So you got a digital camera for Christmas. Or it came with the new computer. Or you bought one yourself because you were tired of paying for film processing.

Whatever the reason, you have a great new camera and you're wondering what to do with it! The digital camera is certainly one of the most popular computer peripherals in our industry today. The real reason why it has gained so much popularity over such a short period of time lies in its versatility.

Digital cameras blend the features of a good 35mm camera with the instant gratification of a Polaroid. And, since the image is already in digital form, it can take less than five minutes to have it ready to use for web sites, e-mail, and in-gallery computer displays.

To get the most from your camera, you first need to know its limitations. It has the same lighting, focus, and stability requirements as your old 35mm SLR but you don't have to wait (or pay) for processing. There are two things you must do to learn how to use your camera. First, get out there and take some pictures. Second-and more important-read every page of the book. I can't believe how many people only open the manual when they have a problem.

Probably the greatest thing about a digital camera is the ease with which you can share your pictures. Gone are the days of printing 300 copies of a photograph to send to clients. Instead you can load your pictures to a web site, send them to clients via e-mail, or have traditional prints made-all from your desktop.

It is even possible to coordinate your in-gallery inventory with your web site. If you're using software to manage the titles, mediums, artists, and digital images in-house, you may be able to use the same software to upload this information to your web site! Don't assume that the software that came with the camera is the only software that will work with your images. Applications like Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, and Goo are great for adjusting your images to give the truest "on-screen" representation of the piece.

Nearly every digital camera lets you use different resolutions. Just because the camera can take high resolution images, doesn't mean you necessarily have to use them. If you only plan on using the pictures you're taking for your web site, don't bother with resolutions over 640 x 480 pixels. Larger resolutions take too long for your web site visitors to download. If an image takes more than a few seconds to come up on a web site, the client will click over to someplace else.

When you save an image for use on the web, a thumbnail image should be less than 10K and the full-sized image should be about 75-100K in size. This is the size of the file on your hard disk, not the dimensions of the image. By the way, the standard format for web pictures today is called JPEG (or JPG). When you save your images, make sure they are in that format.

But putting pictures on the web is not the only use for digital images. If you want to e-mail a single image to a client as a basis for purchase, then a higher resolution may be more appropriate. In general, the client doesn't mind if an e-mail takes 30-45 seconds to load. So you might send an image that is as large as 200-300K. This will be physically larger, and will show better detail than the smaller image. If you're planning on printing the images onto photographic paper and want the best results possible, head to the upper range of resolution.

The list below shows the minimum resolution in pixels that you need to get acceptable printed results:

• 1024 x 768: 3- by 5-inch print
• 1280 x 960: 4- by 6-inch print
• 1600 x 1200: 8- by 10-inch print

Remember, it is relatively easy to take a high resolution image off the camera and lower the resolution using software. It is not possible to change a low resolution image to a higher resolution without taking the photograph again. So I usually go ahead and take a high resolution shot with the camera and then work with it.

When an image is shown on a computer screen, it may not have the same color balance as it would if it were printed on paper. Since you (and your artists) want to represent the piece as accurately as possible, you may need to "adjust" the image using software.