Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Learning Picasa: attempt ONE


I am trying to learn a new way to post on my blog. Things don't seem to be working correctly as I am relying on the program to do what I want it to do. This is much different than manually placing all the text and words exactly where you want them positioned.  The photos are in no particular order as I tried to upload multiple images and post directly to Blogger, but it Published instead of being a Draft

When ever you work on a photo it changes position without warning.  You cannot be sure where it finally ends up



When we visited friends a couple of weeks ago during our Canadian Thanksgiving, the children were playing outside drawing their shapes onto the patio






Here was another friend for the day.  He lost his front leg a few years ago due to an accident and he is very friendly









I kind of like the way I can resize the photos and move them around and have text on either side.


 I finally found someone who dislikes shoes as much as myself, she was shoeless most of the afternoon, and remember that we are on a farm









Even the dog got his outline traced out on the ground








and then it eventually became a family affair with everyone chipping in
         




Of course all of the smaller images above can be clicked for a larger version.   Publishing the Starred items directly to Blogger doesn't seem to work very well, you have to fiddle a lot with placement and image sizes.  I thought this way would be faster but now I am going to try Karen's method

My first attempt at an embedded slide show: (sorry no music this time)






31 comments:

  1. cool beans about the "figure tracing". I used to do that when I was a child, but never my whole body. We usually only did our hands and feet..ha. So, that was nice to see....:-)

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    1. Pat:

      You're right about tracing only your hands & feet. Looking at the "body" outlines was like looking at a CSI crime scene. These were just random photos with a smiliar them so I could learn how to work with Picasa. So far it isn't very intuitive. I don't like the idea of a Program taking control and then you don't know what it is doing while that "circle" is spinning and doing its thinking for you

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  2. Looks like you're making good progress, Bob. Learning a new method and new software is rarely much fun.

    I have noticed that when I upload/insert photos directly via Blogger that they won't display full size when they are clicked on in the blog but if I re-insert them via Picasa they will click through at full size.

    I gave up uploading multiple images through Blogger and just upload and insert them one at a time. I've found that re-ordering a batch upload within the post creates additional formatting weirdness. Blogger definitely has formating and alignment issues when left to it's own ways and and the Picasa/Blogger help system isn't much help.

    I like that slide show feature, I need to look into that. Amazing how much time we spend on this stuff. It must be love 'cause it sure ain't for the money!

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    1. Doug:

      That's what got me in this bind, just doing what I knew and not knowing that simpler things were available. I am wasting so much time; resizing, uploading, relinking from an external image host, then manually coding the HTML etc.

      I was trying to save time by using the "BLOG IT" option but it is finicky as you say. Everytime you entered text or moved anything the formatting would change, plus it PUBLISHED, instead of being just a DRAFT. It cost me more time than it saved.

      If I upload directly to Blogger I think images have to be resized already, but if you use Picasa they will size to 2048 (long side) automatically, so this is already a time savings for me. Plus if I *Star a few of them, it would be done as a batch directly from the Originals without having the extra step of having to resize. This is what I am looking for, an easy way to select photos just by putting a *Star on your image(s) and then just "SYNCtoWEB". I haven't done this yet but this is how I image it to work.

      I have always done slide shows using Premiere Elements as a movie. this is time consuming as you have to resize all photos to 2mp then drag them all to the time line in correct sequence, so about an hour later before you can upload to YouTube etc.

      With Picassa, you just create an album, *Star your photos, SYNCtoWEB and Bob's your uncle. Your Picasa home page will show this album and you just click Embed for your HTML video code and their flash player just plays it on your Blog. This can be done in mere minutes.

      so for me Picasa would be used for this flash slide show HTML creator and the ease of just *starring images for the automated resizing and upload feature. Then I can sit back and let my computer do all the work, instead of me having to manually jump through all these hoops to accomplish the same thing but hours later.

      I have to give full credit to my Mentor who finally convinced me to enter the new age of automation
      thanks to Karen my *Vstar Lady

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  3. You seem to be doing a fine job getting the photos in the blog post. You must be doing something right.

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    1. Trobairitz:

      Thank you for the confidence in my meagre abilities. I know that I could do things the OLD way, but I am trying to move forward and take advantage of this simplied technology which will make things less time consuming.

      I still can't help but think that very soon, 98% of my prev photos will be deleted due to the shutting down of Webshots. I don't want this to happen again so I am being very careful to research my options for image hosting. I am probably safer with Picasa/Google than Photobucket which is why this old horse is trying to learn something new.

