Import photos using Picasa 3.5+ – Video Tip

Picasa made some nice changes last year with the upgrade to 3.0, then 3.5 and this year to 3.8 and 3.9. My favorite has to be the new streamlined import feature. Admittedly, the previous import wizard was a little clunky and took a few times to become comfortable.

Not so with this newest version. To import photos using the newest version of Picasa, follow these steps:

1. Click Import button in the upper left corner of Picasa
2. Make sure the Import from box correctly identifies your device or memory card (usually does)
3. Make sure the Exclude Duplicates box is checked (it is by default)
4. Highlight the photos you want to import (if you don’t want them all…again duplicates not imported automatically)
5. Underneath the photos, the Import to box will automatically be My Pictures (Windows XP) or Pictures folder (Windows Vista and 7).  You can change that if you like by clicking in the box and clicking choose. I usually leave this box alone unless I’m looking to import new photos into an existing folder.
6. In the next box labeled Folder title, type a name to describe the photos you are importing (or any other methodology you use to organize your photos)
7. Click the Import All button or Import Selected button if you only selected some of the photos. Again, duplicates will not be imported if you kept the box checked in step 3.

In these few, quick steps, your photos now exist on your computer ready to be emailed, printed, uploaded to a photo sharing site, Facebook, or whatever else you enjoy doing with them. Watch the short video below to see these steps in action…and don’t forget to pass this tip along to all your computer friends who use digital cameras.