Managing Images and Folders

Unless you have established a uniform way of naming and organizing your images, you usually notice discrepancies in naming files and folders after bringing them together in the Picasa2 Library. Fortunately, Picasa2 offers a number of ways to organize your Library contents.

Specifying a Library view

Before you start rearranging the contents of your image collections, choose the Library view that is the most convenient, depending on whether you are adjusting individual images, or images and folders. Configure the view from the Library panel, or by choosing View Folder View and choosing a command.

From the Library panel, choose from these different types of views:

• Flat folders: The default arrangement for the Library lists the folders by name according to the year the pictures are taken; selecting a folder name in the Folders list shows the thumbnails in the Thumbnail view area of the dialog (refer to Figure 21.2).

• Folder tree: The folder tree structure condenses the content into larger groupings, which is convenient when you have a lot of images stored in a large number of folders.

• View options: Click View Options to open a menu; select a sorting method for the Library. The default selection is Sort by Creation Date. Alternatively, choose from Sort by Recent Changes, Sort by Size, or Sort by Name.

To use the Folder Tree Structure view, follow these steps:

1. Click Set view to show folder tree structure at the top of the Library panel to reorder the contents of the Library (see Figure 21.6). The folders are reordered according to the highest-level folders, such as My Pictures and My Computer.

   
   Figure 21.6: Locate the folder based on its location on your computer’s hard drive.

2. To open subfolders, click the small arrows to the left of a folder name. You see the folders arranged in a nested hierarchy; all high-level folders show a folder icon, with a thumbnail showing nested contents.

3. Click the name of the folder you want to work with to display its images in the Lightbox. The folder’s name is highlighted in the Library, and a button showing an up arrow appears.

4. Click the up-arrow button to collapse the Folders list. The selected folder is listed outside the collapsed hierarchy of folders (see Figure 21.7).

Figure 21.7: You can collapse the contents of the Library’s listings.

Revising image filenames

The Picasa2 interface contains several features to readily organize the contents of your folders and files. For image files, you can:

• Rename individual images

• Rename a batch of images at one time

Renaming individual image files

To rename an individual image, follow these steps:

1. In the Lightbox, select the image thumbnail.

2. Choose File Rename to open the Rename Files dialog box.

   You can also press F2 to open the dialog box.

3. Type a name for the file in the text field on the dialog box. Include the date and image resolution in the file name by selecting the appropriate checkboxes shown in Figure 21.8.

   
   Figure 21.8: The file’s name can include date and image resolution information.

4. Click Rename to close the dialog box and change the file’s name.

Renaming a batch of images

Instead of changing image names one by one, save some time and rename the files as a batch by following these steps:

1. Select the folder containing the images to rename. You can also select thumbnails if you want to change only some of the images in a folder. Shift-click to select contiguous files; Ctrl-click to select noncontiguous files.

2. Choose Picture Batch Edit Rename to open the Rename Files dialog box (refer to Figure 21.8). Type a name, and choose options to include the date and image resolution if desired.

3. Click Rename to close the dialog box and rename the files.

Note 

If you type a batch name, such as winter, without including date or resolution information in the name, a number suffix is included automatically to give each image a unique name, such as winter-1, winter-2, and so on.

The filename and resolution choices can be used in the Lightbox as a thumbnail caption as well as in the image’s name. Choose View Thumbnail Caption and select an option. The default choice is None; you can also choose Filename, Caption, or Resolution. Examples of these options are shown left to right in Figure 21.9.

Figure 21.9: Identify an image in the Lightbox using a thumbnail caption. From left to right, choose from Filename, Caption, or Resolution.

Organizing folders

Each folder contains basic information that includes its name and a date, either the date when the images within the folder were captured, or a date assigned when the folder is created. To change the folder information, double-click the folder’s name in the Library panel, or choose Folder Edit Description to open the Folder Properties dialog box, as shown in Figure 21.10. Type the changes you want to make, and click OK to close the dialog box.