      I've been on Flickr since October 2007 but I haven't used it much so right now I am doing some research into all of my options and perhaps end up with some sort of paid hosting, along with Blogger.

      sometimes you are just too busy to learn something new and just continue to do things the only way you know. That's what I have been doing all these years. Luckily it's Winter so I have some time to get things ready for next year. It's just too bad that Doug didn't tell me about this last year and I could have saved more of my Blog.


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  4. Are you using the Picasa desktop application? Sounds too complicated to me....

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    1. Richard:

      It is complicated. I think I am like you, I want to know what the program is doing and the interface is not that intuitive but I do like the added options of Flash Slideshow creation, collages and the simplicity of uploading Original full size images and the interface will automatically resize to 2048 (long side)

      added to the complexity is that I save all of my photos to many external hard drives which takes maneuvering a bit to get them recognized by the interface. they don't just show up automatically, and also photos are arbitrarily put into Picasa's arbitrary archives based upon date and my file structure is based upon events, not dates so photos are not in folders where I expect them to be and it takes a bit of searching to find them

      this is for sure a learning curve before I can consider making it my main workflow. I just have to work out a couple of small details with respect to the way Flickr works and my confidante in Atlanta, GA who uses Flickr as her main image host, has a Pro account and I only have the basic account so I am learning the differences in the way these two accounts operate.

      Right now I envision using Blogger/Picasa in a limited way to produce Flash slide shows and collages, but I have to understand how it works first. Then I would most likely, upgrade to Pro status on Flickr and this will be my main image host.

      these two image Hosts work differently.

      With Blogger/Picasa you upload original sized images and they reduce them to 2,048 (Long side) automatically for storing. Saves a lot of time resizing before upload

      With Flickr, you upload Original sized images, Pro has unlimited storage with files up to 50Meg which means you can store RAW images there, then when you post on your Blog, you can choose many sizes to display. Resizing is not necessary, unless you are on the road with limited resources, when I would just resize to 2mp before uploading. I would set up a set for Blog posting which would only contain the 2 mp files

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  5. Hi Bob,
    I download the images from the camera using Picasa and then edit them, again using Picasa. Those I want to put on the blog, I upload to a dedicated blog folder I keep on PicasaWeb so the blog photos are all in one place. I then write the blog post in draft and download each photo when I get to the right spot, centering and sizing it at that time. Dead easy and causes no problems whatsoever. I do all that on my desktop PC as the iPad is a pain.

    Hope that all makes sense......

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    1. Geoff:

      I am a photographer first, a blogger second, and a rider third. Picasa has no way to highlight photo galleries. I also frequent many photo forums and I have nothing to show, as they are just snapshots of daily events. By using Flickr I can showcase my Galleries and keep better images in different sets, separated from my Blog entries which I could upload at smaller image sizes. I could also make the Blogger images (Private) which hides them. You can't make all of Picasa images private as they are trying to compete with facebook and be an alternative social network system

      I know what you are saying and I will be trying this out later. I'm slowly learning: 1) *star the images 2)sync to web 3) wait until the circle stops spinning, then upload from Picasa on your draft blog page. The problem occurs when I plug in a different external drive as then I have to run hoops and "add folder" to Picasa before Picasa will scan the new folder for photos. I know, I know, hard to believe that I am trying to learn something new.

      Perhaps it would be better for you to fly over here and SHOW ME IN PERSON. Right now I have an extra BIKE and we could ride over to Cowichan Bay, that is if, you don't mind riding a slower V-strom

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  6. Apparently I'm not having the problems you have all mentioned here. I have to say that if this happens to me, I'll probably not blog anymore! Or take another run at Wordpress.

    After reading this I'm holding my breath.

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    1. Martha:

      all was well with the world until I received that fateful message from Doug and I am still a bit stressed that most of my blog will disappear on November 1st, the day when Webshots shuts down their server. All my hard work and sweat will be gone. This is not what I had in mind when I started, so I am being very careful now to choose another image host.

      I had no problems doing things the OLD way, the way that I understood and that worked for me. That's what you are doing, just continuing onward the same as before, but I have convinced to embrace new technology which will make things easier and let my computer do the number crunching but it is stressful to learn something new . . .

