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Digital cameras are surging in popularity and it's easy to see why. There's no film to load, and no waiting for photos to be developed. You can check each shot - before you take it, to make sure it's right - and after, so you can try again if it isn't. And the end results can be loaded straight into your PC for easy editing.

There's one thing everyone knows about digital cameras: they're expensive. But that doesn't necessarily mean you'll spend more in the long run. Once you've used up a film, you have to get it processed and buy another; but after downloading a set of images from your camera's memory to your PC, you can erase it and start again. It's true that if you used an inkjet printer to output all your photos on glossy paper, you might spend more than you would have done on film. In reality, though, how many photos from each film do you normally want to keep? By only printing the shots you really want, you can easily save money. And if you mainly want to view your photos on-screen, your running costs could be nil.

One limitation of digital cameras is resolution. The higher your camera's 'megapixel' rating, the larger you can view and print your pictures without them looking grainy. But you'll also need to choose image size carefully when shooting, to balance the level of detail against the number of shots you can fit in memory at a time.

In this article, we'll cover the basics of successful digital photography. But don't worry if you don't get things right first time - we'll also show you how to fix your pics using Paint Shop Pro 7, the image editor you'll find on this month's cover CD. So without more ado, it's time to get snapping.

Author: Adam Banks

Perfect Pictures