Details View is the most powerful of all of the view modes. Instead of your files spanning the entire window, they are now docked to the left. Your files and folders stay in a single column on the left side of the window. The remaining columns are used to display data [...]]]> Details View

Details View is the most powerful of all of the view modes. Instead of your files spanning the entire window, they are now docked to the left. Your files and folders stay in a single column on the left side of the window. The remaining columns are used to display data about the files and folders. What’s more, you can customize what data shows up in your columns, and you can sort by any of the columns as well.

To get started with the Details View mode, right click on one of the column headers. You’ll see a menu pop up that will have check marks next to the columns that are currently visible. If you want to add a column, just check the box. Unchecking will remove the column as well.

A popular column choice is called “Date Picture Taken”. Now you’ll be able to sort your photos by the date and time that you took them! But “Date Picture Taken” doesn’t appear on the default menu, you have to click “More”:

This pops up the Column chooser. There are many columns to choose from. Simply check next to the columns that you want visible. If you want to rearrange them, simply select a field, and click Move Up or Move Down to adjust:

You’ll also notice that your photos are sorted (probably by name) when you open the Details View. If you look closely, there is a gray triangle that is suppose to represent an up arrow or a down arrow. Clicking on the top of a column will sort your folder by that column (for example, Sort by Date Picture Taken) and it will put the gray triangle next to the column header to indicate that it is sorting by that column:

Want to reverse the sort order? You simply click the column header again (that’s the gray bar where the name of the column is) and it will reverse your sort order:

You can fully customize the way Details View looks and works, so it earns the title “Most Powerful”

1. How to Change Views in Windows Explorer – Intro
2. How to Change Views – Thumbnails View
3. How to Change Views – Tiles View
4. How to Change Views – Icons View
5. How to Change Views – List View
6. How to Change Views – Details View
7. How to Change Views – Filmstrip View

I am a huge fan of List view. This is how most of my folders are setup when I’m not organizing photos. It is organized from top to bottom, and it is easy to find things at a quick glance. So if I sort them alphabetically, “A” is at the top [...]]]> List View

I am a huge fan of List view. This is how most of my folders are setup when I’m not organizing photos. It is organized from top to bottom, and it is easy to find things at a quick glance. So if I sort them alphabetically, “A” is at the top and “B” is right below it (instead of to the right of it). When you have enough folders or files to fill the window, it starts a new column over to the right; so you can fit a lot of information in front of you without having to scroll down.

This mode is very helpful when you are working with a large collection of folders and want to drag things around quickly. You can see from this photo that your folders are all shown together:

1. How to Change Views in Windows Explorer – Intro
2. How to Change Views – Thumbnails View
3. How to Change Views – Tiles View
4. How to Change Views – Icons View
5. How to Change Views – List View
6. How to Change Views – Details View
7. How to Change Views – Filmstrip View

Probably my least favorite view mode. I don’t get summaries of resolution or date, it’s organized from left to right (which makes this mode even more difficult to use) and the icons are somewhere in between small and large.

It’s not to say that it is wrong, I [...]]]> Icons View

Probably my least favorite view mode. I don’t get summaries of resolution or date, it’s organized from left to right (which makes this mode even more difficult to use) and the icons are somewhere in between small and large.

It’s not to say that it is wrong, I just find that I have a hard time finding files and folders when they are organized this way.

1. How to Change Views in Windows Explorer – Intro
2. How to Change Views – Thumbnails View
3. How to Change Views – Tiles View
4. How to Change Views – Icons View
5. How to Change Views – List View
6. How to Change Views – Details View
7. How to Change Views – Filmstrip View

Though not quite as popular as Thumbnails view, Tiles view is helpful when you need to know the resolution of your photos, but nothing else. Notice the summary that is directly below the title of each photo.

This is helpful if you have lower resolution photos mixed in with [...]]]> Tiles View

Though not quite as popular as Thumbnails view, Tiles view is helpful when you need to know the resolution of your photos, but nothing else. Notice the summary that is directly below the title of each photo.

This is helpful if you have lower resolution photos mixed in with higher resolution photos, and you are trying to identify them based on size. You’ll also notice that everything is organized from left to right in this view mode, not top to bottom:

1. How to Change Views in Windows Explorer – Intro
2. How to Change Views – Thumbnails View
3. How to Change Views – Tiles View
4. How to Change Views – Icons View
5. How to Change Views – List View
6. How to Change Views – Details View
7. How to Change Views – Filmstrip View

The Thumbnails view is a photographers best friend. Select “Thumbnails” from the View menu and you will see previews of your photos (JPG files), organized from left to right. This makes organizing your photos a breeze because you don’t have to open each photo to identify it, and left to right [...]]]> Thumbnails View

The Thumbnails view is a photographers best friend. Select “Thumbnails” from the View menu and you will see previews of your photos (JPG files), organized from left to right. This makes organizing your photos a breeze because you don’t have to open each photo to identify it, and left to right is usually a logical representation of a series of photos.

