Google__ The Missing Manual - Kevin Purdy [47]
Once you’ve tapped on a few photos to select them, and then tapped the “Share” button, you’ll be given all the options you’re used to seeing in Google+ on your computer: a “Share your thoughts” field for adding a comment, a section for choosing the circles and people to share with, and location information you can choose to share (to delete this location info, tap the small X to its left).
At the bottom of the screen are those familiar camera and stack-of-photos buttons. Tap the camera button if you decide to shoot a new photo with your phone, or tap the stack-of-photos icon to pick out a different photo from your gallery. You can also share both a live shot and others from your collection by tapping one icon and then the other before tapping “Post.”
Sending photos straight to Google+
It’s more convenient to shoot photos with your phone’s standard camera app and capture everything you need, and then upload them to Google+ later on using the methods described in the preceding sections. But if you want to share a photo with your friends on Google+ right away, you can.
Head to the Photos section of either the Android or iPhone Google+ app and, in the top-right corner of the screen, tap the camera icon. On an Android phone, tapping the camera button brings up a prompt for “Camera photo” or “Choose photo.” On an iPhone, the button is separated into a camera for taking live shots, and a mountain icon for choosing a photo from your Camera Roll. Tap “Camera photo” (Android) or the camera icon (iPhone) and you’ll see your phone’s familiar camera program.
Once you snap the photo by tapping the shutter button on an Android phone or the camera icon on an iPhone, you can review the shot and tap OK (or Use, on an iPhone) if it’s good enough to post to Google+. (Tap Retake to snap another shot, or Cancel on an Android if you decide not to share a photo after all; iPhone folks have to click Retake and then Cancel to back out.) After you tap OK (or Use), you see a screen similar to the one shown on Sending photos straight to Google+ where you can add a comment and choose which circles or people to share with, just as if you’d picked out a photo from your collection.
Pulling Images from Picasa Web Albums
Whether or not you used Google’s Picasa Web Albums service before signing up for Google+, by uploading photos to Google+ and sharing them, you’re using it now. That’s because the services are merged—the photos you upload and share through Google+ are available in Picasa Web Albums, and any photos you might have uploaded previously to Picasa are easily accessible from Google+. You can skip this section if you’ve never used Picasa Web Albums before signing into Google+, but if you have a stash of photos already in Picasa, this section explains how to share them with your circles.
As noted back on Signing In and Joining Up, when you sign up for Google+, Google lets you know that your existing Picasa account will undergo some changes. They’re mostly good changes, especially the unlimited storage space you’ll receive. Pictures can be uploaded up to 2048 pixels square, and videos, even 1080p HD videos, can run up to 15 minutes in length. And Google+ remembers the visibility settings you originally gave the images on Picasa, so none of your private albums will suddenly go public on you.
Other than more storage space, the main thing that has changed about Picasa are your sharing options. The Picasa site looks the same (aside from a few notices about your new Google+ account), and the photos are laid out the same way. (To get to Picasa Web Albums, go to www.picasaweb.google.com.) But click any album and you’ll start seeing where Google+ comes in. The fact that the Share button now includes the Google+ icon is one hint.
Now when you want to share an album from Picasa, Google assumes you’ll share it through Google+. You’ll see the familiar Google+ “Share this album” box, where you can add your comment at the top and