It is also important to save a backup copy of all the images, if possible in their original format. The reason for this is that if files are converted into JPG files they lose some quality. This loss is not noticeable at first, but if the image is resaved a number of times as a .JPG file the loss in quality becomes very noticeable. The images we collected were all saved initially as .BMP format files. We selected the images we wished to use, converted them to .JPG files and placed them in folders on the server.

An essential piece of equipment is a piece of software which will create thumbnail images of all the pictures in a folder. Fortunately most digital cameras come with something to do this. Alternatively, Paintshop Pro ( which is sometimes available in earlier versions on computer magazine cover disks) has a Browse option which will create a whole page of thumbnails. In addition Paintshop Pro will also convert a whole folder of images from one format to another as a batch, and the Actions Palette on Photoshop can also be set to resize a batch of images or convert them to another format.
(Check the Help option in each programme for descriptions of how to do this.)