Morguefile

[Noelle]

Does anyone know about a website called www.morguefile.com (http://www.morguefile.com)? There are some great free photography lessons and you can submit assignments to for critique. My question is this: How safe is it to do so? I just purchased a new computer due to a fatal crash, so I am now wanting to be more careful. Of course I have virus protection, but want to make an informed decision before submitting photos and working with the site. Any cause for concern, or am I just being paranoid?

I appreciate any input anyone may have!

Noelle

[Noelle]

I found some answers to my question about Morgue file by searching Photo classes in this site. It looks like it is a great find--just like this site. Too bad I was too late to participate! I learned a lot about photography from the site, even without the interactive portion.

I guess I was being paranoid and uninformed about viruses.

Have people who frequently upload their pics to community sites had any problems with viruses, malware, cookies, etc? I guess I don't really understand how computers get infected in the first place. Any insight is appreciated.

Noelle

[GaryK]

Hi Noelle

That is a great course at Morguefile. I too was too late.:)

Virusus?? virusii?? can pretty much only be caught by downloading them either from the from the internet or from an infected network computer or from infected storage media (cd/dvd etc.)

The problem is, sometimes you dont know you are downloading them. There are various ways that this can happen.

If you stick to trusted sites, use a firewall and have antivirus software running you are pretty safe. I am very wary of sites that make me download things to view them. (sometimes you need to but I never blindly say yes to any popup when I am surfing)
One other thing DO NOT open emails from anybody you do not know. On top of that, NEVER open attachments that you are unsure of. Even people who are on your list can get infected and then the virus will send you an email from them.

At the risk of being rude, I never open forwards that do not include some sort of personal hello in the message (more than just a Hi Gary).
Part of that is me being safe, the other part is me being stubborn.
I firmly believe that if the person does not have time to type a small personal message then I don't have the time to read the forward.;)

I am sure others will have more suggestions these are my personal habits.:)

[NMarti]

Gary
Nope - same caution for me. In fact, I often don't open anything that has more than a few names in the TO section. Once I recognize it as a forward I know it's most likely been through hundreds of hands and can have anything embedded. I don't care how well I know the sender, I still don't trust it and delete it.

On sites I don't click on anything that says CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE because it most likely has something embedded. I figure if they can't put it on the main page then they have an ulterior motive for sending you somewhere else. One exampe is TMZ.com I never started getting spam until I went there one time and clicked on the link to read the rest of the story. Coincidence? Maybe, but they have to pay for that site somehow.

[Noelle]

I guess I was on the right track by checking to see if Morguefile was a trustworthy site, and it looks like it is. What a great find!

I am fairly safe with my email, but when reading your responses, I see that I can be safer. I would also like to know how to surf the net in a safer manner.

I am also interested in digital scrapbooking. Perhaps I should continue this thread on that portion of the forum, but how safe is downloading free kits from a site that fellow scrappers seem to know? Any way to know for sure if the site is trustworthy and that the kits are not destructive? Can these kits/photography classes, etc. truly be free?

Thanks again for your insight!

Noelle

[NMarti]

Noelle
One safe way is to download the files into a specific folder. Run a virus scan on that folder before you open any of the files on your computer. You can then move them to a more permanent folder and empty the scan folder until the next time.

[lexcell]

I'm certainly no computer expert but, when I someone sends me a link to something I am unfamiliar with, I go to the site manually rather than following the link...

You also want to be careful of posting images that are of high resolution on the net as people can and will steal them!

[Noelle]

Thanks for your insight!

This site has helped me immensely.

Since I have spent countless hours recovering from viruses, I am considering purchasing a Mac. Is it worth taking the time to learn a new system? I want to learn Photography, Elements, and Digiscrapping and have spent so much time recovering from viruses. Any thoughts out there re: Macs and Elements?

Noelle

[Wendy]

Hi Noelle ..

I have used Macs for years and never had any problems with viruses and actually there really isn't much of a learning curve with a Mac, a lot of things are actually simpler than they are in Windows :)

I mainly use Photoshop & Elements and of course I do a lot of Scrapbooking :)

Wendy

[lexcell]

Macs don't tend to get hit with viruses the way PCs do. And, yes they are quite intuitive to use. (I've been able to troubleshoot problems for my mom on her Mac and I'm a PC user)

I would double check to see that the software you like to use is Mac compatible.

[ShawnKing]

Since I have spent countless hours recovering from viruses, I am considering purchasing a Mac. Is it worth taking the time to learn a new system? I want to learn Photography, Elements, and Digiscrapping and have spent so much time recovering from viruses. Any thoughts out there re: Macs and Elements?
When it comes to Photography, your camera doesn't care what computer you use. :)

When it comes to Elements, Adobe has just upgraded Elements 6 for the Mac to be *almost* identical on the Mac and the PC. The problem is, if you buy a Mac, you'd have to buy all new software because the PC software you have won't work on the Macintosh Operating System (unless you do some "voodoo" - new Macs *can* run Windows and Windows software).

But you *knowledge* of Photography and Elements will transfer quite easily and, as a Windows user, you'll figure out the Macintosh Operating System fairly quickly.

As for viruses - well, there's no worry about them on the Macintosh.

