Google Photos

Author: Kalicia Bateman

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The Good

• Organizational tools
• Great features
• Free account

Picasa is a great software to edit and organize photos. Although the formatting of software looks outdated, it has simple, convenient, and reliable organizational tools. Not only will your pictures be organized on your home computer, but also you can access them online when you sync Picasa with your Google accounts. You can store up to 15 GB of photos online when you sync Picasa with your Google+. Some features are:

• Bulk file import
• Picture search
• Facial recognition
• Slideshow mode
• Free online storage
• Automatic upload
• Geotagging
• Syncs with Google+
• Basic photo editing
• Album sharing

Picasa is free and their automatic photo synchronization makes it an easy set up. Not only will Picasa automatically sync with your current picture-storing program, but also it allows for quick bulk file uploads. Once your pictures are synced, they can be organized in files by date and also tagged with important information such as location, names, and informative tag lines. Organizing photos by taglines, names, and location will revolutionize the way you find your photos. Once tagged, you can simply type in search words like "New Years", "San Francisco", or "John Smith" to quickly find the photo you are looking for. Now you don't have to open and close a bunch of folders to find the right picture, you simply type what you need in the search bar. Lastly, the 15 GB of free space on Web Picasa not only serves as a secure backup for your photos, but it also allows you to easily share pictures on Google+ or send your friends private links to view a photo album.

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The Bad

• Many ads
• Additional storage is expensive

Although Picasa is pretty good for free image software, there are a few things to keep in mind when using Picasa. Picasa is freeware so most of their money is made from advertisements. The biggest problem with Google advertisements is syndicated services. This means third-party companies can view your pictures on Web Picasa in order to personalize your advertisements. Here are some things to be aware of:

• Advertisements without upgrade
• Additional storage space is costly
• Syndicated services for advertisements
• Promoted usage of Google+ instead of Web Picasa
• Limited photo editing software

Essentially, Picasa is great for organization. However, the photo storage on Google+ would be put to better use if Picasa offered updated photo editing software. Since current trends like filters and advanced editing software are not offered with Picasa, people will turn to other photo editing sites to improve their photos before they sync them with a social network like Google+.

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The Bottom Line

We would recommend Picasa as great storage and organizational tool. With geotagging, facial recognition, and personalized tags on photos, Picasa can help you create a very efficient photo storage system. Not only can you organize efficiently with Picasa, but also you can backup your picture storage online. However, if you are simply looking for a photo editing option, Picasa is probably not the right software for you.