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July 31st, 2009

iPhoto vs. Picasa: Which is the better editing program?

Posted by Rachel King @ 6:00 am

Categories: Digital Photography, Multimedia and graphics software, Software

Tags: Photograph, Google Picasa, Apple iPhoto, Rachel King

iPhoto and Picasa are two of the easiest and most popular photo programs to use, but which one is really better? (Perhaps this battle could even be renamed to Apple vs. Google…)

Pros
iPhoto

  • Simple layout, easy to find photos
  • Easy to edit photos with filters and effects
  • Easy to upload to photo-sharing sites
  • Quick and easy file transfer from camera to computer
  • Plenty of options for printing photo products (i.e. Books, cards, calendars, prints, etc.)

Picasa

  • Easy to upload to other Google applications (Blogger, YouTube, Google Earth, etc.)
  • Can create videos for YouTube
  • Plenty of ready options for printing photos
  • Can automatically pick up photos from designated folders
  • Compatible with both PC and Mac
  • Free

Cons
iPhoto

  • Only works on Macs
  • Not enough editing tools
  • Doesn’t upload to enough third-party sites/programs
  • Not enough features for more advanced photo editors

Picasa

  • Can only upload to Picasa (not other photo-sharing sites like Flickr or Shutterfly) [UPDATE 8/4/09: There are some third-party upload programs for Picasa, such as to dotPhoto and Phanfare. Thanks to reader Fred for pointing this out!]
  • Sometimes run slowly when finding photos throughout the computer
  • Program interface is more cluttered than iPhoto’s
  • Not enough features for more advanced photo editors

Since I have a PC for work and a Macbook for personal use, I’m able to use both programs. But the fact that Picasa is free and compatible with both systems, it would appear to be the more convenient option, although I find iPhoto simpler to use. However, simple isn’t always better when you want to do a lot of editing on a photo.

Based on this assessment and/or your own experience, readers, which program do you prefer? What pros and cons did I miss? What could each program do better?

Rachel KingRachel started playing with her mother's old Brownie camera when she was just a toddler, working her way up from a Hello Kitty point-and-shoot to training on both film and digital SLRs. See her full profile and disclosure of her industry affiliations.

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  • Talkback
  • Most Recent of 68 Talkback(s)
XnView
Cataloging & tagging are fairly minor things for most folk really who just use folders & the lack of that facility does not render other programs useless at all. And, you can access other more compreh... (Read the rest)
Posted by: risely Posted on: 09/09/09  (Edited: 09/09/09 @ 11:15) You are currently: a Guest | | Terms of Use
I have a mixed marriage...  tonyhunterajh | 07/31/09
iPhoto for most everything  Stuka | 07/31/09
iPhoto also is free (kinda ...)  financegozu | 07/31/09
Until it's time to upgrade  trance2tec | 07/31/09
Do you know what you are talking about?  Bruizer | 08/02/09
Time to Upgrade  fissi | 08/04/09
$79 for a lot that you may not need.  a.barry@... | 08/04/09
Here's somebody who doesn't know what iLife does.  vulpine@... | 09/08/09
Mac iLife  john.foggitt@... | 09/08/09
It is soooooooo incredibly easy...  i8thecat | 09/08/09
RE: iPhoto vs. Picasa: Which is the better editing program?  rdmsacto1 | 07/31/09
Windows Live Photo Gallery for me.  trance2tec | 07/31/09
iPhoto doesnt use a datafile...  Stuka | 07/31/09
Good to know.  trance2tec | 07/31/09
Or she needs to find someone...  Bruizer | 08/02/09
I second that...  drokkon | 08/04/09
Maybe you would be better off letting your mother learn on her own.  vulpine@... | 09/08/09
Can you send a file from iPhoto  JordanN. | 08/04/09
A File from iPhoto  fissi | 08/04/09
The simple answer is 'Yes.'  vulpine@... | 09/08/09
Agree  JordanN. | 08/04/09
Facebook?  vulpine@... | 09/08/09
GiMP  MariusSilverwolf | 07/31/09
Most companies prefer to see "Adobe Photoshop" on resumes  HypnoToad72 | 08/02/09
That's because it's a real photo editing program.  rdhalsteatzd | 08/04/09
You mean it has...  GrizzledGeezer | 08/04/09
Adobe has spotty Linux support  gschultz | 09/08/09
RE: iPhoto vs. Picasa: Which is the better editing program?  condelirios | 07/31/09
Worth the price?  MariusSilverwolf | 07/31/09
Good question but...  wkulecz | 07/31/09
Yes it is...  condelirios | 07/31/09
Elements is 79 dollars.  NeoGeneration | 08/01/09
Only when it comes to image enhancement.  Bruizer | 08/02/09
But even with a perfect exposure, some artistic acuity might make it better  HypnoToad72 | 08/02/09
They are for different markets.  Bruizer | 08/02/09
Elements or Aperture--that is NOT the question.  vulpine@... | 09/08/09
What does "especially in today's economy?"  Bruizer | 08/02/09
To get a professional job, YES.  HypnoToad72 | 08/02/09
RE: iPhoto vs. Picasa: Which is the better editing program?  wkulecz | 07/31/09
RE: iPhoto vs. Picasa: Which is the better editing program?  douglh | 07/31/09
If you use Picasa  jorjitop | 07/31/09
And what does google do with my photos? grin (nt)  NeoGeneration | 08/01/09
Neither  cameigons | 08/01/09
Faces, Places  Steve Nagel | 08/02/09
I have to agree with this....  i8thecat | 09/08/09
If it wasn't for Picasa doing photos on Windows would suck  Randalllind | 08/03/09
RE: iPhoto vs. Picasa: Which is the better editing program?  rdhalsteatzd | 08/04/09
RE: iPhoto vs. Picasa: Which is the better editing program?  NCWeber | 08/04/09
RE: iPhoto vs. Picasa: Which is the better editing program?  joseffffff@... | 08/04/09
Different philosophies on storage.  a.barry@... | 08/04/09
Different philosophies  vulpine@... | 09/08/09
RE: iPhoto vs. Picasa: Which is the better editing program?  eMaker | 08/04/09
Photoshop is for pushing pixels... this isn't about photoshop.  i8thecat | 09/08/09
RE: iPhoto vs. Picasa: Which is the better editing program?  Baer | 08/04/09
RE: iPhoto vs. Picasa: Which is the better editing program?  fissi | 08/04/09
RE: iPhoto vs. Picasa: Which is the better editing program?  mei_886@... | 08/05/09
Picasa's only slow when first scanning  john.foggitt@... | 09/08/09
RE: iPhoto vs. Picasa: Which is the better editing program?  fstellab | 08/05/09
RE: iPhoto vs. Picasa: Which is the better editing program?  jfreedle2@... | 08/05/09
Aurora Photo Editor vs. iPhoto & Picasa  rheahp | 08/10/09
RE: iPhoto vs. Picasa: Which is the better editing program?  marXtevens | 09/08/09
RE: iPhoto vs. Picasa: Which is the better editing program?  webnuts4u2-news@... | 09/08/09
Simple is NOT better...  Narg | 09/08/09
Aren't you contradicting yourself?  vulpine@... | 09/09/09
RE: iPhoto vs. Picasa: Which is the better editing program?  357ammo | 09/09/09
XnView for free  risely | 09/09/09
The problem is, XnView doesn't have what the others do...  vulpine@... | 09/09/09
XnView  risely | 09/09/09

What do you think?

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