Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Photo Sharing for parents: Pogue on SNAPFISH, Kodak Gallery and Picasa Web Albums

Pogue makes the rounds of the "free" photo sharing sites. The one surprise is he liked SNAPFISH, which I don't know very well:

Photo Sharing Even the Folks Can Handle - Pogue - New York Times

SNAPFISH.COM Now we’re talking. One click begins a slide show, complete with speed slider, background-color control and a relatively huge photo size. Moms, dads and grads can flag the shots worth printing with a single click.

All the usual goodies are here: electronic sharing with family (although not with the public); editing and cropping tools; and a catalog of photo prints, posters, mugs and decks of cards. All of it is designed simply and clearly, making it impossible to get lost.

There are paid subscription options — to upload videos, for example — but the free account is everything a family shutterbug could desire. Storage is unlimited if you order something once a year.

The bottom line. Next time my mother wants to review my photos on the screen and order prints with one click, I’ll use Snapfish or Kodak Gallery. And next time I just want my friends to be able to see and grab copies of my pictures online, I’ll use Picasa Web Albums.

I've used Picasa with some success. I'm quite surprised the photo sharing sites aren't better. I played around with some designs years ago but figured there was no way I could get anything out before the competition improved, but it never has.

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