Hints wanted re the software issues.

[Carzee]

Hi there anyone who has ploughed thru the last few years of rapid changes in megapixels and software versions and drivers and... lucky me missed out on it all since I was mainly into HTML -- not DSLRs and all these RAW files, gamuts and "digital negatives".

So I'm asking for advice here to steer clear of the pitfalls. I just got Roan's 10D. I intend using a card reader (USB2) to download the pix. In this scenario, I assume I don't ever need to load Canon utilities software DC and twain driver etc.

Putting you in the picture, I'm using my nice new P4 3.0mhz WinXP with hardly any extra software besides FireFox. I have loaded my Epson R800 software. I have loaded PS Elements 2.0, I have loaded PaintShopPro 7, and the 2003 MS Office Pro. I use C drive for program files and D drive for file storage (60GB). I manually calibrated the new 19" CRT. Its on 1280 x 960. refresh 72hz. This new PC from Santa came with DVD RW and a MSi FX5500 videocard running Nvidia something. (No there's no games here, only Solitaire and Minesweeper.)

I have just read 2-3hrs worth of tutorials in PS Elements and looked over the RAW software on http://www.sphoto.com/techinfo/rawconverters/rawconverters.htm

At that site and the others like Norman Koren, I see the pros doing batch sets with a heap of plugins and scripts.... Do I need so many utililites?

Its a fairly blank slate here. Typical newbie I suppose. I have used cloning tools and WYSGYG stuff in PSP for 4-5 years and mainly used color and contrast alteration on car photos and scans for web. I have only used layers very occasionally, mainly as a nifty text tool.

Webwise, I have nursed, maintained and enlarged on my site since 1997 till now, all hand coded in Notetab; visitor download averages 3GB a month nowadays. Doesn't get me any kudos at all though, because with "D negative" I am looking into the abyss - at all these 'workflows' things -I'm thinking I'm out of touch on all this... and I don't have much time to spare on experimenting.

So pls throw me some help or a solid gold link that saves me time -I can't afford the usual trial and error. Maybe I could trade advice with someone stuck in WYSWYG HTMLand.

[PhotosGuy]

I am looking into the abyss - at all these 'workflows' things -I'm thinking I'm out of touch on all this... Do I need so many utililites? If you don't miss them, then you probably don't need them. Most people only use a small % of the capabilities available in PS. Is there something you'd like to do that you can't now? Give a specific instance if you can here (& put new questions in "Post Processing"). A pic as an example would help.
If not, when you need layers, then you'll use them. Same for masks, etc.

[Citizensmith]

I just got Roan's 10D. I intend using a card reader (USB2) to download the pix. In this scenario, I assume I don't ever need to load Canon utilities software DC and twain driver etc.

Correct. Card readers are the way to go. The CDs that came with my RebelD never even made it out the box.

I use Picassa (free download courtesy of Google) for image management, and PS CS and Noiseware for photo editing. Just remember to always backup. That DVDRW you mentioned will be a good tool for doing that.

Oh, and the FX5500 is an Nvidia video card (They designed it) that is manufactured by a whole host of people. In your case MSI.

In case you are not doing it already, take the time to go to windows update, as well as whatever antivirus and antispyware/antitrojan software you are running and get every update they have available.

[PacAce]

Dave, if you substitute "10D + carder" with "Film camera + scanner" and keep everything else in your current workflow relatively the same, you'll be in like flint and you'll be 90% or more there already. The other 10% that you'd have to learn would be the things specific to the digital camera itself which are different from those of film cameras.