User manual GOOGLE PICASA 2

[. . . ] User Guide Picasa is free photo management software from Google that helps you find, edit and share your pictures in seconds. We recommend that you print out this brief overview of Picasa's main features and consult it as you use the program for the first time to learn about new features quickly. Picasa helps you find and organize all your pictures. Once you start Picasa, it scans your hard drive to find and automatically organize all your pictures. Picasa finds the following image and movie file types: · Image file types: JPG, GIF, TIF, PSD, PNG, BMP, RAW (including NEF and CRW). GIF and PNG files are not scanned by default, but you can enable them in the options dialog. [. . . ] (Note: by default, a copy of Picasa software will be included on the CD. ) Click the "Burn Disc" button to create your CD. Backup CD Insert a blank CD into the writeable drive on your computer, select pictures you want to save, and click the "Backup" button. You can choose what folders will be backed up to a recordable CD or DVD (the kind you use on your computer, not your TV). You can create multiple backup sets, which makes it easy to keep all your pictures safe. Search If you type any text into the search box at the top right corner of the main Picasa library screen, Picasa will search your picture files' EXIF/camera data, keywords, labels, and any additional properties or captions you've entered inside the program. · Starred button Use this button to find only pictures that you've tagged with a star rating. · Movies button Use this to find only movie file types in your library. · Date slider Move this slider left and right to quickly reduce the number of search results based on the date of the picture. Editing pictures with Picasa: With Picasa's advanced picture editing, you can use basic one-click fixes to improve almost any picture, adjust color and lighting, and add any of twelve effects. A few general editing tips: · Double-click on a thumbnail in the lightbox to open the "Edit Picture" screen. To the right of the picture are three tabs ­ "Basic Fixes, " "Tuning, " and "Effects. " · While on the "Edit Picture" screen, use the thumbnail arrows on either side of the filmstrip at the top of the picture to navigate through the rest of the pictures in that album. · To reverse any edits you made, click the "Undo" button at any step along the way. · Any edits you make to a picture are only inside Picasa; edits do NOT affect the original file on your computer's hard drive. To see edited pictures in other programs outside of Picasa, you'll need to export the picture using the "Picture Tray" and its controls. · For more information about the edit screens, refer to the Picasa Help menu in the software. Picasa 2 User Guide 05 of 11 Basic Fixes Tab: Crop Use the "Crop" button to cut out parts of a picture that you don't want to see. In the "Crop Picture" view, you can select a pre-determined picture size (for instance, 4x6) or manually select the part of the picture you'd like to keep. To crop a picture, drag and drop the bounding box directly over the picture. Click on and drag the corners of the box to change the cropped selection while maintaining the same proportions. Shadows slider Use the "Shadows" slider to add more shadows to your photo. Hint: you can use the one-click button to the right of the "Fill Light, " "Highlights, " and "Shadows' sliders to make fixes to your picture's lighting without using the sliders. Color Temperature Use the "Color Temperature" slider to make your picture warmer (to the right) or cooler (to the left). Neutral Color Picker Use the "Pick Color" dropper to tell Picasa which part of your picture it should consider as gray or white. Picasa will color balance the colors surrounding that selection according to the selected color. Effects tab: The "Effects" tab contains twelve effects that you can apply to any still image. [. . . ] All you'll need to register for a new account is an existing email address and a password that you create (note: your Hello account is the same as your Picasa Picasa 2 User Guide 09 of 11 Mail account). Any photos you receive from friends using Hello will appear in your From Hello collection inside Picasa, sorted by Hello username. You can publish pictures to the web for free using Picasa and a blog that you create on Blogger. com. Simply select pictures (they'll appear in the "Picture Tray") and click the "Blogger" button. [. . . ]