TODAY'S TIP
If you have not downloaded google's free Picasa photo edit/album/organize software do it now. It is by far the best I've seen. Everyone who has tried it has loved it. So much they actually get excited over it.

http://www.picasa.com

Also they have a new add on to it that is also free called "Hello". It allows you to share photos easily and in realitme with anyone else using "Hello". It works with windows as well as integrates into the Picasa software. A little hard to explain how it actually works so check out the website and download it and try it. If you have family or friends you want to send or show pictures to it is the best concept out there.

http://www.hello.com

For those using it feel free to use this thread to discuss the products.

Disclaimer: These software packages are free. Google bought the companies that wrote them (smart!). I'm sharing this only because I loved these packages and found them extremely useful and fun. Hope you guys find it useful. If you have other great software feel free to post a new thread.

I downloaded it. It's the most amazing photo management software I've seen and it downloads pics from my camera to boot.

Just downloaded it. Really works great. Easy to use. I have used Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements and this is by far the easiest to use for basic photo editing.

Also you can download Google Earth from the same sight. I've been using for some time and it's kinda interesting to look at the earth from satellite views.

I third (or fourth) Picasa. I've been using it the past year, replacing Fuji's photo program for my 3800. I didn't even install the Nikon program when I recently got my D50

I especially like the fill light feature, that really brings the color out of the shadows - pun intended

John C

I have a question about Picasa- do you guys have the problem I'm haveing in that it dates all my photos up to 2056, and makes several folders with multiple copies of images ie makes some times three folders with the same pictures in it?

John C load that disk that came with your D50, you will be glad you did.

While I've found Picasa is O.K. for some things, that program has a lot more features and at the same time is easier and more practical than Adobe.

I've got a lot of programs on my 'puter for working on pix but have enjoyed using the Picasa program over the others. I used to use the free program from Kodak and still do because it does have some features that the others don't have and each seems to have advantages and uses over others but I'm glad that I found out about Picasa in here. I've found the Adobe Photoshop harder to use but I'm no computer genius either.

Ron Olson:

Hi Ron, I really don't think tyhat you have to be a "computer genius" in order to work in Photoshop.

I found, a very long time ago, that if you are good at what you do then "that's pretty easy" for you. On the other hand, if something is difficult for you, we have a tendecy to shy away from working in that area.

For some, overcoming that problem is easy - for others, it is hard.

I know for a fact that "I don't know how to build a web site", so I tend to procrastinate on learning it. However, motivation though, WILL override that issue,

In essence, take whatever you need to do in Photoshop, look it up in the HELP area and work at just that issue. Sooner or later, you'll figure it out! OK --- that one more thing that you know how to do in that HARD application.

have a great day!




marwen1

NEED HELP Some how I cannot find a lot of photos that I lost about the time I went from Picasa 1 to Picasa 2. The photos I cannot find are ones I scanned with my Epson Perfection 2580 scanner. I have many houres total in trying to locate these photos in my computer. If I type in .jpg I found 14,273 ...but a lot of those are just symbols. Can anyone help? Thanks Capt,n

If you have any version of PHOTOSHOP after 7.0, go to FILE> BROWSE.

All of your images will be shown to you via a good sized thumbnail unless you saved any file as a PSD. If you saved a file as a PSD (PHOTOSHOP DOCUMENT), all that will show up instead of a thumbnail image is some REALLY small text

Can you download this PHOTOSHOP or is it sold on a disc? Thanks Capt,n

PHOTOSHOP is pretty pricey unless you are doing an upgrade. Then again, the price of anything is relative to ones own pocketbook.

If you are on a MAC, and someone else has it, it is possible to "drag and drop" the application - totally functional.

If you are on a PC, however, it must be installed

SUGGESTION: look for an old version of PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS I, This is 100% free of cost

check with your friends

good luck

marwen1

Rcadmin:

Thank you so much for your recommendation regarding Picaso2. I can finally find my photos in one place and acutally upload them to a browser without much difficulty, a big challange in the past. My current problem is how to downsize a picture that is to be uploaded so that the upload can accept the picture size. Seems like everything else is obvious and on the screen, but then I am the guy they wrote "Computer dummies" about.

One thing that you CAN do in Picasa is email photos in reduced sizes. Picasa will automatically resize your photos based on the parameters that you set up the first time you try to email a photo-attachment via Picasa.

However, if you want to down-size photos for uploading (not using email)...then...

Depending one what operating system you have, you can easily resize photos ( right click the photo----choose resize) using a free download from Microsoft ( for XP and earlier models). http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/d...powertoys.mspx

If you have VISTA ( which I have, darn it)..the free auto-resizer doesn't work on Vista. I had to download a free program called VSO Image resizer. It works on both XP and Vista...by right clicking on the photo. It will do batch resizing too. I've only used it for a week or so, but so far, it works great. http://www.vso-software.fr/products/image_resizer/

regards, Rich

In Picasa just select the photo, click on Export and you get to select the size you want the photo exported to (It will resize the photo during export). It will place the photo into any folder you want.

Jim, thanks, That is even better than having to use two programs. I learn something on the 'net every day! Rich

The more I hear about Vista leads me to believe it was a mistake.....My XP machine works fine.....why fix something when it isn't broken.
I manipulate my pictures with Photoshop 7.0 and sometimes with Photoshop Elements.....The learning curve is sorta steep with both of these.....but it's worth it in the long run. You can go to events and take high resolution pictures and probably turn them into 3 or 4 shots when you get home......good stuff to know how to do.

Flash

Just as a warning to all who are working with pictures. First thing you need to do is make copy of the pictures you are working with or modifying. There is nothing worse than needing a good picture for someone special only to find out that the ONLY copy you have is very very small due to resizing and overwriting the original. After you make a copy of the pictures, use ONLY the copies NOT the original. Always leave the original as they are.

I only stated this as it seemed as though some might not have been editing photos very long and nothing is worse than lost pictures.

@RCadmin, thanks for the notice about the free software. Free that works is always good

Thanks

Powertoys! Great Stuff!

I finally have what I've downloaded five picture programs for and still haven't found...batch processing of photo's to all the same size with their Image Resizer.

Total pain to do them one at a time, especially a full set of photo's from a memory card out of the camera.

I don't know if you got it or not but they have a Picasa 3 out now. I haven't played with it much yet though.

How do you download pictures to a forum ? I have windows XP

Hit the "Reply" button and look for the upload tool at the bottom of your text box. Easy to miss.

well instead of downloading this there are other sites that have image hosting. But this is a very helpful little tidbit. Thanks!!!<div>
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Thanks for the tips, really helpful. But i'm using GIMP from long time. Its best in all aspects, its free, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; ">There are tools to correct colours, enhance contrast, brightness and more; sharpen or blur an image, fix perspective problems, remove red-eye; add special lighting effects, turn a photo into an oil painting, and create an animation.</span>

It might be time to think about un-sticky'ing this thread since Picassa has been gone for over three years now...

My "Go To" image-editor for simple things is IrfanView (irfanview.com/).
It loads almost instantly and has all the basic tools.

For other stuff I can't be of much help, Adobe got me hooked on LR many years ago and I just can't seem to kick the habit...

I think Picasa is good if you are looking for free software whose function is to allow the user to view and organize pictures on their PC. PHOTOSHOP is good in use but pretty pricey unless you are doing an upgrade.