[ShawnKing]

Macs don't tend to get hit with viruses the way PCs do.
Minor correction - It's not a matter of "Macs don't tend to get hit with viruses the way PCs do", it's a matter of the fact that there are *no* viruses on the Mac.

None. Zero. Nada. Zip.

A PC user could send me a virus and I can double click on it until the cows come home and it will *not* infect my Macintosh. I've used Macs for over 20 years and have *never* run anti-virus software on them. There is *no* Mac adware or spyware downloadable from the Internet, either.
I would double check to see that the software you like to use is Mac compatible.
That's an excellent point - the "Big stuff" is "cross-platform" - Elements, Photoshop, Lightroom, Office, etc. all work on both Macs and PC's but specialty software may not be available on the Macintosh Operating System.

But, as new Macs now have the ability to run Windows too, software availability is becoming less of an issue.

Hope that helps.

[Noelle]

Thanks everyone. I am SOLD on the Mac! 20 years without a virus scan! What a relief. What do you do with your spare time--Oh! I bet you get to do the fun stuff re: photography, Elements, etc. while NOT wasting time getting rid of computer bugs!:D

I figure that if we no longer have to buy antivirus software, we can afford to repurchase some photography and scrapbooking software. It looks like we'll have to repurchase some great resources like PSE5 (well, upgrade to PSE6 for Mac) and Scrapper's Guide to Elements (well, upgrade to 6) and I will be looking for a comparable book like Scott Kelby's PSE5 Book for Digital Photographers. Any suggestions?

I will share your helpful responses with my husband then off Mac shopping we will go!

Thanks again,
Noelle

[Noelle]

I just re-read previous responses, and I have another question. My PSE5 disk is for Windows. It won't work on a Mac, will it? We may purchase the software package that somehow gives the ability to run Windows, but I'd rather repurchase/upgrade the PSE software and have it run smoothly than have to deal with a different set of "bugs." I am not terribly computer literate and am a bit tired of trying to be--I want to learn Elements and photography :)

[ShawnKing]

Thanks everyone. I am SOLD on the Mac!
LOL Good for you!
20 years without a virus scan! What a relief.
It really is. Now, to be clear, it doesn't mean there *won't* be a Mac virus at some point in the future but right now, today, there isn't a single one.
What do you do with your spare time--Oh! I bet you get to do the fun stuff re: photography, Elements, etc. while NOT wasting time getting rid of computer bugs!:D
LOL Pretty much. :)
I will be looking for a comparable book like Scott Kelby's PSE5 Book for Digital Photographers. Any suggestions?
How about Scott Kelby's "Elements 6 Book for Digital Photographers"? He's working on it now.
I will share your helpful responses with my husband then off Mac shopping we will go!
Great! Where do you live? There may be an Apple store in your city you can go to and get even more hands on info/advice.

[ShawnKing]

I just re-read previous responses, and I have another question. My PSE5 disk is for Windows. It won't work on a Mac, will it?
Not directly, no.
We may purchase the software package that somehow gives the ability to run Windows
Sure, you can do that. It gives you the flexibility to run software on both the Mac OS and the Windows OS but, you'll still be dealing with the Windows problems. Just cause the Mac will run Windows does *not* make it immune from Window's issues.
but I'd rather repurchase/upgrade the PSE software and have it run smoothly than have to deal with a different set of "bugs."
That's a good plan. You're biggest issue will be learning a new operating system. But the Mac isn't so terribly different from Windows if you stick with it.
I am not terribly computer literate and am a bit tired of trying to be--I want to learn Elements and photography :)
LOL Exactly the reason why I first started using a Mac 20 years ago - I wasn't computer literate and didn't want to be. SO much for that idea. :)

[Noelle]

Thanks for all of your great responses.

BTW, I went to your site and see that you are doing some great work. My eyes are tired from doing too much computer work right now, but I look forward to reading your articles soon.

I live in Minneapolis, very near the Mall of the Universe--I mean, Mall of America. We plan to go to the Apple Store there when time permits. I have heard that they have some great classes there, too.


About Kelby's upcoming book, do you know if it will also cover PSE6 for the Mac? His last PSE5 Book for Digital Photographers wasn't written for Mac users, but he said it was because Mac and PC weren't using the same versions, which doesn't seem to be an issue this time. I called Kelby training and the gal who answered the phone wasn't sure if the book was written for Mac users.


Take care and thanks again for your great info.

[vawitt]

I'm a PC user a little late jumping in, but I thought I read on another thread that if you own PSE for Windows and want to switch to PSE for Mac, Adobe will do that for a small fee? Can someone verify that?

[Noelle]

Sorry it has taken me so long to respond. Life took a few unexpected changes!

Anyway, I called PSE customer service. Apparently I am able to order the Mac version for the cost of an upgrade cost as long as I promise not to use the PC version as well. The PC version that I had was Elements 5. Mac does not have the equivalent, so I needed to upgrade to PSE6 or switch to the Mac version of PSE3, which I didn't even consider.

I read the same posting that you must have read. The folks that I called at Photoshop Elements were very helpful. I bet more people will be asking this question now that PSE6 is the same version for both Mac and PC.