One of the best benefits of digital photo printing is that you have the ability to change your photographs any way you would like before having them printed. If you are interested in taking advantage of free online photo album sites, but you're not sure where to start, here is an easy guide to help you edit your pictures.

Step One: Download a photo editing application. There are numerous freeware versions of photo editing software, or if you need extra control, you can purchase a more comprehensive suite. Photoshop is a very popular tool for advanced users, while Paint Shop Pro is enjoyed by many entry level users. It is a good idea to take advantage of free trials on paid photo editing applications so that you can make sure you like the software before actually buying it.

Step Two: Once you have your photo editing software installed, you will need to either transfer your photos from your digital camera or scan existing prints in. Most digital cameras will come with a flash memory card that can either be directly read by a computer, or they will have a cable that will transfer the data over to your computer. Flat bed scanners are widely available as well and they make it simple to send old photographs to your computer.

Step Three: Now that you have the original image saved on your computer, it's time to open up your digital photo software and start editing the image. You'll have many different options, depending on the type of application you are using. Some of the more popular uses include cropping photos to remove unwanted areas, fixing problems with colors, getting rid of certain effects, or even adding special effects of your own.

You can add special borders, integrate clipart, or even make the photo look like an oil painting, depending on the software you are using. It's a good idea to make sure that you save the file under a new name so that you can preserve the original. Once you're done editing the picture, it's time to move on to the final step for digital photo printing.

Step Four: Picking the right size. If you keep the photo the same size that your camera produced, it will be a little easier to get them printed with the digital photo printing service. If it is smaller, try to pick image sizes that will correspond to prints. For example, 4x6, 5x7 and 8x5 are popular image sizes. You can use your photo editing software to resize your image, but please note that the quality may be lessened if you try to change the overall size too much.

Step Five: Upload your pictures for digital photo printing. After you have followed the above steps, it's time to upload your photos to the digital photo printing website and order your prints. This process is very similar to traditional photo processing, but the results will be much better.

That's all there is to it! Go out and take some pictures, load your pictures to a free online photo album site, and see just how easy it is to use digital photo printing services.