Picasa is one of the most convenient ways of handling photos on the web. It can enable you to store, edit and keep track of photos in different places – all from one central location. Basically, it can make handling your photos much easier.
However, to use Picasa on the web (technically, it is called Picasa Web Albums), you need to know a few basics about the account. This simple guide will give you the basics of how to login, create an account, deal with a forgotten password and delete the account. Let’s start off with logging in.
How To Login Into The Picasa Website
Picasa is actually a Google product. Therefore, if you have a Google account (e.g. a Gmail account), then you can use those credentials to login. You can do so in three simple steps.
Step 1: Go to the Picasa login page.
You can find the login page at http://picasaweb.google.com. Just click on this link, and it will automatically take you to the login page.
Step 2: Enter your email address
The look of the login page will depend on whether you’ve already accessed a Google account using that computer.
If you haven’t accessed an account before, you will see a text box with instructions “Enter your email” and a button below labeled “Next”. Just type in your email and click “Next”.
If you have already accessed a Google account, then you will be instructed to “Choose your account”. There will be a list of accounts. Simply select your account from among the list.
If you can’t see your account on the list, then click on the button labelled “Add account”. You will now see the text box with “Enter your email”. Type in your email address and click “Next”.
Step 3: Enter your password
After following the above steps, you will see a text box with the word “Password”. Enter your password and click the button labeled “Sign in.”
You will be redirected to your Picasa home page. You will have successfully logged into Picasa.
How To Sign Up For Picasa
To sign up for Picasa, you need to create a Google account. You can do so in the following steps:
1. Go to the Google Accounts Signup Page
To find the Signup Page, simply go to the Picasa login page. At the bottom, you will see a link labeled “Create Account”. Click on the link and you will be redirected to the Signup Page.
Alternatively, you can go there directly right now. Simply click here (https://accounts.google.com/SignUp?service=mail&continue=https%3A%2F%2Fmail.google.com%2Fmail%2F%3Ftab%3Dwm)
2. Fill In Your Details
The sign up page requires you to enter a number of details e.g. username, your names, date of birth, etc. Fill in all the relevant details.
3. Pass the verification
Before you can complete signing up, you have to verify that you are human. There are two options, a captcha or a phone verification.
To sign-up immediately, use the captcha. Just type the text you see in the picture. Once you’ve passed the verification, accept Google’s terms (click the checkbox).
Click “Next Step”
4. Provide a profile photo
At this point your account will be active. You will be asked to provide a profile photo. You can simply click “Skip” for this, and other prompts.
You will be asked if you want to proceed to Gmail. To go directly to the Picasa home page, simply select Picasa from among of Google Apps.
The Google Apps icon is on the top-right hand corner. It is composed of 9 little black boxes. Click on it and it will display the list of Google Apps (e.g. Gmail, Drive, Carlendar, etc). Scroll down until you see the Photos.
Click on “Photos” and you will be redirected to the Picasa home. You will have successfully created a Picasa account.
How To Deal With a Forgotten Password
In case you have forgotten your password, you can deal with it in the following steps.
1. Go to the Picasa login Page
2. Click “Need Help?”
“Need Help?” is a link which is immediately below the button labeled “Next”.
3. Choose “I don’t know my Password”
Once you choose the option, a text box will appear, with instructions urging you to provide your email address.
4. Provide your Picasa email
Enter your email address and click “Next Step”. An email with a password reset link will be sent to your address.
5. Open your email and click on the Reset link
Clicking on the password reset link will take you to the password reset page.
6. Enter your new password.
Enter your new password, confirm it and click on the reset confirmation button. You will receive a confirmation that your password has been reset. You can now log into Picasa using your new password.
How To Delete Your Picasa Account
To delete your Picasa account, please follow the following steps. However, remember that deleting the account will mean you lose access to not just Picasa but other Google services like Gmail and Google Drive. You can delete the account in 5 simple steps:
1. Log into your Picasa account
2. Go to the Account Settings Page
The Account Settings page is where you will delete the Picasa account from. Navigating there is quite simple.
There is a link labeled “Account” on the top-right hand corner of your Picasa home page. Click on it. You will be redirected to the Account Settings Page.
3. Click “Delete Google Account and data”
4. Re-enter your password
5. Delete your Account.
In a nutshell, those are the basic Picasa Web Albums account operations. Please note that the operations closely mirror other Google Account operations. Therefore, if you are proficient at using Gmail, for instance, then using Picasa won’t be much of a hustle. If you aren’t, simply follow the above steps and you’ll use Picasa without any problem. Cheers!