Searching for Files

You can scroll through the Lightbox to locate images that are included in the Library if you don’t have too many images. On the other hand, looking for specific images among thousands of image files is tiresome and time consuming. Fortunately, you can use different types of search methods to quickly locate images in the Library.

Using the search features

You can use the Search function in a number of different ways to locate images in the Library. Choose View Search Options to open the Search Options, or click the arrow to the right of the Search field at the top right of the program window shown in Figure 21.24.

Figure 21.24: Locate images in the library using the Search Options.

Follow these steps to search the contents of your Library based on specific criteria:

1. Click one of the buttons on the Search Options to filter the contents of your Library:

   • Click Starred to display only the images to which you have applied a Star.

   • Click Movies to list only the movie files included in the Library.

   • Click Uploaded to list only the files that have been uploaded to a Web Album.

2. To narrow the results further, filter the initial results based on a date range. Drag the Date Range slider left to include older content, and right to include newer content.

3. When you finish searching, click Exit Search to close the dialog box, or click Show/Hide Search Options to toggle the dialog box closed.

   If you intend to search further, click the button selected in Step 1 to deselect it, and continue with your search.

To search for images based on keywords, follow these steps:

1. Click the Search field to activate it. Type a keyword or keywords. As you type, Picasa2 completes the words using text that has been typed previously, and displays the results as you add letters.

   In the example, the term tropical is added first, narrowing the displayed results to include the group of images shown in Figure 21.19. When the term ship is typed, the results are narrowed to the images shown in Figure 21.25.

   
   Figure 21.25: Type keywords to narrow the search for specific images.

2. Add or remove keywords as necessary to locate the images for which you are searching.

3. To start a new search, click the X icon that displays at the right of the text entry field as soon as you start typing a search term.

   The contents of the search field are cleared, and you can start a new search.

4. When you finish searching, click Exit Search to close the dialog box, or click Show/Hide Search Options to toggle the dialog box closed.

Scanning visually using the Timeline

Rather than looking through folders and thumbnails in the Library and Lightbox, you can find images using the Timeline. If you can remember roughly when an image was taken, and know you took some images of a specific subject or in a specific location, you may be able to pinpoint the folder quickly in the Timeline window.

Follow these steps to look through your Library in the Timeline screen:

1. Click the Timeline task button to open the Timeline screen, as shown in Figure 21.26.

   
   Figure 21.26: Use the Timeline to locate images and folders visually.

   You can also choose View Timeline, or press Ctrl+K.

Drag thumbnails to locate a folder.

2. Click one of the columns on the Timeline shown at the bottom right of the window. The Timeline is dated according to the oldest and newest images in the Library.

   After you make a selection on the Timeline, the thumbnails representing the folders in the Library slide to the left to show a newer folder, or to the right to show an older folder. The folder’s name and date are shown in the background, as is a grayscale version of the first image in the folder.

3. To find other folders in the Library, choose one or more of these options:

   • Click the Previous or Next buttons to show the folder older or newer than the currently selected folder.

   • Drag the thumbnails left to find an older folder, or right to find a newer folder than the currently selected folder.

4. Once you locate the folder, click the Close button at the lower left of the Timeline screen to return to the Picasa2 program window. The selected folder is active in the Lightbox.

Checking out full-screen images

Scrolling through thumbnails in the Lightbox lets you view your pictures, but reviewing images within a folder or your entire Library using a full-screen-sized image in a Slideshow offers a hands-free way to scan your pictures, change their orientation, and assign a star rating.

To start a Slideshow, click the Slideshow task button, choose View Slideshow, or press Ctrl+4 to display the Slideshow screen, as shown in Figure 21.27.

Figure 21.27: Use the Slideshow screen to watch and flag images in your collections.

The Slideshow screen shows the first image or a selected image in an active collection with a toolbar overlay. Move the mouse cursor away from the toolbar area to hide the toolbar; move the cursor into the toolbar area to display the toolbar again. The tools available in the Slideshow screen are described in Table 21.2.

Table 21.2: Slideshow screen tools
Open table as spreadsheet

Command	Button	Explanation
	Exit Slideshow	Click to exit the Slideshow screen and return to the program window.
	Navigate controls	Click the left arrow to reverse the playback; click the right arrow to advance to the next image; click the center arrow to play the slides automatically.
	Star	Click to apply a star to the image to use for sorting and locating images.
	Rotate image	Click the left button to rotate the image counterclockwise; click the right button to rotate the image clockwise.
	Show captions	Toggle the captions on or of by clicking the Captions button. The captions aren’t shown if the Slideshow is using Automatic mode.
	Set time	Click the (−) button to decrease the time each slide is displayed; click the (+) button to increase the time each slide is displayed. The current delay is shown in seconds.

In addition to organizing and sorting images, Picasa2 also contains features for editing, both for correcting flaws and adding some basic effects.