Figure 21.10: You can include descriptions and location information for folders in the dialog box.

Changes made to a folder’s information are shown in the Lightbox below the folder’s name. As you can see in Figure 21.11, the information entered for the Description is shown in the Lightbox as well.

Figure 21.11: Folder information is shown in the Lightbox above the image thumbnails.

Tip 

Save a few mouse clicks when adding a description. Instead of opening the Folder Properties dialog box, click Add a description below the folder’s label in the Lightbox. The label is replaced by a blinking I-beam cursor. Type the description and press Enter or click off the area to finish.

All the folders listed in Picasa2 are included as folders on your hard drive, with the exception of Albums. You can rename, move, combine, or delete folders from the Library panel, just as you do on your hard drive. And, like the method used on your hard drive, you can easily move files from one folder to another.

Moving a file

Click the thumbnail or thumbnails in the Lightbox and drag to the receiving folder. Release the mouse. Click Yes in the Confirm Move dialog box. The dialog box closes and the file is moved.

Deleting a file

Click the thumbnail or thumbnails in the Lightbox and press Delete or choose Delete from Disk from the File or shortcut menus. Click Yes in the Confirm Delete dialog box when it asks if you want to delete the file. The dialog box closes and the file is deleted.

Deleting a folder from the hard drive

Locate and select the folder in the Library and press Delete, or choose Delete from the File or shortcut menus. Click Yes in the Confirm Delete dialog box when it asks if you want to delete the file. The dialog box closes and the file is deleted. In some circumstances, an Info dialog appears that states the images can be removed but the folder can’t be deleted because it contains files other than the images.

Don’t worry if you delete a folder from the hard drive when you intended to delete the folder from Picasa2 instead. Files aren’t permanently deleted from your system using Picasa2 commands-you’ll find the folders and images in your Recycle Bin.

Deleting a folder

Choose Folder Remove from Picasa. In the Confirm dialog box that appears, click Yes to confirm the folder’s removal from the program’s database.

Creating a new folder

Display the thumbnails for the images you want to separate from an existing folder. Select the file(s) in the Lightbox and choose Move to New Folder from the shortcut menu, or choose File Move to New Folder to open the Folder Properties dialog box. Name the folder, and click OK. The dialog box closes, and the files are moved into their new folder.

Splitting a folder

Splitting a folder works similarly to creating a new folder. Right-click the thumbnail in the Lightbox that identifies where you want the list of files split and choose Split Folder Here to open the Folder Properties dialog box. Name the folder, and click OK to move the files into the new folder.

Hiding folders

You can add folders to the Hidden Folders collection in the Library. A password used to hide the contents from view within Picasa2 has no bearing on the files on your hard drive. A password can be added any time you add a folder to the Hidden Folders collection and applies to the entire collection, not just the folder in which you specified the password.

You can password-protect and hide content of selected folders. Follow these steps:

1. Right-click the folder’s name in the Library panel. Choose Hide Folder to open the Add Password dialog.

2. Click Yes to continue with the password process. Open the Password Entry dialog box.

   If you don’t want to use a password, click No to close the Add Password dialog box and add the folder to the Hidden Folders collection.

3. Type a password in the field shown on Figure 21.12. Click OK.

   
   Figure 21.12: Specify a password to use for hiding folder content.

   The dialog box is renamed Password Verify. Retype the password and click OK again. The folder is moved to the Hidden Folders collection listed in the Library. The listing shows a red arrow to the left of the label, rather than the green arrow used with other collection listings.

Viewing a hidden folder

When you want to view the contents of a hidden folder, click the Hidden Folders label in the Library to open the Password Entry dialog box. Type the password and click OK. After you finish working with the files, be sure to collapse the collection’s label again. Otherwise, when you close and reopen the program, the Hidden Folders are listed for display.

