Picasa from Google

[Luk]

I highly recommend using this free software to organize, enhance and re-size yor photos.

http://picasa.google.com/

 

[Weird Harold]

I highly recommend using this free software to organize, enhance and re-size yor photos.

http://picasa.google.com/

A matter of taste I suppose, but I think I'll stick with IrfanView because it's more compact (eg doesn't need a warning that: Note: keeping two copies of Picasa on your computer may take up more disk space than you desire. For information on how to uninstall the older version of Picasa from your computer, click here.

One problem I've always had with programs like Picasa, Adobe Photoshop, and the like is that they are RAM hogs and can't edit images that push the limits of available memory. Another is that the graphic tool bars and tabs take up way too much screen space.

Of course, for a lot of things that people want to do to their pictures, Irfanview isn't enough, but for simple, routine organizing and resizing tasks, it's fast, accurate, and versatile.

 

[SweetErika]

I installed Picasa once. It seemed like a great idea until it "took over" all of by renaming and making copies of images and putting its icons everywhere.

I don't know if it still does any or all of those things, but I'm happy enough with GIMP (which is like a FREE version of Photoshop) and the tools available online, anyway.

 

[Weird Harold]

I installed Picasa once. It seemed like a great idea until it "took over" all of by renaming and making copies of images and putting its icons everywhere.

I don't know if it still does any or all of those things, but I'm happy enough with GIMP (which is like a FREE version of Photoshop) and the tools available online, anyway.

Picasa is far from unique in grabbing all of the image file associations and "renaming" them as "PaintShop Pro 6 Image" or "Picasa Image."

At least Paintshop Pro 6 (and irfanview) "asked" which image file types I wanted associated with it.

I try to avoid using MGI PHotosuite as much as possible because it grabs most image file associations every time it is opened -- in the certain asurance of the programmers that nobody could possible wish to use another program for image handling.

From your description, it sounds as if Picasa's programmers made the same arrogant asumption that a) the user is too stupid to decide what program(s) to use for which image types and B) their (usually flawed and/or substandard) program is the the "best possible."

It's sort of the same mindset that leads to home page hijacking and other malware.

NOTE: Google also felt it necessary to put a disclaimer on the download page:

The download itself contains only the Picasa 2 software. Picasa will not uninstall other programs or add any non-Picasa programs or files to your computer.

(Because of course, Google has never deserved it's reputation for data mining and installing spyware. )

Picasa is a good program for the price, but "you get what you pay for" and TANSTAAFL are always at the forefront of my mind when big corporations offer me something "free."

 

[Primalex]

I think it's a matter of what problem you want to solve.

If you want to view files - IrfanView.
If you want to organize files - Picasa.
If you want to modify files - Gimp.

Yes, every program can do everything. But they have their priorities.

 

[Weird Harold]

If you want to view files - IrfanView.

You forgot the most important feature of any image manger/editor as far as Literotica is concerned -- resizing/resampling/format conversion; aka avatar making.

Making an avatar doesn't get much easier than:

<Ctrl-R>, 1,5,0,<enter>,<Ctrl-S>

And Irfanview is a small enough program that it loads almost immediately even on my ancient win98 System.

 

[Luk]

Interesting replies. I'm not having any of the issues reported.

<Ctrl-R>, 1,5,0,<enter>,<Ctrl-S>

That's the problem with this site... Too small avatar limit!

 

[Luk]

Oh, and I find Paint.net way more cool than Gimp.

http://www.getpaint.net/

 

[Weird Harold]

<Ctrl-R>, 1,5,0,<enter>,<Ctrl-S>

That's the problem with this site... Too small avatar limit!

150x150 is actual a very big avatar limit for online forums -- the vBulletin default size is 80x80 pixels or about 1/4 the size Lit allows. Most "free avatar" sites have 100x100 pixel avatars.

Lit is the only site I frequent that allows Avatar this big and that means that resizing is the only way to get avatars that takes advantage of the extra size allowance.

I'm not having any of the issues reported.

Not having or just not noticing?

The issues I have with most image editors, including Picasa, aren't something that is really noticeable if you've got a "new" system with GB+ processer speeds, GB+ levels of RAM, and a single 100GB+ hard disk.

But I prefer an image editor that takes up less RAM than the image it's editing -- irfanview's entire download is 7MB or so and a modest new digital camera defaults to 5 "Megapixels." or about 15 MB in "24 bit True Color" mode when uncompressed into memory.

 

[Luk]

Several VB sites I frequent allow up to 300x300 av's. But this is a very heavy graphic site with lots of uploads, so the av limit is understandable.

The issues I have with most image editors, including Picasa, aren't something that is really noticeable if you've got a "new" system with GB+ processer speeds, GB+ levels of RAM, and a single 100GB+ hard disk.

LOL, you would laugh at how sad my system is compared to that.

I run Corel Draw/Paint X4 as well as the full Microsoft Office and the programs I listed with fairly decent speed

 

[Weird Harold]

LOL, you would laugh at how sad my system is compared to that.

No, I wouldn't LOL, but I might match my Pentium II 250MHz system against your for saddest system on Lit though.

The point isn't so much that your system or mine won't run Picasa but that they felt the need to make that warning about keeping two copies being awaste of disk space in an era when the typical new system has a 250GB drive.

If you load Irfanview on a totally empty 10GB drive and check the drive usage statistics, they'll say there's 100% of the disk free. Just how bloated is Picaso that two copies even make a noticeable change in the drive usage statistics on a typical "new" harddrive? (I don't think I've even seen an advertisement for anything smaller than 60GB drives in the last five years.)