Perhaps you�ve been a photographer for as long as you can remember, and been messing around in the darkroom almost as long as that. You know how to turn your photos into the sort of prints that you friends want gracing their walls.

But even you could not turn your back on the digital camera revolution. You have always had a bit of a moral dilemma because you know that your dark room chemicals are not the kinds of substances you want in the water supply, and you also know that, in spite of the snob appeal of the 35mm camera, your digital camera just as capable and much more fun. And you�ve learned the magic of digital camera photograph editing software, which lets you duplicate all the darkroom effects you took years to master, in less than an afternoon.

Or perhaps you have not made the leap from 35mm film to digital, and think it all sounds just a little too good to be true. But if someone can persuade you that going digital with your photography is within your non-PC literate capabilities, you�ll give it a try.

The secret to digital photography magic is that you can alter your photos in almost any imaginable fashion once you have them saved on your PC hard drive. Your digital camera will come equipped with a digital camera USB cable which allows you to do just that. If it doesn�t, you can pick one up for less than $5.

How The USB Cable Works

The digital camera USB cable establishes a communications channel between your camera and your PC. When you take photos with your digital camera, instead of being stored on film they are stored in digital form on a memory card, and eventually the memory card will be full. If you want to keep taking pictures you�ll have to get the existing photos off the memory card, and you do it by uploading the photos to you PC.

By putting your photos on your PC you�ll also be able to view them in normal size rather than as the tiny images on your camera�s LCD screen. And once they�re on you PC, you can even print them; your printer will become your surrogate darkroom. You can also use software to turn your favorite photos into a continually running slideshow or make your absolutely favorite photo into wallpaper. But none of it happens without the digital camera USB cable.

Your camera will have included a CD with photo transferring software; all you need do is slide it into your D drive and insert your digital camera USB cable into the USB port at the on your monitor. It should be clearly marked, but if you can�t find it, consult you PC manual. And don�t be surprised, if you have a lot of photos stored on your camera, if you have to recharge your batteries when the upload is finished.

Alternatives To The Digital Camera USB Cable

The battery depletion issue is one which has earned the attention of digital camera makers, and they are working on solutions, including supplying a power cord which will run from your camera to a wall socket. There is also a memory card reading device,; it is installed in the digital camera, copies you photos, and the removed and plugged into your PC�s USB port. The memory reader eliminates the need for a digital camera USB cable completely, and is almost certain to make it obsolete in the not-too-distant future.