Viewing a folder on your hard drive

Select a folder in the Library panel and choose File Locate on Disk, Folder Locate on Disk, press Ctrl+Enter, or simply double-click the folder’s name in the Lightbox. If you want to see where the folder is located, hover the mouse over the folder’s icon in the Lightbox to display the folder path in a tooltip, as shown in Figure 21.13.

Figure 21.13: A folder’s storage location can be shown in a tooltip.

Using albums

An album is a named grouping you create with Picasa2 that exists only within the program. The contents of the albums can be located in any number of folders on your hard drive. You can create an album to use as a storage folder when you are assembling images for a project like a collage, or want to make a slideshow, or upload them to a Web Album.

Picasa2 includes the Screensaver and Starred Photos albums that can’t be renamed or deleted. When you tag an image with a star it is included automatically in the Starred Photos album. The files copied to the Screensaver album are used for a system screensaver.

Exporting Albums or Folders from Picasa2

Picasa2 offers several ways to use the contents of your folders or Albums. The commands are the same, but the menu heading changes depending on whether you select an Album or a folder in the Library. Select an album and then choose Album from the main menu, or select a folder and then choose Folder from the main menu and select one of these commands:

• Print Contact Sheet to open the Print Screen. Read about choosing settings and printing images in the section “Printing photos.”

• Export as HTML Page to open the Export as HTML Page dialog box. Read about creating a Web page in the section “Creating a Web page.”

• Send to Hello to open the Hello:Signup and Download home page. Hello is a separate image-sharing and chat program that requires you to create an account and download the program. Follow the online instructions.

• Create a Gift CD to open the Create a Gift CD dialog box. Read how to configure the settings and produce the CD in the section “Using a slideshow as a gift CD.”

Click Create a new album on the Library panel to open the Album Properties dialog box, identical to the Folder Properties dialog box shown in Figure 21.10. Name the album and add other information as desired, and click OK to close the dialog box and add the album to the Library.

Select a thumbnail in the Lightbox and drag it to the album to which you want to add it. A new instance, or copy, of the image is created when you add it to an album. You can save one photo in multiple albums without having to save multiple copies of the file itself. In the Library panel shown in Figure 21.14, for example, the new album contains the same four images as the Starred Photos default album. The images are also located in their source folders.

Figure 21.14: The same images can be used in multiple albums.

Maintaining the Library files

When you initially set up Picasa2 on your computer, you select the folders that contain image files to include in the Library. Over time, you are sure to add more images to your computer that should be included in the Library. Fortunately, Picasa2 includes a Folder Manager used for locating and adding files.

To add content to the image database, follow these steps:

1. Choose Tools Folder Manager to open the dialog box shown in Figure 21.15.

   
   Figure 21.15: Select options to define how and when images are imported into the program.

2. Locate and select the folder in the Folder List.

3. Select an option for the selected folder:

   • Select Scan Once to check the content of the folder and import any image or video files into the Library as a single task

   • Select Remove from Picasa to remove a selected folder from the folder list; the folder’s icon changes to the X icon

   • Select Scan Always to include the selected folder as one of the Watched Folders. A Watched Folder is checked for new images each time the program is opened, and is a convenient way to automatically add content to the Library.

Archiving Images

If your images are critical to a workflow or project, be sure to back them up. Follow these steps to use the backup system offered in Picasa2:

• Choose Tools Backup Pictures to open the Backup your photos screen.

• In Step 1 of the backup process, create a set of records. Use the default My Backup Set or select an existing backup you have used previously. The Backup Set records where the file copies are stored, as well as which files are already stored.

• In Step 2 of the backup process, select the files you want to back up. Picasa2 lists the folders and images that aren’t backed up. Save time and click Select All to select all the files you haven’t preserved.

• Click Burn to burn the backup record to a CD or DVD following your CD or DVD device procedures.

4. Click OK to close the Folder Manager dialog box. Any folders marked as Scan Once are checked and new files are imported into the Library.

Tip 

If you have different storage folders for cameras and scanners, including those folders in the Watched Folders list makes it easy to keep the Library up to date.