Google adds new features to its Picasa photo service

18 January 2005 18:49 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Google has added a host of new features to its photo imaging service, Picasa including the ability to email pictures to others via its Gmail service.

Google bought Picasa last summer to improve photo-publishing on its web log service Blogger. The latest Picasa update, Picasa 2 is free, also features faster photo posting to Blogger alongside other features such as a “fill light” tool that brightens dark backlit photos.

The software will also allow basic editing such as converting colour pictures into black and white, remove red eye effect, make the grass look greener or straighten up images. One can even blur the back ground so that the main object in the picture gets all the attention.

"With Picasa 2, we've made it easier for people to find, organize, improve and enhance their photographs, as well as create photo CDs, personalized slideshows, desktop collages, and much more," said Lars Perkins, General Manager at Picasa.