Resolve to organize those digital photos!

With Picasa, it's a snap Whether you received a new digital camera for Christmas or you have been using one for years, you need to get Picasa. Picasa is free digital photo organizer software from Google. Google bought the Picasa company and software almost three years ago. To say that the software is a little miracle would be understating its usefulness. Picasa not only helps you effortlessly organize your digital photo collection, but it also helps transfer them from your camera to the computer, back them up, email them, create CD slideshows, publish web albums, print them and more. Making it oh so easy Every digital camera comes with computer software that you can load and use to transfer your photos and keep track of them. Unfortunately, they all work differently and not too well. Furthermore, most of these programs also upload software and features that people never use, or consider useless. One of the worst offenders is Kodak's Easy Share software. Not only is it slow to load, the interface is clunky and not intuitive, it also adds web updater software that loads in the background and can slow down even the fastest computer. In contrast, Picasa is a small, fast, system-friendly software package that will not leave your computer running like it's stuck in the mud. When I talk with clients or callers to my radio show, I recommend uninstalling all proprietary digital camera software and loading Picasa in its place. When Picasa is loaded, it will scan your entire computer and look for existing digital photos. Transferring photos with Picasa Since almost all new computers (and many printers) come with digital card readers built in, you can also put your camera's transfer cable in the drawer. When you need to transfer your pictures, take the memory card out of the camera and insert it into the appropriate slot. Windows will then ask you what you want to do with the pictures. Choose the "Copy pictures to your computer and view them using Picasa" option. Picasa will immediately appear and present you with thumbnails of what is on your card and help you transfer them into an appropriately-named storage folder on your computer. Simple, quick, and painless. Once the photos are on your computer, Picasa really shines. All of your photos are clearly presented in an uncluttered manner with the list of storage folders on the left and the thumbnails (small versions of your pictures) on the right. You also have complete control over how large or small to display the thumbnails. This makes scrolling through your photos a breeze. When you select a photo(s), you can use the buttons at the bottom of the screen to: Upload them to a web album Print them Create a slideshow with them for your screen or a Gift CD Upload them to a web print service (15 are currently supported including Wal-Mart and two drug store chains where you can pick up your pictures at your convenience) Blog them Back them up to a CD or DVD To me, all the features stand alone with Picasa, but the upload to a service feature is sure genius and convenience. If you have a high speed Internet connection, you no longer need to fiddle with ink cartridges and printers in your home or stand in line and wait for the infernal kiosk at the store only to hear the sighs and impatience of the people behind you. Now you can casually and comfortably look at your photos from your own home, upload them and choose whether to pick them up when you go shopping later or have them delivered right to your door via the postal service. What Picasa can't do Picasa won't replace imaged editing programs like Adobe Photoshop Elements, but it does include some simple tools for cropping photos, fixing lighting, red eye reduction and a few other editing tools. Getting up to speed doesn't take a long time with Picasa because it is such inviting software that you will feel compelled to experiment with it and try out its features. By the time you read this, I will have a series of short video tips on my web site (HelpMeRick.com) explaining in further detail how to work with Picasa. Start off the new year on the right foot with your digital photos and download Picasa (remember it's free) from www.Picasa.com. You will be pleasantly surprised at how much you can do with this great photo organizing software. Rick Castellini is an author, computer consultant, and hosts a nationally syndicated computer radio show from Colorado. Visit his web site at www.HelpMeRick.com for new tips every week and sign up for his free weekly email newsletter.