Picasa for Mac OS X is a free software from Google that is intended to manage, import, and edit photos and images and to create collages and photo slideshows. You can also directly on Picasa web albums upload photos and share. The software integrated into Mac OS is iPhoto, but Picasa is much easier to use and offers the same scope of services.

Picasa searches your PC for photos and videos, sort the folder by date, file name, or size, and then shows the images in Thumbnails view in the main window. Supported file formats are JPG, PNG, PSD and TIF and MPG, AVI and WMV. It is also possible to import photos directly from your digital camera.

Picasa provides basic functions for manipulating images. It reduces as the red eye, corrects colour and contrast or adds text to the picture. It also comes with some visual effects, like sharpening contours. Another handy feature is an editing function, which at one time renaming multiple photos. With the freeware, creating films, collages, posters, screensavers or slideshows including title music is also no problem.

Picasa is particularly suitable for uploading or publishing and sharing pictures. Who an account on Picasa Webalbenbesitzt, can his pictures with a few clicks there publish. Also Picasa photos as email sent, creates a personal photo blog, print the photos or burn it to a CD. Still, there is the possibility of order photo prints from external providers.

In the current version, Google has introduced a facial recognition function that same person grouped images and tags with name or email address on request. Also new is the ability, photos with so-called Geotags link, which highlights the source of the photos on Google Maps. Also, the import function is enhanced in version 3.6 and community management of albums is possible. So, you can add photos to online albums from friends.

With Picasa 3.9 you can now publish images directly in Circles on Google +. Members see the photos in their stream, as Google maintains. Those not using the social network can also have access to the pictures via an invitation email.

Also new is the ability to tag uploaded photos on Google + with tags to the name of the depicted person. According to own Google made a total “social” placing name tags in his social network. Unlike as in Facebook Google + must-users but agree that their photos with such remarks must be fitted.

Conclusion
The free software Picasa is an easy to use program that combines functions for management, editing and online presentation of photos in a single interface.