Picasa is a set of tools that make it easy for you to organize and edit digital photos and create online albums to share with others.

Picasa is owned by Google and is free to use as long as you don’t exceed 1GB of photos. Additional space is reasonably priced. Like other Google tools Picasa is user friendly and intuitive.

Technically there are two pieces to Picasa the first is a software application that you install on your computer the second is the Picasa Web Albums website. The software allows you to edit and organize your pictures. You then upload your galleries to the Picasa Web Albums website.

The software is simple to use and makes short work of basic edits like red eye removal, cropping, and basic color correction.

The Picasa Web Albums site does a great job of showing off your photos. Your visitors can watch slide shows or see full screen views of your pictures. You have full control over who can access your photography. Galleries can be public, hidden or even password protected.

There are many built in search and “social” features. These features can be activated or disabled depending on your preferences. Some of these features include:

• Listing your pictures in Picasa and Google’s search services
• Allowing visitors to make comments on your pictures or galleries
• Allowing visitors to download your pictures or purchase prints online
• Using Google Maps to mark the exact place the picture was taken.

A view of a gallery on Picasa Web Albums. 

You can view the pictures individually, as a slide show or full screen.

A view of an individual picture from one of my galleries on Picasa Web Albums.

You can see how pictures can be tagged, the location marked, people identified and comments added. 

Picasa is a great tool to edit, manage and share your photography. Thanks to Google’s built in search tools and increasing interest from web visitors to search for images, Picasa has become a valuable tool for businesses to gain exposure for their products and services.

For more information on how Picasa can help your organization, please contact Gray Web Technology + Design at 210-820-0566 or email us at info@graywebtech.com.