#Picasa for mac computers for free
#Picasa for mac computers for mac os x
#Picasa for mac computers for mac
#Picasa for mac computers movie
#Picasa for mac computers install

#Picasa for mac computers for mac

Besides missing some of the handy integration with Mac OS X (such as iPhoto's sidebar integration in File Open dialogs and the system-wide Media Browser), Picasa 3 for Mac is a great new option for photo and video organization on the Mac that is truly an alternative to Apple's approach.

#Picasa for mac computers for mac os x

That said, Google's feared legendary approach to UI may be a bit jarring for Mac OS X usability purists, but it isn't difficult to get used to. The application is stable and never crashed, responsiveness is right up there with (or better than) iPhoto, and the familiar UI from Windows has been faithfully recreated.

We spent some time with Picasa 3 on the Mac and are so far impressed.

#Picasa for mac computers install

Windows users can opt to install a Picasa plug-in for viewing images from anywhere in the file system, but Cook said that Leopard's Quick Look feature negated the need for this on the Mac. Cook assured us that those features will eventually appear, and while Google won't promise to keep Picasa for Mac in perfect parity with its Windows and Linux brethren, Mac users can look forward to strong support and steady releases in the future.Īnother key feature for Windows users didn't make it to the Mac due to Leopard already being on the ball: a system-wide image viewer. A few stragglers, however, didn't make it into this initial beta, including webcam capture, geotagging, and ordering prints. We asked Jason Cook about Picasa's journey to the Mac, and he professed that nearly every feature made it over from Windows. Any photos added, deleted, and metadata changes in an album with this feature turned on are automatically synchronized with its web alter ego, much like MobileMe's Gallery feature and integration with iPhoto. An appreciated sharing feature is the ability to automatically sync an album with Picasa Web Albums.

Items can be e-mailed using a Gmail account from within Picasa (as well as the system default mail app, like Apple's Mail or Entourage), videos can be uploaded to YouTube, and both photos and videos can be uploaded to Picasa Web Albums, Google's free, feature-full sharing service. One of Picasa's most interesting features is its strong integration with Google services. If you aren't sure about making the leap, be sure not to make any changes in Picasa, because iPhoto won't pick them up. Any changes made in iPhoto will be quickly picked up by Picasa, but iPhoto switchers beware: it doesn't work the other way around.

#Picasa for mac computers movie

A basic movie editor allows for compatible files to be chopped and spliced together, complete with simple transitions and still photos for interstitial slides.Īn appreciated coat of polish for Mac users is that Picasa 3 displays a separate 'iPhoto Library' section in its sidebar, and the default iPhoto Library file (in your user's Home/pictures/folder) is already added to Picasa's watch list. Near the top of Mac users' wishlists (especially those fed up with iPhoto and even its $200 cousin, Aperture) is Picasa's ability to watch specified folders for new images.

Picasa brings a lot of interestingness to the table, however, and includes the 'same core features' that made its Windows counterpart so popular. For those familiar with the latest Windows version that we took for a test drive in September, Cook assured Ars that the Mac version 'works very much like Picasa 3 on the PC.' Picasa features many of the basics of photo and video organization, including albums, tags, the ability to create collages and slideshows, editing and touchup tools, and selective importing from many devices, even including an iPhone.

#Picasa for mac computers for free

Ars Technica spoke with Jason Cook, Product Marketing Manager for Picasa, about the release and just how closely it resembles its Windows counterpart, and took the new software for a spin.Īvailable for free from Google's Picasa product page, Picasa 3 for Mac is a beta (naturally) that brings Google's unique approach to both photo organization and photo application UI to the Mac (as long as you're on an Intel machine running at least Mac OS X 10.4-sorry PowerPC users). Right on schedule, today Google announced Picasa 3 for Mac, the first version of the company's rich photo and video organizing software that runs on Mac OS X. After years of desperate pleas, rumors, and a basic uploader plug-in, iPhoto finally has a formidable competitor.