How to Get a Digital Profile Photo when You Don't Have a Digital Camera

You want to include a great photo of yourself with your Zillove profile, but you don't have a digital camera. So, what should you do? Or you may have a friend with a digital camera, but you don't know how to get the photo from their camera to you. Relax! (That's your first tip for posing for your photo, too.)

Here are four ways to get a digital photo:

1. You can have a photo shot on film turned into a digital photo.

The best way is to take the undeveloped film (or the negatives of film that has already been processed) to a photo store and have them transfer the images to a disc -- just like a music CD or DVD movie you play on your computer. It's easy and inexpensive. Could you also get prints of the photos? That makes it easier to select the image you want to use.

2. If you don't have a camera, consider buying one of the inexpensive disposable cameras. When you've taken the pictures with it, please bring it to a photo store and have the images developed as prints and placed on a disc.

Transfer the images to a disc.

3. If you already have a print photo you like, take it to a photo store and have them scan it onto a disc.

If you have a scanner at home (many computer printers include a scanning feature), you can use it as well. If you're not familiar with scanning images, consider having the professionals at the photo store do it. (You want to have the best possible image of yourself, right?)

4. If a friend with a digital camera takes your photo, they can email it to you as an attachment.

Ensure they send an image with a .jpg file extension.

This is a standard photo format, so your friend should be familiar with the term. When you receive the email from your friend, click on it and choose "Save as." Give the photo file a name and save it in a location on your computer where you can find it easily when you're ready to send it to Zillove.

Now you have a digital image -- from a disc, a scan, or a photo emailed to you by a friend. What next?

The primary photo is the one you see in searches.

1. If the images are on a disc, put the disc in your computer, just like a CD or DVD. This usually automatically starts up software on your computer that allows you to view the pictures on the disc.

2. Pick the image you want to use as your primary photo. ( The primary photo is the one you see in searches or when you first click on a profile.) The image you choose should show just your face, from the bottom of your neck to just above the top of your head. I've included these tips to help you choose your primary photo.

3. Make a note of the image file name and where the image is stored on your computer.

4. If the photo is on a disc, it, too, has a name, and your disc drive usually has a letter associated with it. The name and location might look something like "E:\PS12345.jpg." (The .jpg extension on the file name stands for a specific type of photo format you can use.) The other formats are ".jpeg" and ".png." "tiff," ".bmp," and ".gif."

5. Maybe you have other photos on your computer that you want to use with your profile -- like the one that shows you in your safari outfit at the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, or with Fetch, your pet golden retriever, at the dog park. These kinds of photos tell people more about you and what you like to do, and they do it better than almost anything you could write in a profile. You can post up to 10 photos with your profile.

You've selected your photo, now what?

1. This is where it gets easy. Sign in to Zillove, go to the home page, and click on "Edit Profile." This takes you to the profile-editing page. Click on the "Photos" tab.

2. On the photos page, click on "Add/edit photo."

3. Under the heading "Primary Photo," click on "Upload new."

4. This takes you to "Add Photos to My Profile.

Use the browse button to navigate to the place on your computer where you have stored the image you want to use as your primary photo. When you locate the image file, click on it and then select "Open." Zillove takes over and uploads the file.

5. Follow the same steps to upload additional photos. Under the photo number, click on "Add photo." Browse to the image location, click on the image file, then click on "Open."

6. As you add photos, include captions that explain what's going on in the pictures. Check this article for more about photo captions.

That's all there is to it. Zillove personnel will review the submitted images over the next few hours to ensure they meet our photo guidelines.