I have been playing around with Picasaweb - yet another Google site.
I haven't really favoured online galleries before. I have tended to use JAlbum to produce thumbnails and slideshows and put the results on my webspace. The problem there is that I have been limited to 50MB.
Previous looks at such online galleries left me with the impression that they were limited in terms of storage or photosize; or were just very expensive. While downloading the latest version of Picasa , I found the "Web galleries" function.
It appears that the photos can be loaded up at full size, and initially a user is given 1GB of storage space, but this rises with time. The service is free, but you need to sign up, or have an existing Google password.
I have been testing the system by uploading some random images Here
TimW
Posts: 839 | Location: Hampshire, UK | Registered: 28 March 2005
I have been uploading a few photos to Flikr, but should give Picasa a try too. I also tried JAlbum (Janet Zinn uses it), but I am so used to PhotoPost (from www.slowphotos.com and from my photos on www.slowtrav.com/photos/ ) that I could not get used to something where I organize my photos on my computer, instead of up on the server.
I also got the trail version of Adobe Lightroom and started to work with it to get my photos tagged and organized on my computer - but need to spend more time with it too.
At least it is better than having boxes of print photos - but photos still require a lot of time to organize!!
Originally posted by Pauline: I also got the trail version of Adobe Lightroom and started to work with it to get my photos tagged and organized on my computer - but need to spend more time with it too.
Using Adobe Lightroom? Wow I really impressed were you are going with your knowledge of photography. Very impressed!
The galleries are gorgeous and the interface is easy. When you view a slideshow, the picture fills the screen of your computer. The viewer of the photos has lots of options on how he wants to view the photos, and the uploading and organizing features are simple and smooth.
Jalbum is really a different beast than the others mentioned; its not an online photo album per se, but a software package that allows you to build albums, as Pauline noted, on your computer as opposed to on a server. This is precisely why I like it--you have much more control and you don't have to upload all your photos. However it really is more geared towards someone who is building an entire website and plans to maintain their own site.
For a more casual user who wants less web-building involvement (but still a lot of customization possible) I agree with Stella---smugmug is great. I have a lot of friends/fellow photographers who use smugmug. Another popular choice with photographers is Pbase, but I find their layouts less flexible than Smugmug--all the Pbase sites tend to look much alike. Still its worth checking out
I searched a long time before I decided where to put all my photos from my trip to Italy last year. I chose phanfare.com You have many different choices of the style of album, and how it is layed out. No limit on the size or number of pictures you put in. You can also put any comentary you want at the beginning of the album, and with each picture. You can add music, that can be different for each album, within an album title. The thing I like the best, is there is not one bit of advertising on the web site. People think it is my own web site. You can have it open to anyone or by password only. When you go into the site, you can chose to see each individual picture, or chose the slideshow. The cost is $54 a year, and when you decide to quite, they send you a CD of all your pictures. (Great way to back them up) You can see for your self, on my link to my photo album below.
If you do join, and have any family or friends join for a year, they give you a year free. Soooo if you do join, and you want to give my name I would of course like that, but I do not expect you to.
Topic Closed
I would of course like that, but I do not expect you to.
