Google is finally shutting down Picasa on May 1, but many of its features will still work

Before Google Photos, there was Google+ Photos and prior to that Picasa. Google acquired the desktop photos management app in 2004 and made it free. While Google announced today that they are shutting down Picasa, diehard users will still be able to use quite a few features.

What will be shocking to those unfamiliar with Picasa is how long its desktop and web component were maintained by Google. In its life, the app saw three major versions, with the Mac and Windows app receiving an update in January of last year. Picasa was similar to iPhoto on Mac, having features like organization, built-in editing, keywords, searching, backup, face recognition, and geotagging. The app will continue working, but Google has announced it will stop receiving updates on March 15.

Another feature of Picasa was its web albums, a precursor to modern day Google Photos. Users could upload and share photos to the web and it even had an unlimited backup feature as long as photos were under an 800×800 resolution. Those who still use Picasa will find that all their albums and pictures are already in Google Photos. Users will still be able to view, download, and delete their Picasa Web Albums long into the future. However, starting on May 1, users will no longer be able to create, organize, or edit albums.

Those who want a trip to Google web UI circa 2011 should head over to Picasa Web Albums site.