This is one of those freebies you just don't want to pass up. Late in the spring of 2004, Google purchased the software program Picasa from the original developers. This ultra slick looking program was selling for around 30 dollars at the time, but Google has decided to give it away now. Why? Who knows, but it does incorporate Gmail and some online photo development offers.
Now, you can't compare this product with Photoshop or even Elements, but it probably blows the image editing program that came with your digital camera out of the water! This thing can knock out that pesky red eye with a few clicks, something that until version 4 of Photoshop Elements, was a tedious process to say the least. Another thing is, if you have a crooked picture or the exposure is off, no problemo! This software can very easily correct these common mistakes. All the most appreciated tools are there and they are so easy to find and use with the interface. There are also some other not so common features such as a simple to use blog publishing routine.
Being a Google fan, I had to chuckle when I saw the "I feel lucky button", so I clicked it with an open image and found out it is similar to a "quick fix" option in other editing programs, it does a good job too! Another feature that's really nice, is the ability to create a slide show and then save it to a "Gift CD" to share with friends and family. For us CD Freaks, we can also appreciate the built-in CD and DVD photo archiving feature as well! Check out in the screen shot below, how it keeps track of the photos you have yet to archive. This is a great feature and puts that computer to work to ensure you do not lose any memorable shots due to hard disc failure.
The program is not perfect as on my machine it does some odd things in the system tray, by creating a plethora of "OGG DirectShow filter" icons that magically disappear when you hover a mouse over them, but other than that, this software has not shown any other bugs. The quirk is not a bad one and I am in desperate need of a re-install anyway, so maybe it's just my box. I highly recommend this software, you will be pleasantly surprised by it's great balance of simplicity and power. Especially if you are dissatisfied with the software you have. Why not head over to the Picasa page and have a look? It's free!
Source: Picasa