Thumbnails View also works when you are viewing folders that contain pictures in them. It will show you a preview of the photos that are inside that folder:

1. How to Change Views in Windows Explorer – Intro
2. How to Change Views – Thumbnails View
3. How to Change Views – Tiles View
4. How to Change Views – Icons View
5. How to Change Views – List View
6. How to Change Views – Details View
7. How to Change Views – Filmstrip View

Windows has a built-in file manager called “Windows Explorer” that shows you the files and folders that are on your computer. Windows Explorer works great, but unfortunately, it doesn’t always display your files and folders the same way. This can be really confusing when you [...]]]> How to Change Views in Windows Explorer: Introduction

Windows has a built-in file manager called “Windows Explorer” that shows you the files and folders that are on your computer. Windows Explorer works great, but unfortunately, it doesn’t always display your files and folders the same way. This can be really confusing when you are learning how to use Windows.

Windows Explorer has 6 total “view modes” you can choose from (you might only see 5 right now) that simply change the way your files are displayed. All of your files stay in the same place, they are just presented differently. You select the different view modes by clicking the View menu in an Explorer window.

There is also an easy button for changing your views. It is usually located at the top of your Windows Explorer window, but below your file menu, and it looks like the picture below. Just click on it, and it will pop up a menu of the same view mode choices:

No matter which way you select your view mode, it will be a bulleted list, so you’ll only use one view mode at a time. (I’ll be going to the View Menu at the top of the screen through the remainder of this tutorial – like in the first photo)

You can set all of your folders to use the same view mode. For example, you might like Thumbnail View mode and want every folder you open to use Thumbnail View mode. But I don’t recommend using the same view mode all the time. That’s because each view mode is designed for a specific job. It would be kind of like mowing your lawn with scissors. Plus, you’d be missing out on one of the great parts of having a computer: it allows you to do tedious work quickly and have fun while you’re doing it! Let’s take a look at some examples. Click on number 2: How to Change Views – Thumbnails View

1. How to Change Views in Windows Explorer – Intro
2. How to Change Views – Thumbnails View
3. How to Change Views – Tiles View
4. How to Change Views – Icons View
5. How to Change Views – List View
6. How to Change Views – Details View
7. How to Change Views – Filmstrip View

If you want to resize your photos using Picasa, there is an easy way to do it. The tool you will use is called “Export” and it is located at the bottom of the Picasa screen. Export will make a copy of your photos, and will give [...]]]> How to Batch Resize Photos in Picasa

If you want to resize your photos using Picasa, there is an easy way to do it. The tool you will use is called “Export” and it is located at the bottom of the Picasa screen. Export will make a copy of your photos, and will give you the option of what size you want the new copies to be, and where you want to save them. Don’t worry, your original photos will stay right where they are.

To get started, we will need to choose the photos that we want to resize (or Export). We do this one of two ways. The first way is by Control-Clicking your photos (by holding down the “Ctrl” key on your keyboard while you click photos). Control-clicking will put a blue border around your photos that will be exported (remember, the original will stay there, but it will export a small copy). Here is what the blue border looks like when you have your photos selected:

Once you have them properly selected, they will appear in the Picasa Tray in the lower left corner of the Picasa window. The tray works just like a printer queue and holds files there until you are ready to perform an action or do something with them:

If you want to hold photos in the tray, simply click the Green Tack, and it will hold them there until you are ready to Export. When you have selected all of the images you want to Export, click the Export button at the lower center section of the Picasa window:

This pops up the Export dialog box and asks you where you want to save the small copies of your photos. It also gives you a convenient slider to choose how large you want your photos. The default is 800 (which means the longest edge of your photos will be 800 pixels long). 800 or 640 would be good sizes to choose if you are going to e-mail your photos. The more photos you plan on e-mailing at a time, the smaller you will want this setting to be:

Picasa saves the “Exported Photos” to a folder in your My Pictures folder by default, but I don’t think this is very helpful, or easy to find, so I recommend saving to the Desktop. Click “Browse” and another box will pop up asking you where you want to save these new photos:

Click Desktop at the top, then click OK. This takes you back to the Export window. Click OK and it will save your photos to their new location. When it is done, it will pop open an Explorer window showing the location of your new photos: