Picasa and Picasa Web Albums Help

What's new in Picasa and Picasa Web Albums:

• Picasa 3.5 -- Add name tags. Organize by people.
  Picasa now has built-in face-matching technology so you can easily add name tags to the people in your photos. Plus, you can now geotag photos using Google Maps, import photos to Picasa and upload them to Picasa Web Albums in one step, and tag your photos more easily. Learn more about the new features and download Picasa 3.5 for PC or Mac at http://picasa.google.com

  

  
  

What's been keeping us busy...

• Upload to Collaborative albums.
  Every album in Picasa Web Albums is now potentially collaborative. Make an album collaborative by adding contributors in Picasa (version 3.6 and beyond) or Picasa Web Albums. Your friends and family can then add their photos directly to your album.

  

  
  
• Picasa Web Albums metrics: View counts & 'Like'.
  We're excited to introduce two ways to gauge the reach and quality of your photos. 'Views' allow you to see how many people have seen your photo. 'Like' lets you give other people feedback on their photos when you can't think of anything clever to leave as a comment. Both are available below each individual photo and are visible to anyone that can see the photo. Learn more about Views and I like this.
  

  

  
  
• Follow your friends' photos with 'Suggested Favorites'.
  Use Suggested Favorites to find friends and family that have a Google Account for Picasa Web Albums. By adding them as a Favorite, you'll receive updates whenever they upload new public content. Learn more.

  

  
  
• Control your Fans with 'Block User'.
  While Suggested Favorites makes it easier to find people you know in Picasa Web Albums, we're also introducing more control over your Fans. Use the new 'Block User' feature to ensure that your public albums aren't marred due to unwanted activity from a specific user. Learn more.

  

  
  
• Find what you're looking for with Advanced Search.
  Use advanced search to narrow your Picasa Web Albums search results. Search by aspect ratio, image size, format (photo or video), or Creative Commons license type. Learn more.

  

  
  
• Picasa Web Albums just got faster.
  Browsing photos in Picasa Web Albums is now much snappier. You can still view your photos in all their full-screen slideshow glory -- only now there's no more waiting as you browse from one image to another. Learn more.

  

  
  
• View the Fans of your photos.
  Take a look at the Fans page to see all of the people that have added you as a Favorite. Your Fans will only be notified when you add new public content. Return the favor to get updates when they add public photos. Learn more.

  

  
  
• Comments are now conversations.
  When a friend comments on your photos in Picasa Web Albums, you'll be notified instantly by email. And when you reply, your friends will receive a notification if they subscribed to the thread. Learn more.

  

  
  
• A redesigned Settings page.
  We cleaned up the Picasa Web Albums Settings page, offering you an easier-to-navigate version of the original. Want to know how much storage you're using? Click the Storage tab to see.

  

  
  
• Upload larger videos to Picasa Web Albums and play them back at higher quality.
  We raised the video upload limit from Picasa to Picasa Web Albums to one GB for both PC and Mac users. Plus, videos larger than 320 pixels will now play back in higher-quality MPEG4 format.

  

  
  
• Picasa for Mac (beta) arrives in Google Labs.
  Now there's a faster, easier way to share photos from your Mac. With powerful tools like automatic web sync, photo retouching, and creative collages, Picasa for Mac puts you in control of your photo collection, both on your computer and on the web.

  

  
  
• Improved Sharing.
  Friends and family can now easily see all the albums you've shared with them when they visit your Picasa Web Albums gallery. Plus, the new "Sign-in required to view" album visibility setting gives you much more precise control over who can see your photos. Learn more.

  

  
  
• Automatic comment translations.
  If your photo is getting kudos from around the globe, we'll automatically translate comments in foreign languages to your default language.

  

  
  
• Focus on People.
  Our new technology allows you quickly and easily add name tags to your photos to help you automatically organize your photo collection according to the people in each picture.
  See name tags in action >>.

  

  
  
• Search, discover and have fun.
  The new Explore Page can help you discover popular, interesting and recent public content from millions of users across the globe.

  

  
  
• Experience the future of Picasa software.
  Picasa 3 has more powerful features, including a retouching tool and new Sync functionality, to make uploading and sharing photos faster and easier. You can also create custom collages, improve your slideshows, and turn your photos into movies with YouTube integration.

  

  
  
• Email upload.
  You can now forward photos to your online albums using email. Perfect for use on your mobile device, you can even collaborate with friends by submitting photos to one album with the same email address. Learn more.

  

  
  
• Control how your images are used with Creative Commons.
  With the new Creative Commons licensing feature on Picasa Web Albums, you can choose a CC license for your images that enables you to share your work while retaining control over its use.

  

  
  
• Hear from the Picasa Web Albums team.
  Learn tips and tricks directly from the people behind the product with our Picasa Web Albums blog. You can even add the RSS feed to your iGoogle homepage or Google Reader.

  

  
  
• Map your photos.
  See your photos arranged on a map and show friends exactly where you took your best pictures. Simply type a location into the "Place Taken" field when creating a new album, or refine a photo's placement using a drag-and-drop map. It's a great way to share photos from a summer vacation or road trip. For a quick peek at what results look like, check out our demo album.

  

  
  
• Picasa Web Albums for mobile devices.
  Take your favorite pictures with you everywhere. You can now use your mobile phone to see any picture you've posted to Picasa Web Albums. You can even post comments on your friends' latest photos.