Saving Pictures and Recognizing File Extensions

Many of you know how to save wallpaper images (those are the pictures that show up on your desktop) but did you know you could save picture to your computer too?

With those pictures you can attach, send, or print if you want to.  Just remember that the quality of pictures found on the internet is not always good!

Here's how to save a picture:

1.  Find a picture you want to save.
2. Right click on the picture (only once) so that a drop down menu appears.
3. Pick "Save Picture As...." or "Save Image As..."
4. Choose the folder you want the picture to go in to.  You can also change the name of the file.
6. Click the "Save" button.

You just saved a picture!

Now what can you do with it?  Well how about we put our new saved pictures in a post?

How to post a picture on our blog:

1. Log in and start a new post.
2. Click the icon that looks like a picture.
3. Click "Choose Files..." or "Browse..." this may look different depending on the computer you're on.
4. Open the file and click on the name of the picture (or thumbnail of the picture) you want to post.
5. Click "Add Selected"

Your picture should show up in the post!

You may have noticed that when you save your picture a ".jpg" or a ".gif" showed up.  These are called file extensions.  Like the extension number on a phone, the extension on a file sorts the category of the file. 
Think of the computer as a receptionist and you, the user, are a caller.  The extension at the end of the file tells the computer which department you’re “trying to call.” Without the file extension your call is lost.

Here are some very basic file extensions and what they mean.  We can add to the list as a class if we find more.  The file extensions we'll be looking at today are highlighted.

.txt – Simple text document.

.doc or .docx – Microsoft Word file for text documents.

.jpg – or jpeg, Joint Photographic Experts Group. Image file most commonly used for still digital images. 

.gif – Graphics Interchange Format. Image file that can hold transparencies and animations.  Typically used for animated graphics and icons.

.png – Portable Network Graphics. Improved graphic extension. Smooth like .jpgs, but can hold crispness and transparencies like .gifs.  However, is not supported on older computers.

.pdf – Portable Document Format.  Used for flyers, applications, articles, printable documents. Needs Acrobat Reader to be opened.

.mp3  - Based off of Moving Picture Expert Group (MPEG). Standard file format for music and audio.

.mp4 or mp4v – DVD quality audio and video, mostly used on iPods.

TODAY'S ASSIGNMENT!

Now that you know how to save pictures, how to post pictures, and what file extensions are you can complete today's assignment.

1. Grab a partner.  If you have little computer experience or are unsure, make sure your partner seems to know what they're doing and visa versa.
2. Go to Google at least one .jpg and one .gif
3. Go to the blog and post your findings, label which one is which.
4. Publish your post!

Try and pick images that reflect your mood today!

Hint: .jpgs are the easiest to find, but if you're having trouble with the .gifs try this website: http://www.animatedgif.net/
Hint: Another way to find pictures is to just google the file extension in Google Images.