      Part of my problem is that I don't wish to put all my Brussel Sprouts in one package, I need to spread things around so that if something happens I can still retain some of it

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  7. Hey Bob:
    I like the new format. It looks good and already looks like you are an old pro at blogging with Picasa. We use Photobucket, it's not foolproof but it seems to work out okay for us.

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    1. Hey Chris:

      I also have been using Photobucket for many years and the interface is super easy to use with lots of options. Their new format even lets you edit, levels, curves, resize, mostly everything. It is great and the HTML code is right there under each thumbnail. I was just going to continue with them . . .

      BUT, then I wanted to do more Flash slide shows, and collages and sort of spruce up my blog a bit. I also like the idea that with Blogger/Picasa I can move the photo to the left/centre/right easily and have text on either side. It makes for a more balanced reading experience than just the large image between text.

      I don't wish to lose all my photos again so I may alternate post images with 2 image providers, just in case. I keep wondering, AM I the only one here in our Blog Circle whom used WEBSHOTS ?? Why me ? everyone else seems secure, but I am going to lose mostly everything . . .

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    2. You can do the small/medium/large/x-large + left/centre/right thing with PhotoBucket hosted photos as well. In the "Compose" window, select the photo icon, select URL, paste in the URL from the Photobucket thumbnail (not the HTML just the URL) and you can treat it just like a Blogger/Picasa hosted photo.

      This may be adding gasoline to the fire but look carefully at Flickr's future. The site hasn't been updated in ages and their new CIO isn't using it for photo hosting....

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    3. Richard:

      YIKES ! Didn't know that, so that discounts Flickr. I didn't know about Photobucket being able to select different sizes. I always resized before uploading and then put the HTML code directly into my post. I never used the "Insert Image" icon.

      SEE what I mean. I do things the hard way, I should just click the insert image icon and fill in the blanks like everyone else. If there is a harder way to do it, I will stumble across it

      thanks again for the info. I guess it's just Photobucket and Picasa/Blogger in my immediate future, that is . . . unless you have insider info on them too ?

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    4. It was just a comment I heard on a photographer podcast. No one outside of the Yahoo boardroom really knows what the future holds. There are a lot of pros who like Flickr so anything could happen.

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    5. Richard:

      Richard, read this . . .

      It seems that Flickr is taking corrective action with the hiring of many high profile people to re-invent themselves

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  8. Bob, a quote from "The Online Photographer" blog: "...print the images you want to survive you." I'm still pondering that, wondering if I should buy a new printer instead of a new camera.

    Anything short of your own website domain and an endowment to perpetuate beyond your life means that something stored on the web is at the mercy of shifting business models. On the other hand, printed photos are at the mercy of many things not the least of which are disinterested heirs.



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    1. Doug:

      There is NO true way to archive photos. Harddrives deteriorate, same with flash drives, DVDs, CDs and photos fade. Formats change, just like cassettes and 8-track, records or laser disks. It is possible that you may not be able to read jpegs in the future without some sort of conversion software.

      I have printers but the ink may only last 40 years. They claim 100 years for the pigment type but I suppose we could do a test. We could print a photo with the 100 year pigment ink. you could put it in the sun down there in AZ, and then we could meet up again in 100 years to see how much it faded.

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    2. Bob, Believe it not I'm for guy for that project as I was in my working life a weathering test engineer. I know all about fade. But waiting the 100 years for the test result is a problem despite my good health. Oh well.

      Preserving the images, any image, is a bit of a philosophical matter since no one can account for every vagary of history. For now I'm glad that people see my pictures and read my ramblings and a few enjoy them.

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    3. Doug:

      I am like you. I like that a few people may enjoy my photos, and perhaps the scenery of our area BUT all of my photos are going to be deleted soon. This still upsets me

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  9. those summer riding boots arent atgatt, are they?

