iPhoto vs Picasa... thinking Picasa wins?

[whyrichard]

Hey,


I have had all of my personal photos in iphoto, and my proffessional work browsed through using picasa. I am beginning to wonder what if any edge iphoto has on picasa at all... Picassa seems faster and more flexible.

What are your opinions on iphoto vs picasa?

thanks,
r.

 

[JRoDDz]

Coming from the windows world where I used Picassa, I didn't like how iPhoto started putting "events" on everything. I prefer to use folders like Picassa does.

 

[drmitch]

Doing my own preliminary testing, I found that Picasa 3.5 is not only faster, but has a much better face recognition/recommendation algorithm - both initially AND after labeling hundreds of faces (Yes, I labeled the same pictures/faces in both applications to see how well each found similar faces - Picasa blew iPhoto away with 1.5-2x more faces correctly recognized and rarely a wrong face labeled). I don't mind manually labeling faces though, just label a couple dozen here, and a few dozen there, it'll get done eventually.

If iPhoto '09 could post all its information to Picasa Web (like geo/faces anyone know of a way?) then I would probably stick with it (I hate having two photo organizers installed).

I guess it all depends on what you use to post your images: Flickr, Facebook, MobileMe, PicasaWeb.

 

[whyrichard]

I use facebook mostly...

...but the real nail for iPhoto is that my iPhoto library is 60 gigs for 20giga of photos??!!

sheesh.

r.

 

[zw-gator]

My MBP heats up like crazy with Picasa

I won't use it until they fix it. I'm taking about my CPU going from ~55*C to 85*+ after opening a few photo album

 

[marold280]

My MBP heats up like crazy with Picasa

I won't use it until they fix it. I'm taking about my CPU going from ~55*C to 85*+ after opening a few photo album

same. my fans exploded when in picasa. ive switched to iPhoto.

 

[maflynn]

While I've not used picasa, a couple of things to remember about iPhoto that i beleive are advantages over picasa

First is you give google the right to use your images as they see fit

11.1 You retain copyright and any other rights you already hold in Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive licence to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. This licence is for the sole purpose of enabling Google to display, distribute and promote the Services and may be revoked for certain Services as defined in the Additional Terms of those Services.

Second is the integration of iLife with the other apple apps and also with OSX. I can easily choose a picture in my iphoto library to use as wall paper, or include in syncing my iPod/iPhone or using it with iWeb. While you can do the same with non-iPhoto apps, it takes more steps.

Overal, I like the idea of not giving google the right to my images and how iPhoto works.

 

[ncmason]

I stopped using iPhoto.

Lightroom is a lot more usable and better at cataloging pictures.

Picasa has a great ability for sharing photos, but that's about it.

I suggest using SmugMug because pricing/storage is more reasonable than Picasa's.

 

[appledyl]

Picasa doesn't have as many features and can't handle as much as iPhoto can. Plus iPhoto has a WAY BETTER editing system that can go into full screen. iPhoto is MUCH MORE streamlined. Although I do like Picasa. (except for the fact it doesn't run on PPC processors. ) After all Picasa is a free product and for a free photo editor Picasa essentially pulverizes all photo editors on the market. (or free market i should say.)

GET A MAC

 

[rhett7660]

While I've not used picasa, a couple of things to remember about iPhoto that i beleive are advantages over picasa

First is you give google the right to use your images as they see fit


Second is the integration of iLife with the other apple apps and also with OSX. I can easily choose a picture in my iphoto library to use as wall paper, or include in syncing my iPod/iPhone or using it with iWeb. While you can do the same with non-iPhoto apps, it takes more steps.

Overal, I like the idea of not giving google the right to my images and how iPhoto works.

That's a biggie for me.

 

[JRoDDz]

While I've not used picasa, a couple of things to remember about iPhoto that i beleive are advantages over picasa

First is you give google the right to use your images as they see fit


Second is the integration of iLife with the other apple apps and also with OSX. I can easily choose a picture in my iphoto library to use as wall paper, or include in syncing my iPod/iPhone or using it with iWeb. While you can do the same with non-iPhoto apps, it takes more steps.

Overal, I like the idea of not giving google the right to my images and how iPhoto works.

I believe that only means they have rights to your photos if you post them up to PicasaWeb. If you just retain the photos on your desktop they don't have rights to them (how could they). I only use it for desktop organization. I upload to flickr.

 

[maflynn]

I believe that only means they have rights to your photos if you post them up to PicasaWeb. If you just retain the photos on your desktop they don't have rights to them (how could they). I only use it for desktop organization. I upload to flickr.

Possibly but I'm not agreeing to any ELUA that signs away the rights to my pictures, documents or anything else I create. Google typically sneaks this in to all of the EULAs on all of their services and software. I find it ironic that company that states "do not evil" looks to own, or control all of the content on the net.

As another poster put the blurb on about LightRoom. I also use that as I feel its a superior product. I like iPhoto and for a lot people it fits the bill. LR is a more rounded application that provides more power and flexibility

 

[DaveF]

I use facebook mostly...

...but the real nail for iPhoto is that my iPhoto library is 60 gigs for 20giga of photos??!!

Did you edit photos? iPhoto keeps both the original and the edited version of every picture you modify. While a great feature, it will lead quickly to an increased library if you modify most of your photos.

I used Picasa on the Windows side and loved it. Picasa wasn't out for OS X when I switched in 2007, so I moved to iPhoto. With the addition of Events, iPhoto became better than Picasa to me. I've not touched Picasa in nearly 3 years, so perhaps it's better now, but I'm used to and content with iPhoto.

iPhoto has convenient exporters for PicasaWeb and Facebook, which I use a bit.

