The Bottom Line
In January 2009, Picasa for Mac was released as a public beta. The Mac version is nearly identical to the Windows version, with just a few features still pending.
Pros
- Picasa is free. Integrates with other free Google services (Blogger, Web Albums, and Google Earth).
- Provides good red-eye removal, quick fixes and effects, and online sharing options.
- Editing info is stored in INI files, making all edits reversible without saving multiple versions.
- Designed for non-techies and casual digital photographers.
- Available for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux platforms.
Cons
- Tied to a folder-based system of organization.
- Limited organizational and searching features.
- No way to edit a photo's embedded date.
- Litters your computer's folders with Picasa.ini files.
Description
- Picasa scans your computer for pictures and organizes them into albums based on folders and dates.
- Automatic import from USB cameras, scanners, memory card readers, and CD drives. Supports RAW files.
- Monitor selected folders for new pictures (including network drives).
- Organize with virtual folders called Albums. Add keywords & search by keyword, caption, and album information.
- Remove red-eye, crop, rotate, one-click enhance, auto and manual tuning, add text, and retouch . All edits can be reversed.
- One-click effects: sharpen, B&W, sepia, warm, tint, film grain, soft focus, glow, saturation, etc.
- Export photos as Web pages, movies, collages, and posters; Create Gift CDs for sharing.
- Email pictures or share online with Google Web Albums, Blogger, YouTube, and Google Earth.
- Order prints through online photo labs, or print photo layouts and contact sheets yourself.
- For Windows Vista/XP, Mac (Public Beta), and Linux. Older Picasa versions are available for Windows 2000/Me/98.
Guide Review - Picasa Digital Photo Software from Google
When you first run Picasa, it finds and sorts all your pictures into albums based on existing folder names. This may sound good in theory, but it's not very useful if you don't already have descriptive folder names. If you're just starting with digital photography, it's fine, but if you have a lot of pictures already, you may need to make adjustments.In addition to the folders list, you can create custom photo groupings using "Albums." Pictures can also be annotated with keywords and captions which are written to the photo files. Picasa does not offer a system for rating photos, but you can apply a star to photos you wish to mark as favorites.
Picasa 3 improves the photo organization and search features, although I still feel this area of the program is a bit weak. The previously-hidden keyword tagging feature is now exposed and improved to support multi-word tags, making it more compatible with other software. Unfortunately, tags in photos you had previously imported will remain as individual words unless you remove the folders from Picasa and re-import them.
Other useful improvements in Picasa 3 include:
- A text tool which lets you print captions directly on the photos.
- The options to display captions in prints and slide shows.
- Automatic red eye correction, which works quite well.
- A new movie editor allows you to combine photos, video clips, and background music into a Windows Media file.
- A new retouching tool for erasing out scratches and blemishes
- A slick photo viewer
- Online synchronization
- New collage types
- Crop suggestions
- and more.
