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Flickr, Picasa, and Picnik are all different types of photo programs.

Picasa

Picasa is an online photo album service by Google.  This means you can access Picasa using the same login information as your GMail account and Blogger blog.

Visit http://www.picasa.com/.  You have the option to either download Picasa to your computer, or access Picasa Web Albums.  For this exercise, we will use web albums, but you can visit Picasa later and download the program to your home computer.

When you download and install Picasa, it automatically searches for all of the photos stored in your computer and sorts them into folders organized by name, date, or size.  To create web albums, you simply upload the photos from your computer into the web album so you can access them from any computer with an internet connection. 

Watch this video from Google to see how Picasa works and how you use it to organize photos and share them with friends.


Flickr

Flickr is another online photo album service.  However, Flickr has some unique features that make it a good resource when you are doing school projects or blogging.  In this activity, we will practice using a picture from the internet in a blog post.

1. Go to http://www.flickr.com/. 
2. On the homepage, you should see a search bar.  Type a word into the search box; use a word that helps describe your goals at the Adult Learning Centre, such as "achievement," or "learning." 
3. Click search.
4. Near the top of the results page, beside the search bar, you will see, "Advanced Search."  Click the link.
5. All the way down at the bottom of the Advanced Search page, there is a section called "Creative Commons."  What this means is that some Flickr users share their photos with the public and allow you to use their photos on your personal webpage - IF you give them credit for the photo.  The person who took and uploaded the picture owns the copyright for that picture.  So, just as you can't copy someone else's writing, you can't use other people's pictures without giving them credit.
6. Click the checkbox to indicate that you want to search for pictures with a Creative Commons license.  Any picture without this license cannot be used on your blog or other website. 
7. Once Creative Commons is selected, click the search button again.  Flickr will narrow down the results so that the only ones showing have the proper license.

Now you can browse through the photo results.  Choose one that suits your learning plan and goals here at the Adult Learning Centre.  Click on the picture to go from the search results page to the page for that picture.  Just above the picture, there is a small picture of a magnifying glass that says, "All Sizes."  Click all sizes.  Then follow the instructions to download the picture and save it to the Desktop. 

Name the picture using the photographer's name so you can remember who to credit when you use the photo.  Keep the web browser window open on the photo page; you will need the web address for the next acitivity.  You will use this picture in the next part of this exercise.


Picnik

Picnik is a photo editing program owned by Google.  It is unique because you do not have to download the program on to your computer.  Instead, you upload the picture to the website, do your photo editing, then download and save the new version to your computer.

Visit http://www.picnik.com/.  Click Get Started Now.  On the next page, click Upload a Photo.  Find the saved photo in your desktop and upload the picture to Picnik.

Now try editing the photo.  Crop the edges off, brighten the photo, or make it black & white.  Once you are finished, save the new photo to the desktop again.  This time, put a number "2" on the end of the file name so you can tell the original and edited pictures apart.



Adding a Photo to Your Blog Post

Now that you know how to use Flickr, Picasa, and Picnik, write a three to five paragraph blog post about photo organizing and editing.  Try to answer these questions in your blog post:

• Why is it important to remember the photographer's name when you are using photos from Flickr (or other websites) on your own webpage?
• Do you think photo editing and organizing is an important skill for students?
• Why is this photo representative of your learning or life goals?

Once you have finished writing your blog post, click the picture icon in the editing bar to upload your edited photo.  Use the picture toolbar that appears under the embedded picture in Blogger to put it on the left, middle, or right of the page. 



How to Use Other People's Photos Without Breaking the Law

Beneath the photo you added, type in:


In the blank space, add the name of the Flickr user who owns the photo.  Then select the whole sentence and, in your Blogger editing bar, click Link.  Enter the web address in the hyperlink pop-up box.  This creates a hyperlink back to the photo owner's page and ensures you are not violating copyright law.


Once you have written your blog post and added a picture crediting the photographer, publish the post.

Send an email to adult.learning@gmail.com letting us know you have completed Lesson 7. Click on the form at the bottom of the page to fill it in and be able to enter the monthly draw.