 

[SebZen]

Did you edit photos? iPhoto keeps both the original and the edited version of every picture you modify. While a great feature, it will lead quickly to an increased library if you modify most of your photos.

What? That's silly! I didn't know that. Dang.. Not sure what to do. Aperture is too complicated/bloated for me (don't need all those features), I gave LR a quick try and thought it was the same as Aperture.

I haven't tried Picasa but I'd much rather use Apple's software for integration

 

[rhett7660]

What? That's silly! I didn't know that. Dang.. Not sure what to do. Aperture is too complicated/bloated for me (don't need all those features), I gave LR a quick try and thought it was the same as Aperture.

I haven't tried Picasa but I'd much rather use Apple's software for integration

Not really. I would rather it keep a history of my photos in case I want to go back the original. I do this in photoshop etc. I could have in theory depending on what I have done several iterations of the same photo. I think it is a great idea. However that being said, I wonder if there is a way to turn it off for those who don't want this feature enabled.

 

[SebZen]

Not really. I would rather it keep a history of my photos in case I want to go back the original. I do this in photoshop etc. I could have in theory depending on what I have done several iterations of the same photo. I think it is a great idea. However that being said, I wonder if there is a way to turn it off for those who don't want this feature enabled.

Sorry to bump but does anyone know of a way to turn this off? I'm still at a loss on which program to use to edit my photos. Aperture 2.1.4 is practically useless on SL because of how slow it is and I just don't like LR one bit.

I edit all my photos (the ones I keep on my computer, that is), so I really don't want iPhoto creating duplicates of all of them when I know I won't revert to the original after I quit iPhoto

 

[akadmon]

So let's see:

Aperture is too slow. LR is just like Aperture. Hence LR is slow?​

Perhaps you should give LR another look. In my experience, LR is superfast, intuitive and fun to use. Try the Adjustment Brush and you'll see that things that are impossible to fix in iPhoto (and Picasa), or cumbersome to deal with in PS, can be handled in a jiffy by LR.

 

[JoshBoy]

what i use

I use iPhoto for personal stuff and for my work i use Aperture however I am considering dumping iPhoto and just using apperture, I just dont know....... I have never used Googles option.

 

[SebZen]

So let's see:

Aperture is too slow. LR is just like Aperture. Hence LR is slow?​

Perhaps you should give LR another look. In my experience, LR is superfast, intuitive and fun to use. Try the Adjustment Brush and you'll see that things that are impossible to fix in iPhoto (and Picasa), or cumbersome to deal with in PS, can be handled in a jiffy by LR.

No when I said LR is just like Aperture I was talking in terms of how bloated it is (for me, just a hobby). Then I messed around with Aperture some more and started to like it, at least more than iPhoto that has too FEW modification options (I'd also like to have fun editing photos, kind of hard with only 5 or so sliders in iPhoto).
I just don't like LR, though. I found it's adjustment brush to actually be really annoying but then again I probably don't know how to use the brush right in LR, but in Aperture it was good and easy for me to use.

Really crossing my fingers for Aperture 3 sometime soon! For now I resorted to reinstalling iPhoto and getting rid of LR. Once Aperture 3 comes out I will just import my modified iPhoto pics into it and delete the originals and not have to worry about it any more.

 

[whyrichard]

Sorry to bump but does anyone know of a way to turn this off? I'm still at a loss on which program to use to edit my photos. Aperture 2.1.4 is practically useless on SL because of how slow it is and I just don't like LR one bit.

I edit all my photos (the ones I keep on my computer, that is), so I really don't want iPhoto creating duplicates of all of them when I know I won't revert to the original after I quit iPhoto

one thing I like about picass is that it can be used as just a photo browser. in picassa you can set another program to edit the photos when you double click. perhaps if you set Photoshop to open the file, edit it, then save it, you won't have duplicates.

r.

 

[SebZen]

one thing I like about picass is that it can be used as just a photo browser. in picassa you can set another program to edit the photos when you double click. perhaps if you set Photoshop to open the file, edit it, then save it, you won't have duplicates.

r.

Picass

 

[DaveF]

What? That's silly! I didn't know that. Dang.. Not sure what to do. Aperture is too complicated/bloated for me (don't need all those features), I gave LR a quick try and thought it was the same as Aperture.

I haven't tried Picasa but I'd much rather use Apple's software for integration

Most of us find it great. Hard drive space is cheap, but losing the original photo to an unintended or bad edit is terrible.

And I thought Picasa has done the exact same thing for years.

So your solution is to get a bigger hard drive. Or manually delete the duplicate original images. They're stored in a separate "original" folder.

 

[whyrichard]

Most of us find it great. Hard drive space is cheap, but losing the original photo to an unintended or bad edit is terrible.

And I thought Picasa has done the exact same thing for years.

So your solution is to get a bigger hard drive. Or manually delete the duplicate original images. They're stored in a separate "original" folder.

does iPhoto only put images in the "originals" folder when there is an edit made?

is there a way in iPhoto to purge the iPhoto library of originals?

 

[DaveF]

does iPhoto only put images in the "originals" folder when there is an edit made?

is there a way in iPhoto to purge the iPhoto library of originals?

Yes it only makes a copy when you do an edit. It doesn't automatically duplicate every single photo imported.

I don't think there's a "purge originals" feature; but you could manually delete the original-photo folder. I think it's a separate folder structure from the edited versions.