My (Late) Discovery

I recently learned about Picasa. I am sure this Google application has been around for quite a while now, but I have just discovered it and since then I've been amazed by its capabilities and how it is integrated with all other Google apps. I have a crazy number of photos on my computer and Picasa is an invaluable tool to get organized! I *love* Google.

Once I downloaded the software and installed the application, Picasa instantly located and organized ALL the picture files on my computer by date. This is a one time scan. Afterwards, it will only scan the folders I specify. Since I store my pictures in a folder other than the default (ie, My Pictures or My Documents), I went to File>Add Folder To Picasa and added my folder (in my case, F:\PHOTOS\) to the Watched Folder list. This way, whenever I add new pictures to my PHOTOS folder, they will automatically be scanned by Picasa.

Picasa has a very clean and user-friendly interface. I can't gush enough about it! It makes a minimalist like me very happy.

Picasa has many neat options, such as minor editing. Without using Photoshop, I can now crop, auto color, auto contrast, turn photos to B&W, and a lot more. This is great for someone who doesn't have access to Photoshop.

Since I have a Gmail account, I can click on the Email button and send pictures to others using Picasa. It's so easy. I no longer have to open a new window, log into Gmail, and attach photos one by one. I can easily highlight the pictures I want to send, click on the Email button, and voila, done.

Similarly, I can select photos, click on the Blog This! button, and blog away. This makes life a lot simpler for bloggers like myself.

I can also upload my pictures to the Web Album and share them online with friends. I haven't tried it yet though. In fact, I am still playing with the application and learning. I am sure it can do so much more than what I listed. I am looking forward in getting more organized by utilizing this tool!

Do you have a method for organizing your pictures? Is there a tool that you use? Share with me!