Say Farewell to Google's Picasa

Google plans to end support for Picasa and transition users to Google Photos, the company announced today. Picasa, an image-organizing application Google acquired 12 years ago, has seen few updates in recent months as Google focused development efforts on its shiny, new Photos app.

Support for the Picasa desktop album will end on March 15, though it will continue to work for users who already have it installed. Uploaded Picasa photos will be transitioned to Google Photos on May 1.

Originally introduced by Lifescape in 2002, Picasa brought iPhoto-like editing ease to casual photographers on Windows. Google improved the service with its trademark "I'm Feeling Lucky" button, which automatically retouched photos with one click.

It also added Picasa Web Albums in 2006, which integrated with the desktop application and allowed users to share photos with friends and family. Web Albums was discontinued in 2013 and integrated into Google+.

Anil Sabharwal, head of Google Photos, acknowledged that many users have entrusted their priceless family photos to Picasa. He explained they will find all the photos they have uploaded to Picasa Web Albums waiting for them in Google Photos.

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"[W]e will take some time in order to do this right and provide you with options and easy ways to access your content," Sabharwal wrote in the blog announcement.

Even though it's only been live for a little over a year, Google Photos has rapidly gained traction. In October, the company claimed it had more than 100 million active monthly users. In his review, PCMag analyst Michael Muchmore praised the interface, which he found to be "clean, minimal, and pleasing, with thumbnails of your photos organized by date." But the sharing options are limited—you can't email photos—so users who rely on that in Picasa or Picasa Web Albums may be disappointed.