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    1. Ms M:

      Oh what sharp eyes you have . . . Yes they are ATGATT, (I wish)

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  10. Bob, funny you should mention it but, I've done the photo fade test, serendpitously. I had several photos that I pinned to the wall in my computer room - photos from digital professional photographers, traditional photographers, canon printed (100 year (provided you print on canon paper) and canon printed on non canon paper, plus a photo I printed on watercolor paper with a canon printer (because I didn't have any photo paper on hand.) After 11 years (full sun) there are two photographs that have passed the test of time. 1) The photo printed on watercolor paper and 2) The professional, non digitally printed photo. After watching the pictures fade by varying degrees I have started to print all my 'special' photos on watercolor paper. I purchase high quality watercolor paper and cut to size to fit my printer. The photos are georgous (provided you like the mat finish)and have become my main art medium. Watercolor paper is porous and the ink absorbs into the paper rather than sitting on the surface (this is why I believe it works) thus making it more lasting (much like a better quality vinyl floor - scratch a cheap one and the design is gone, scratch an expensive one and you just keep running into the design all through the material, and you don't notice the scratches.)
    PS I knew you could figure out Picasa if you gave it more than 20 minutes. I usually insert photos like Geoff - write the blog, place the curser in the text and insert where I want. Then I size and position them and correct the spacing to suit me after the photos are in. You are doing great - it took me a whole summer to figure it out.

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    1. Karen:

      It still doesn't work corectly. I have no problem selecting (*starring) the photos and Sync to Web and then I find them on Google+.photos BUT after I upload from Picasa web album, I cannot get that pop-up: "small med large x-large left centre right" menu. I select the photo and click on it and "NOTHING", no menu, no options for a different size "Nothing". The first two images I did tonight worked correctly, but then I could not size the rest of them. They are only the small thumbnails that Picasa posted where the cursor was. I thought I had it figured out but something is not working right for me

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  11. Well, even film deteriorates, so photos get printed and published in books, framed and hung on walls, etc. Books, good ones, last for ages and ages and ages. So why not self-publish some of your photos. And let other photos just go. Not every one is precious. You have to be brutal and cut some loose. All is impermanence...

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    1. Martha:

      Everything deteriorates but as technology improves they last longer. There was recent discussion on photography forums where people thought that less will be saved than before as in the OLD days everyone printed their photos. Now that are digital and not many get printed and as hard drives and storage medium deteriorate, then they will be lost forever.

      you are right about letting it go, I mean, who am I anyway. No one famous, why would anyone want to read my early writings. I was just trying to share parts of my life, scenery around the Pacific North West . . . I probably spent too much time working on my "diary" and I thought it had value for others to read and for me to share some of my photography over the years. All this work will be gone due to my bad choice of choosing Webshots.

      As Doug
      said before, even if I had a paid service and something happened where I could not continue to pay for my hosted image storage, it would cease to exist too. Someone has to continue to pay for the hosting. I had this misplaced notion that it would outlive my physical being . . .

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  12. I don't get this hosting thing. I just store mine in my computers and if I want to put them on CDs I do. If I want to print and frame or have books made I do. I don't keep everything and often go thru my computers and junk stuff that bores me. It's always my copyrighted property and I like having it here with me. Virtually, anyway.

    But I don't see the point of paying anyone to have possession of my photos. With the power of deleting them!

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    1. Martha:

      I have all of my digital photos in my own possession on Hard Drives, on DVD's and on CDs. They are mine, I took them myself and they are all my copyrighted property, just like yours.

      I often print them, but not like in the old days where you took in a roll and they all got printed. I have a professional wide carriage printer. I can print up to 13"x19" . I do all my own framing and I also have a Logan Matt Cutter. I have always done my own framing. I have professional film equipment and enlargers

      The hosting is so that I can link images to my Blog and show my photos to the world or to anyone who stumbles onto this Blog. I would be very pleased if people enjoy them. I have spent endless hours producing what I have published here but soon it will all be gone. I used Webshots, a free service whom decided to change direction and not host images anymore. I made a mistake, I should have hosted with Blogger. Someone has to host your images or you cannot display them on your Blog. You would not be able to show your images on the Web.

      By paying for image hosting your photos may be more secure as you are paying for a service. A free service has no obligation to continue as they own you nothing . . .

      Just imagine IF blogger were to stop image hosting then all of your images would be gone too. I suppose that I am one of the few in our Group who is going to loose mostly everything. I love to take photographs. I bought my first SLR Minolta SR-1 back in 1959 and it has been my hobby since. I am sure you can see it from my point of view. You are safe but I have lost nearly 5 years of my archives

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  13. I understand, but I don't understand paying for it- but each host seems to offer something a little different. I don't take blogging that seriously and I think that's where I am different.

    If I lose all my posts I still have the images here. And what's gone is gone. I'm OK with that.

    I'm sorry you will lose your posts. I have copied many posts from an old blog to Word, but that is for the purpose of deleting that blog forever and keeping the thing on paper for my own use.

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