[Not for Circulation] Google Apps: An Introduction to Picasa This document provides an introduction to using Picasa, a free application provided by Google. With Picasa, users are able to add, organize, edit, and share their personal photos, utilizing 1 GB of free space. In order to use Picasa, users need to create a Google Account. Creating a Google Account To create a Google Account, 1. Go to http://www.google.com/. 2. At the top of the screen, select “Gmail”. 3. On the Gmail homepage, click on the right of the screen on the button that is labeled “Create an account”. 4. In order to create an account, you will be asked to fill out information, including choosing a Login name which will serve as your [email protected], as well as a password. After completing all the information, click “I accept. Create my account.” at the bottom of the page. 5. After you successfully fill out all required information, your account will be created. Click on the “Show me my account” button which will direct you to your Gmail homepage. Downloading Picasa To download Picasa, go http://picasa.google.com. 1. Select Download Picasa. 2. Select Save File. Information Technology Services, UIS 1 [Not for Circulation] 3. Click on the downloaded file, and select Run. 4. Follow the installation procedures to complete the installation of Picasa on your computer. When finished, you will be directed to a new screen. Click Get Started with Picasa Web Albums. Importing Pictures Photos can be uploaded into Picasa a variety of ways, all of them very simple to use. 1. Pictures from Folders in My Documents a. Picasa synchronizes itself with pictures on your computer, so organizing your photos into folders in your documents will automatically upload to Picasa. 2. Importing Pictures a. Picasa also offers you the option to directly import media through a camera, scanner, media card, or CD. i. Click Import at the top left of the screen. ii. Click the dropdown menu to view the sources available from which to import pictures. If you keep the Exclude Duplicates box checked, then only one copy of each picture will be uploaded. Information Technology Services, UIS 2 [Not for Circulation] iii. When you are finished importing and have selected the photos you wish to upload, click the Finish button. You will be able to name your folder the photos will be designated to. Organizing Pictures 1. Moving Photos a. Moving photos from one folder to another is very easy. Simply click the photo on the right screen, and drag it to the desired folder. b. To copy a picture into another folder instead of moving it from the original folder, click and hold the photo, press down the Ctrl key and drag the photo to the desired folder. Select Copy Files to confirm the copy. 2. Albums a. When Picasa syncs with the documents uploaded onto your hard drive, it creates folders, not albums. To organize your photos further within Picasa, you have the option of organizing your photos into albums. i. Click the Create a new album icon at the top left of the screen. ii. You will then enter a name for your album and a description. Select OK when finished. Information Technology Services, UIS 3 [Not for Circulation] iii. Click and drag pictures from the right screen into your new album. 3. Naming your pictures a. Picasa allows you to tag the people who appear in your photos, so you can view all the pictures a particular person is in. On the toolbar to the left, select People. Select Unnamed to view the pictures that need to be tagged Type the name of the person in the photo b. In the People tab, click the person you wish to view, and their photos will appear to the right. c. Sometimes Picasa does not recognize all the people in a photo. To add a person, Select the original photo from the folder. At the bottom right of the screen, select Add a person manually. Information Technology Services, UIS 4 [Not for Circulation] i. Click and drag to select the person’s face. Click in the text box to add their name. Editing Pictures 1. To edit a photo, double click on the selected picture, or right click and select View and Edit. 2. On the left of the screen will appear the toolbar with editing options. Preview the image to the right of the screen. a. Basic Fixes Under Basic Fixes, you are able to crop, fix red eye, use auto contrast and color, retouch images, add text, and make simple fixes. Click Undo or Redo if you change your mind about any edits you made to your photo and get back to the original i. The I’m Feeling Lucky selection will make instant changes to your photo to improve the quality and make common repairs. ii. Editing in Picnik 1. Under the Basic Fixes tab, click Edit in Picnik. Your photo will be transferred to Picnik. 2. Some features in Picnik are fee-based; however, many are free. Information Technology Services, UIS 5 [Not for Circulation] b. Tuning Tuning primarily focuses on the coloring of the picture. Change the light and shadows, or color hues. c. Effects Under the Effects tab, make changes to the picture, and preview how it will look. Cool Extras 1. Create a collage a. To create a simple collage with all the pictures in your folder, open the desired folder, then click the Create Photo Collage icon. Information Technology Services, UIS 6 [Not for Circulation] b. You have many options to edit the type of collage you choose and its specific characteristics. Under the Settings tab, select the type of collage you choose, and preview how it will look to the right. Customize the format of the page, background colors, and spacing throughout the collage. Use the dropdown arrow to choose from picture piles, mosaics, grids, or other patterns Customize characteristics of the pattern you select Click and drag pictures to switch positions c. The Picture Pile collage template allows users to edit the location and size of each scattered picture. Select the picture you wish to modify. A circle with a little target will appear. Click the target, and the movement of your mouse will change the size and angle of your picture. Right click to select forward or backward placement. d. Click Create Collage when you are satisfied with the final product. Information Technology Services, UIS 7 [Not for Circulation] After saving your collages, they will now appear on the left hand of the screen under the Projects tab. Your original pictures remain unedited. 2. Create a Movie a. To create a movie, click the Create Movie Presentation icon under the folder or album of pictures you wish to incorporate into your movie. i. Use the tools at the left of the screen to make edits to your movie, and preview how they look to the right. When finished, click Create Movie. Click the Slide tab to add text to pictures and change background colors of the slides Add audio to the video Edit the transitions and durations of the photos With a You Tube account, you are able to upload your movie directly to You Tube Information Technology Services, UIS 8 [Not for Circulation] b. Face Movie i. Face Movie is one of the newer options of Picasa, and requires that you tag your photos with specific people, as previously explained. 1. Select a person from the People tab along the left of the screen. 2. Click the Create Face Movie icon. 3. Make edits to your video using the toolbox on the left of the screen, exactly as you would creating a Movie as explained above. Preview the Face Movie to the right of the screen. When finished, select Create Movie. 3. Create a CD a. To burn a CD with your photos, select the album or folder you wish to include. b. On the top toolbar, select Create, and then Create a Gift CD… c. Along the bottom of the screen, you will see options for creating your CD. After making changes, select Burn Disc. Name the CD Add more photos 4. If Google Earth is installed on your computer, you will be able to utilize Geo-Tag, a feature that allows you to map the location of your pictures. Sharing Pictures 1. Sharing Pictures directly from Picasa a. To email photos directly from Picasa, Information Technology Services, UIS 9 [Not for Circulation] i. Click the Email icon at the bottom of the page. ii. Choose from Microsoft Outlook or Gmail. iii. Type in the addresses of the recipients and select Send. 2. Web Albums Web Albums is a place to store all photos, create projects, and share your photos with as many people as you wish. It provides each user with 1GB of free space (about 4,000 pictures). a. To sign into Web Albums, go to http://picasaweb.google.com and sign in with your Google Account information. b. Uploading Photos to Web Albums i. Uploading specific photos from Picasa 1. To upload photos to Web Albums, click the photo you wish to upload, then click the Upload icon at the bottom of the screen. 2. If not already logged into Web Albums, you will be prompted to sign in with your Google Account information. 3. Change the settings for others to view your album. When finished, click Upload. Choose who to share Select Privacy settings your photos with from your Google Account Your account holds 1GB of photos Information Technology Services, UIS 10 [Not for Circulation] 4.