Backup and Tree View

Picasa allows you to see your list of folders in either Flat view, or Tree View.  In Flat view you can sort the folders by Date OR Alphabetically.  In Tree View you can’t because it has to show your nested folder structure as you created it.  If you understand that, please read on about how it relates to Backup.  If not … here are the videos that will show you what I mean by Flat View and Tree View

• Tree Folder Structure


• Library View


• Folders and Folder Collection

When you use the Tools / Backup Pictures command, you might be distressed that the option to view in Tree or Flat View isn’t there.

Here’s the trick – get into the view you want *before* clicking on the Backup command.  The screen shots below show you the difference in looking at the backup options:

Backup with Flat View selected first	Backup with Tree View selected first
Notice how they are sorted alphabetically so BigBend is just before California Coast	In Tree View, you see that California Coast is on its own, and BigBend is inside the Texas Folder.

Everyone organizes their picture folders differently.  Just like any filing system it’s up to you how to file them.  Backup is a very important factor in how you organize, so, if you’ve nested folders for backup purposes – this is a very handy tip to be able to see your nested ‘tree’ view in the backup process.

This tip brought to you by Geeks on Tour

Geeks on Tour is a membership website with hundreds of Tutorial Videos on topics of interest to travelers, such as managing digital photos with Picasa, Route-Planning with Streets and Trips, and sharing your travels with a website using Blogger or with friends on Facebook. You can subscribe to our free e-newsletters, or become a paid member and be able to view all of the videos in the Learning Library.

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• Backup to External Hard Drive


• Move Folders of Pictures to an External Drive


• Moving Folders Among Multiple Hard Drives


• Backup your Photos to CD


• Backup Monthly to Disk (CD or DVD)

Need to learn the basics?  Check out our ‘Beginner’s Guide to Picasa’ complete with show-me videos.