With more people keeping digital artwork and photographs on their computers in bulk, image-cataloguing software is a booming sector. One absolutely free option that you might want to try is Google’s Picasa.

Picasa is more like a great photo organizer than it is a photo editor. It does have some features to fix photo mistakes. The greatest feature of this product is its organizing capabilities. It is also one of the easiest to use programs that I have used. The screens are simple, friendly and intuitive. There are also some limited ways to share your photos including a unique online sharing method called “Hello.”

This software is Vista compatible.

Pros

• Picasa is free. Integrates with other free Google services (Blogger, Web Albums, and Hello).
• Picasa is extremely easy to use.
• Provides good red-eye removal, quick fixes and effects, and online sharing options.
• Editing info is stored in INI files, making all edits reversible without saving multiple versions.
• Display your pictures as a custom screensaver, collage, or slide show movie.
• Allows to select compression level while exporting photo (Maximum, Minimum, Normal, Automatic & Customs)
• Designed for non-techies and casual digital photographers.

Cons

• Uses a folder-based system of organization.
• Edits are not displayed outside of Picasa.
• Limited organizational and searching features.
• No way to edit a photo’s embedded date.

With the limited feature set that this product offers, it doesn’t match up to the competition. There are easier to use, more powerful options available.

Free download from http://picasa.google.com