Picassa

[simpo two]

Is this likely to be any use? What does the panel think?

www.picasa.com/content/learn_more.php?source=pic&subid=ww-et-eng-irp2

[CVP]

Not sure it adds a great deal for those who are pretty IT savvy. When I say IT savvy I don't mean able to program, but just a person who knows how to use a PC.

For me it does nto really add anything significant over what you can do in PS Elements e.g. slideshows etc.

One of the key things I'm trying to finalise is my workflow and storage methodology and this is where this could come in handy.

So far my method is something like;

1. Shoot and upload to computer
2. Go through and delete all bad ones that will definitely no longer be required.
3. Burn CD/DVD of originals without any manipluation (may be after each shoot or more than one shoot if I'm only keeping a few)
4. Perform image work on ones that are to be kept and file on PC in my filing format.
Directories so far
A. Cars (sub dirs by model)
B. Travel (sub dirs by country also sub dir for maps to be used in website build)
C. Wildlife (sub dirs birds, cats, dogs)
D. Cycling
E. Working temp folder (where negatives are stored whilst being worked on)
F. Windows backgounds (pictures resized to use as background for work PC)

File names are in a rough format of species/place/date but I've yet to finalise this completely.

Fial step 5. is to burn a DVD every month or two of all pictures on my machine as a back up (At present can get all pictures on one DVD so is OK).

Granted it's not a fool proof method but it has worked so far.

The key thing I'm missing is a searchable database type of arrangement so that I can simply look through and easily pick out all images of "x" or all images taken at "y" which ever folder they are in. In the short term an Excel spreadsheet is serving this function but I guess long term an Access database type thing will be a better solution (another package to learn).

Chris

Chris

[chrisjl]

I've only used it a little bit so far, and the intitial impression is mostly positive.

• The 'send these images as an email' feature is a nice idea, but it builds an email with attached images, rather than inlined, so you can't type text between them (but it does automatically scale them down to a sensible size).

• Images that you chose to rotate AREN'T actually rotated (this is a good thing!), but Picassa remembers that they should be rotated before being displayed.

• Timeline view is great for browsing through your old collection

• There is a facility to add keywords to pictures, to give the feature the previous poster asked for - e.g. if I press 'search', I only need to type 'gt' before all my GT40 pictures show up.

• You can still do all your editing and manipulation with Photoshop|PaintShop|Gimp

[ThatPhilBrettGuy]

I think its level is nicely summed up by the comments of the 'users' :-

"I teach school...." - not very well evidently

"..it's already changed how I use my camera." - lense cap off maybe?

"..especially useful for folks who are NOT 'techies'" - I.E. my Mum and Dad.

OK, it's free (I think) and looks quite nice. I played with V1 ages ago, but only because of its file shared network.

[docevi1]

the problem I have is getting the catergories sorted, for instance a trip up to Holy Island mainly is pictures of cars, yet it was also a Day out...

It's a nightmare for offline storage and a bigger one online as well. Sigh.

[simpo two]

docevi1 said:

the problem I have is getting the catergories sorted, for instance a trip up to Holy Island mainly is pictures of cars, yet it was also a Day out... It's a nightmare for offline storage and a bigger one online as well. Sigh.

You could copy and paste them into different folders, eg 'Holy Island 7.09.04' and 'Cars'/'Holy Island'...?

[docevi1]

I'd thought that, but in a little less than a year I've taken 4GB of pictures...

I'll sort something out I'm sure, just not sure what yet.

[chrisjl]

simpo two said:

You could copy and paste them into different folders, eg 'Holy Island 7.09.04' and 'Cars'/'Holy Island'...?

Better, you could store them on a linux machine and symbolic link them into multiple folders (no extra space requirement, but pictures can appear to be in multiple places - NOT the same as a Windoze shortcut).

[simpo two]

But a Linux machine costs more than blank DVD (or 6 CDs)... plus he'd have to sit down and learn how to work it.

Anyway, if you think of the space that the equivalent number of prints would occupy (or a Linux machine for that matter), the DVD wins by a long way.

[chrisjl]

simpo two said:

But a Linux machine costs more than blank DVD (or 6 CDs)... plus he'd have to sit down and learn how to work it.

He might already have such a thing, but hadn't spotted the potential.

I got the impression he wanted them all on his PC, in a space efficient way, for the purposes of quick access to 'that photo of wherever from last whenever'.

(with backups of the originals elsewhere, hopefully)