Although Picasa is mainly designed for Windows and Mac users, Linux users can also enjoy its benefits with some tweaks. In this article, we will show you how to install and use Picasa 3 for Linux on your system.
How to Install Picasa 3 for Linux
There are two ways to install Picasa 3 for Linux: using the official Picasa 3.0 package from Google, or using the Windows version of Picasa 3.5 with Wine. We will explain both methods below.
Method 1: Using the Official Picasa 3.0 Package from Google
This method is recommended if you want to have a stable and integrated version of Picasa on your Linux system. However, you will not be able to use some of the new features of Picasa 3.5, such as facial recognition and geo-tagging.
To install Picasa 3.0 for Linux, follow these steps:
Download the Picasa 3.0 package from [Google's website]. Choose the appropriate package for your distribution (deb for Debian/Ubuntu, rpm for Fedora/SUSE, or bin for other distributions).
Open a terminal and navigate to the directory where you downloaded the package.
If you downloaded a deb package, run the command sudo dpkg -i picasa_3.0-current_i386.deb. If you downloaded an rpm package, run the command sudo rpm -ivh picasa_3.0-current.i386.rpm. If you downloaded a bin package, run the command sudo sh picasa-3.0-current.bin.
Wait for the installation to complete.
You can now launch Picasa from your applications menu under Graphics.
Method 2: Using the Windows Version of Picasa 3.5 with Wine
This method is recommended if you want to have the latest version of Picasa with all its new features on your Linux system. However, you will need to install Wine, a software that allows you to run Windows applications on Linux, and replace some files manually.
To install Picasa 3.5 for Linux using Wine, follow these steps:
Install Wine on your system. You can use your package manager or follow the instructions on [Wine's website].
Download the Windows version of Picasa 3.5 from [this link].
Open a terminal and navigate to the directory where you downloaded the file.
Run the command wine picasa35-setup.exe to install Picasa 3.5 on your system.
Copy the installed Picasa 3.5 folder from /home/YOUR_USER/.wine/drive_c/Program Files/Google/Picasa3 to the folder where Picasa 3.0 for Linux is installed, which is usually /opt/google/picasa/3.0/wine/drive_c/Program Files/Google/Picasa3. You may need to use root privileges to do this.
You can now launch Picasa from your applications menu under Graphics.
How to Use Picasa 3 for Linux
Picasa 3 for Linux has a similar interface and functionality as the Windows and Mac versions. You can browse your photos by folders, albums, people, places, or tags. You can also edit your photos using tools such as crop, rotate, red-eye removal, color adjustment, effects, and more. You can also create collages, slideshows, movies, and web albums with Picasa. You can also share your photos with others via email, Picasa Web Albums, Google+, Facebook, Twitter, and other services.
For more information on how to use Picasa 3 for Linux, you can check out [Google's help page] or [OMG! Ubuntu!'s guide].
Conclusion
Picasa 3 for Linux is a great photo management software that can help you organize, edit, share, and backup your photos easily and efficiently. You can install it either using the official Picasa 3.0 package from Google or using the Windows version of Picasa 3.5 with Wine. Either way, you will be able to enjoy most of the features of Picasa on your Linux system.
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