not captured as GIF files in the camera.

• BMP – Use the MIRCOSOFT WINDOWS bitmap file format for graphics primarily for startup screens, desktop images, and screen savers. This format is not often used for photographs.

• MOV – The QuickTime movie file format is used for video clips and animations. Some KODAK cameras capture video clips in MOV format.

• AVI – Audio Video Interleaved file format developed by Microsoft Corporation for storing video and audio information. Many different media players can read AVI files. However, there are several different versions of AVI files in use, and not all players will support all versions.

Some software programs have their own file formats, known as native formats, which are only used by that particular program. These software programs will save images with unique file extensions that can only be opened with that particular program. For example, ADOBE Photoshop will rename the file lighthouse.jpg as lighthouse.psd.

What is a Folder?

A folder on a computer has the same function as a folder in a file cabinet. It holds files or other folders. A file can be a letter, a report, or a picture.

Create Folders

An effective way to store your pictures is to create separate folders. You can categorize the folders by event, subject, or date, for example, Vacation in Yellowstone, Family Reunion, or Autumn 2002.

You do not need to create all the folders at the same time. You can add new folders as you take more pictures.

Note: The method shown here shows how you can create folders at any time. When you transfer pictures to your computer with KODAK EASYSHARE Software, you can create a new folder for your pictures at that time.

To create a new folder:

1. Position the cursor over an empty area of the desktop.

2. Click the right mouse button.

3. A shortcut menu appears.

   

4. Point to New.

5. New becomes highlighted and a submenu appears.

6. Point to Folder.

7. Folder becomes highlighted.

   

   Note: The appearance of the menus on your computer will differ from this one depending where on the desktop you click and which programs are installed on your computer.

8. Click the left mouse button.

9. The menus disappear and a folder appears on your desktop.

   The name of the folder is highlighted so you can immediately type a new name for the folder.

   

10. Type an appropriate name. For example, we named our folder Alex’s Photos.

11. 

    The folder you created should be the main folder where you place all your photos. This folder is located on the desktop of your computer so you can find it easily.

Create Additional Folders

To organize your pictures files and keep them in one place, create additional folders inside the main folder.

To create a folder inside the main folder (in this case, Alex’s Photos):

1. Double-click the folder in which you want to add folders.

2. The folder opens into a window.

   

3. In the menu bar, click File and point to New.

4. 

5. Click Folder.

6. A new folder appears.

   

7. Type a name for this folder and press Enter on the keyboard.

Rename Files and Folders

Rename your picture files so you can easily find a particular picture in the future. If you don’t rename your picture files as you transfer them from the camera to the computer, you can rename them after they are stored on your computer.

To change the name of an existing file or folder:

1. Point to the file or folder and right-click the mouse.

2. A shortcut menu appears.

   

3. Click Rename.

4. The shortcut menu closes and the name of the file or folder becomes highlighted.

5. Type a new name for the file or folder.

6. 

   You can use any combination of spaces, underscores, and hyphens, so the following file names are all acceptable:

   • cayuga_lake.jpg

   • cayuga lake.jpg

   • cayuga-lake.jpg

   • Mom at the beach.jpg

   • Note: Keep the same file extension when renaming a file. For example, when you rename DCP_0036.jpg, include the JPEG file extension so the new name is gondolas.jpg and not just gondolas.

7. Press Enter on the keyboard.

Drag and Drop Files and Folders

“Drag and drop” is an easy way to move or copy folders and files. Click the folder or file, hold down the mouse button, and move the mouse to drag it to a new location. You can use drag and drop when you’re rearranging the filing system for your pictures, when you’ve created a new folder in the wrong place, or when you want to copy your pictures.

The MICROSOFT WINDOWS operating system will move, copy, or create a shortcut depending on the type of file and its destination. For example, if you drag a picture file from the desktop to a folder, the file no longer appears on the desktop. You moved the original file into the folder. But if you drag a picture from a Zip file onto the desktop, you make a copy of the picture file. The original remains in the Zip file and a copy appears on your desktop. A Zip file is a file compression that decreases the total size of a file and allows larger amounts of data to be transferred.

Whenever you want to move a folder or put a file in a different folder, dragging and dropping is an easy way to do that.

Click here to see an animated version of this procedure.

1. Locate the folder or file you want to move. Do this by drilling down through your folders using My Computer.

2. 

3. Find the place where you want to move the folder or file.

4. For this procedure, we’ll move a picture file to the desktop.

5. Point to the file you want to move.

6. 

7. Press and hold down the left mouse button.

8. This highlights the file.

   

9. While holding down the mouse button, move the mouse to drag the file to its new location.

10. A faint version of the file appears on the screen as you drag it. The file remains in its original place until you release the mouse button.

    

11. Release the mouse button.

12. The file is safely in its new place. You can no longer see it in its previous location.

    

Delete Files and Folders

If you don’t need a file, it’s easy to delete it from your computer. This makes more room on your computer’s hard drive to store other files. If you are deleting your pictures, make sure that they are ones you don’t want or that you have saved somewhere else.

When you delete a folder, all the contents of the folder are also deleted. You should not delete folders except when they are empty or if you want to permanently delete all the files inside that folder.

To delete a file or folder:

1. Right-click the mouse once on the file or folder you want to delete.

2. A shortcut menu appears.

   

3. Click Delete.

4. To delete the file or folder, click Yes in the Confirm Folder Delete window.

5. The deleted file or folder is now in your Recycle Bin.