If you get a Google+ account, one added benefit is that you can now upload an unlimited number of higher quality photos (up to 2048 x 2048 pixels) to Google+ and/or Picasa Web Albums, for free. There are some differences in how your photos are handled and stored, depending on if you upload photos in Google+ or in Picasa Web Albums. The details are explained here.
If you have a Google+ account, then your photos in Google+ are automatically linked with your Picasa Web Albums. So all of your uploaded photos are viewable to you in either your Google+ or your Picasa Web Albums, no matter which site you used to upload them.
Picasa With Google+: Upload More High Quality Photos
The following chart gives an overview of the quality of uploaded photos stored in Google, when using Picasa Web Albums both with and without a Google+ account. Details follow the chart.
With Google+ Account (and Picasa Web Albums) | Without Google+ Account (and Picasa Web Albums) | |
Photos With Unlimited Storage Space | Unlimited storage – photos up to 2048 x 2048 pixels. | Unlimited storage – photos up to 800 x 800 pixels. |
Upload Using Google+ > Storage Limits | Unlimited storage. | —– |
Upload Using Google+ > Resizing | Larger photos are auto-resized to 2048 pixels, longest side. | —– |
Upload Using Picasa Web Albums > Storage Limits | 1 GB limit – photos over 2048 pixels, longest side. |
Unlimited – photos up to 2048 pixels, longest side.1 GB limit – photos over 800 pixels, longest side.
Unlimited – photos up to 800 pixels, longest side.Upload Using Picasa Web Albums
> ResizingOver 1 GB limit – photos resized to 2048 pixels, longest side.Over 1 GB limit – photos resized to 800 pixels, longest side.
For photos uploaded using Google+:
How many photos can you upload?
- There is no limit to the number of photos you can upload through Google+.
- Photos uploaded in Google+ do not count towards your 1 GB of free storage space in Picasa Web Albums.
What sizes of photos are allowed?
- Photos up to 2048 pixels (on the longest side) are uploaded and stored in their original sizes.
- Photos larger than 2048 pixels (on the longest side) are uploaded and automatically resized to 2048 pixels (on the longest side) for storage.
So with a Google+ account, your photos can be backed up online at a high quality for backup or printing, up to 2048 x 2048 pixels.
For photos uploaded using Picasa Web Albums, if you also have Google+:
How many photos can you upload?
- Picasa Web Albums provides 1 GB of free storage space for photos and videos.
- Photos up to 2048 pixels (on the longest side) do not count towards your 1 GB of free storage space in Picasa Web Albums
What sizes of photos are allowed?
- Photos up to 2048 pixels (on the longest side) are uploaded and stored as is. These photos do not count towards your 1 GB of free storage.
- If your 1 GB of free storage space has not been reached, then photos larger than 2048 pixels (on the longest side) are uploaded and stored in their original sizes. These photos will count towards your 1 GB of free storage.
- If you are over your 1 GB of free storage, then photos larger than 2048 pixels (on the longest side) are uploaded and automatically resized to 2048 pixels (on the longest side) for storage. These photos do not count towards your 1 GB of free storage.
For photos uploaded using either Google+ or Picasa Web Albums, the visibility of your photos is as follows:
Where can you find your uploaded photos?
- Uploaded photos are viewable to you in both Google+ and Picasa Web Albums, no matter which site you used to upload the photos.
Who else can see your uploaded photos?
- For photos uploaded in either Google+ or Picasa Web Albums, you can choose who to share them with (or keep them private) when uploading or after uploading.
- Uploaded photos can be shared using either Google+ or Picasa Web Albums. These photos are only viewable by other users that you have given permission to in either Google+ or Picasa Web Albums
- Share permissions on photos or albums can be changed or removed in either Google+ or Picasa Web Albums. For Google+ users that you share with, they will see the shared photos in their Google+ stream. For non-Google+ users that you share with, they will get an email notification to view the shared photos in Google+, but they don’t need to sign up for Google+ to view them.
For interacting with others through your photos, if you have Google+:
- All photos and albums can be re-shared by anyone that has access to the album (ie. anyone you have shared with).
- When you tag someone in a photo on either Google+ or Picasa Web Albums, then this will share the related photo album with the tagged person.
- Previously tagged items in Picasa Web Albums remain unchanged.
- You can remove photo or album access for anyone at any time.
- Comments you make to photos in either Google+ or Picasa Web Albums, are displayed in both Google+ and Picasa Web Albums.
- Only Google+ users can comment on your photos in Picasa Web Albums.
Picasa Without Google+: Uploading To Picasa Web Albums
For photos that you upload using Picasa Web Albums, if you do not have a Google+ account:
How many photos can you upload?
- Picasa Web Albums provides 1 GB of free storage space for photos and videos.
- Photos up to 800 pixels (on the longest side) do not count towards your 1 GB of free storage space in Picasa Web Albums
What sizes of photos are allowed?
- Photos up to 800 pixels (on the longest side) are uploaded and stored as is. These photos do not count towards your 1 GB of free storage.
- If your 1 GB of free storage space has not been reached, then photos larger than 800 pixels (on the longest side) are uploaded and stored in their original sizes. These photos will count towards your 1 GB of free storage.
- If you are over your 1 GB of free storage, then photos larger than 800 pixels (on the longest side) are uploaded and automatically resized to 800 pixels (on the longest side) for storage. These photos do not count towards your 1 GB of free storage.
Who else can see your uploaded photos?
- For photos uploaded in either Google+ or Picasa Web Albums, you can choose who to share them with (or keep them private) when uploading or after uploading.
Related Information
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