Welcome to the Prescott Computer Society

Online Meetings Using Zoom

PCS meetings are available to anyone, including non-members, who wish to join us online. We are using Zoom as a means of holding our meetings in the convenience of your own home.

Even if you're not a member of PCS we urge you to attend our online meetings. Both members and non-members may do so in advance of the meeting by registering below. You will receive a password and link to the meeting by email. This step is necessary to keep out spammers and hackers. You may join the meeting no earlier than 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time.

For information on how to get and use a Zoom account please click the button below.

Getting started with Zoom

For help with Zoom by John Carter please click the button below.

Zoom Help

Currently Scheduled Online Meetings

June 12 - Saturday - 1:00-3:00 PM
General meeting - Webcams - Francis Chao - Leader: JB Burke
Zoom meeting will open at 12:45 PM

First Hour - Webcam Basics/Using Webcam to Spy on Something - Francis Chao - APCUG Speakers Bureau/Tucson Computer Society
You can use various models of Webcams to spy on your home(s), business(es), and pets. They can alert your cell phone and/or your computer when they detect motion. In addition to these basic functions, the Internet cloud can now provide you with:

• A means of communicating with a Webcam from points unknown.
• Cloud storage for saving snapshots and video clips either automatically when motion is detected by your Webcam or on-demand.

This will be several live demonstrations of real and virtual Webcams with extensive how-to documentation on installing for each type of Webcam.

Second Hour - Tips & Tricks - Phil Ball
Bob's program will be followed by Windows Master Phil Ball with another helping of his famous Windows 10 Tips & Tricks. No matter how well you know Windows, you will be sure to come away from Phil's session with at least one new insight - and probably many more as well.

Register in advance for this meeting

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

June 19 - Saturday - 1:00-3:00 PM
Special Program – Affinity Photo - Leader: John Carter
Zoom meeting will open at 12:45 PM

Today John will provide you with an introduction to a photo editing program much like Photoshop. Affinity Photo is a professional photo-editing application that rivals Photoshop for features, but it is subscription free! And currently (as of April 16) it is available at 50% off - $25.00. Join John and learn about this great program.

The presentation will be a beginner level presentation focused on the 10 basic steps for making adjustments to a photo. Not all of those steps are really necessary for most photos, but those 10 steps will cover all of the primary tools that one might want to use without going into the weeds of "professional" photo editing. I will also be showing how to merge different images to create scenes of your own choosing just as a way to illustrate the kind of creativity possible.

All of the techniques used in this Affinity Photo presentation can also be used in Photoshop Elements, Photoshop CS, Gimp, and any editor that provides layer and mask features along with the basic editing tools. So in that sense, Affinity Photo isn't much different than the other apps. What you will find is that the layout and tools in Affinity Photo are quite a bit like Photoshop CS and Gimp, and the layout can be modified to your taste. Affinity Photos has a vast selection of video tutorials covering everything from the basics to the extreme. What Affinity Photo offers that is unique is a set of tools for processing astronomy images.

If you do not have a copy of Affinity Photo already, it is still on sale at half off ($24.95). You do not need a copy to follow along, and it would be rather difficult to do so in a Zoom meeting anyway.

If you are unable to attend, you can view many of the Affinity Photo video tutorials here. Some of them require purchasing a course, and at least one of them is free but requires creating an account to view. All of the free ones are also found in YouTube.

Register in advance for this meeting

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Other Computer Groups Sharing Meetings

Through PCS' affiliation with APCUG (see below) you may also virtually attend other computer club meetings throughout the country. Check out the wide selection of programs available to you.

A typical PCS meeting scene.

General Information About PCS

The Prescott Computer Society (PCS) is a PC-based users group located in Prescott, Arizona. Our primary attention is focused on IBM-compatible computers, associated software and smart phones. We strive to provide personal, home office and small business computing solutions and presentation topics. You may obtain both basic and advanced information about computers by attending our club's meetings.

We hold several meetings each month to show you how to get the most out of your computer. These are our General meeting and several Special Interest Group meetings. Anyone with an interest in computers is welcome to attend our meetings and join PCS.

PCS is a member of the Association of Personal Computer User Groups (APCUG).

Interested in Membership?

Additional information about PCS is available at our Membership Info and About Us pages. For information about becoming a member of PCS, please contact the Webkeeper.

Fun Stuff

A typical Q&A meeting chaired by some of our favorite PCS members. It's known as a "Stump The Geeks" session which is always enjoyed by all those who attend.

We often hold Question and Answer sessions at General meetings where our members attempt to "Stump The Geeks" with their questions about computer and smartphone problems and other related issues.

Do the geeks ever get stumped? Of course, once in a while they do but we all appreciate the very interesting and informative discussions that are held. I guess you'll just have to come to a meeting to see for yourself.