Question in picasa formats?

i have a 5 mp camera which creates pics to a size of about 1mb . but when it is stored with picasa , the size reduces to about 100kb. i donot notice any reduction in quality . tell me how this happens

Picasa does not change your original file. All the edits and changes you make are stored in a database and the original is untouched on your disk. (unless you click the little "Save Changes" button in each folder -which I do not recommend).

The database files are in each folder and are named "Picasa.ini". Do not delete them or you will lose your edits.

If you export, email, or create a slideshow, then Picasa creates a COPY of your image with all the Picasa edits and saves it as a .jpg file that is compressed and reduced in size according to your settings for each procedure. These files will be much smaller as you mention; however, the original is still untouched and the same size.

As John R. mentions, when viewing these on your screen you may not notice a difference until you look very closely.

These smaller .jpg files are of much less quality, size, and/or resolution and are definitely inferior. Use the original files (with all the Picasa edits) for printing or for making more changes.

This is because you are viewing the picture on the computer screen which only requires a resolution of about 72 dpi.

The picasa file has been compressed. It still looks good on the computer but it would not make as good a print as the file from the camera.

Hope this helps.