Picasa Folders and Files

Picasa has now been upgraded to Picasa 3.5.




Except for a few new features, such as geotargeting, face recognition and being able to upload pictures not on your computer (cell phone, etc.) to Picasa Web Albums, the newer version works basically the same as Picasa 3.

Once you install Picasa on your computer, Picasa takes an inventory of the pictures on your hard drive so that they can be viewed and worked with in the Picasa software. The folders and files you see in Picasa are those that reside on your computer. This is important for you to know. If you make a change to one of your photo folders, such as deleting a picture, it will also be deleted on your hard drive. So make sure that you want any changes you made to be permanent.

Any editing done to a photo in a folder will not immediately change that photo in your XP folders. You can Save As to add it as an additional edited image or you can export it to a particular folder. If you just Save, it will change the original in XP. The original photo will be gone. Working with Albums is different.

Albums in Picasa 3

One of the features I like the best in the Picasa software is the ability to create albums. You can make an album by selecting photos from a folder. As you select them, they will be shown on the bottom of the screen. You can easily navigate to another folder, and add more if you like. You can name your album, create captions for individual digital photos, and even edit them.

This is a slideshow of an album I created in the Picasa software.
The album also appears on the Picasa Web Albums site.

Working with Albums in Picasa 3 is different than working with Folders. Any changes, edits, etc. you make in an Album does not change anything in your hard drive. You can move the pictures, delete them, and so on, and the same pictures on your computer will remain where they are with no changes. I highly recommend working with albums.

You can then upload the album to Picasa Web Albums, which is the website for storing and sharing your digital photos. If you choose to synchronize both Albums, your photos in Picasa 3 will have an icon on them, reminding you that they are on the Picasa website and that they are synchronized.

Here is a good overview of Picasa 3.

Synchronize your albums by checking the Sync to Web button at the top right of the screen. If you add or delete photos, add captions, rename your Album or do any editing, these will all be synchronized. However, it is a one way street! Changes made in Picasa software will sync with the web. However, changes made on the web will not sync to the Picasa software.

You can import photos to Picasa 3 from various places, such cameras, scanners, CD's, memory cards, etc. When you import into Picasa, you will be asked to name the folder for them. This new folder will be created on your hard drive.

How to Share Your Albums or Folders

There are three ways to share your photos from Picasa 3.

Upload and Email - Click the Share button at the top of the screen. You will be prompted to upload your Album or Folder to Picasa Web Albums. You will also be prompted for an email address for the person(s) you wish to share the photos with. So, Picasa uploads your photos and then emails the recipient. The email will have a link to where your photo Album is on the Picasa Web Albums website. You can also go to the site, copy the link, and paste it in any email program that you might use.

I like this email feature, particularly when folder file sizes are large. By just giving a link to the Picasa website page, you eliminate the need to send multiple, large jpeg files and the problems that can occur.

Upload Only - Click the Upload button at the bottom of the screen. Here is where you just upload your Album or Folder to the website (Picasa Web Albums). You can then share from the website.

Email Only - By clicking the Email button next to the Upload button on the bottom, you can email the photos from your computer as jpeg. files to the email recipient. You can choose for the email to be sent from your Google email address or from Thunderbird, if you have a default email address set up there. Either way, they are sent as jpeg. photos.

Ordering Prints and Online Printing

There are various ways to print your photos. You can just print from the Picasa 3 program. You can also select photos to be sent to a digital photo printing service. To order prints this way, select your pictures that you want to have printed. Choose Shop at the bottom of the screen. You will then see a choice of about 14 different photo printing companies.

Choose which one you would like to use. However, you should already have an account set at the company. Your pictures will appear on the screen (already uploaded), and you simply have to make your choices, such as size, quantities, etc. You can also print from Picasa Web Albums online. However, there are fewer printing company options.