Picasa
Official Picasa resources
• Picasa download page
• Picasa overview
CIT Workshops that include Picasa
• Using Picasa to manage personal images
Overview
What is it?
Picasa is a free software download from Google that allows you to easily manage digital images on your computer and share them through email, print and the web. Picasa is available for Windows XP/2000/Vista and Linux. Picasa allows the user to find images on his or her computer, sort and tag the images and do simple editing. Images from a personal collection can be shared through Picasa Web Albums. Picasa Web Albums offers an iPhoto plug-in for Mac users for uploading images to the service.
Key features
- Finds images already on your computer and creates a visual index of them
- Allows you to sort, organize, rename and tag images or groups of images
- Add star ratings to pictures for easier sorting
- Password protect image collections
- Imports new images from a digital camera or scanner and organizes new images downloaded from the web or placed on the computer from other sources
- Export images in a range of formats
- Simple re-touching of images (crop, straighten, color and contrast adjustment, etc.)
- Email photos, upload them to your web site or Picasa Web Albums, create slide shows
- Guided backup of images to CD, DVD or a network drive
Who uses it?
Picasa is used by faculty members of schools and institutions of higher education around the world (including Duke and most of our peer institutions) and by many more private individuals and companies for basic image management needs. Many students also use Picasa to manage their own collections of digital photos.
How does it work?
Download the free software from the Picasa website. To install it on your computer, you may need to seek assistance from local technology support staff.
After installation, Picasa can automatically search your computer and create a rough index of any images on your machine. You can limit searching to a particular drive or folder; many users keep images in the "My Documents" or "Pictures" folder on their computer.
Click on an image to edit it or add tags, or drag and drop the image to a different folder or album. Picasa creates an index of images on your computer and will not move or change the original without a confirmation from you.
Things to consider before using Picasa
- You need to have administrative rights on your computer to install downloaded software, so you may need to ask your technical support staff member for assistance with this step.
- You need images on your computer and a scanner or digital camera to import new images.
- To share images at Picasa Web Albums you will need a Google account.
Uses as an Instructional Technology
- Manage images on your computer for use in lectures and presentations
- Manipulate images to highlight details or for students to explore or gain a better understanding of concepts
- Create slide shows to run in class or share with students through Blackboard
