Picture This

By Jeremy Caplan, Clayton Neuman

A new crop of online services makes organizing, editing and sharing your digital pictures a snap--even if you never learned the difference between XML, a GIF and an RSS feed. For the sites listed here, all you need to know is how to point and click. Another reason to smile: each of them is free.

RIYA.COM Recognizing a friendly face is what this site does best. Follow a simple setup procedure, and its scanning technology can identify who's who in almost any photo. Based on your preferences, Riya even sorts pictures based on who's in them.

PICASA.COM Need to get a handle on all the digital snapshots cluttering up your hard drive? Download this handy photo-management tool by Picasa, a subsidiary of Google. It finds all your pics, lets you embellish them with any of 12 special effects and automatically resizes images into easy-to-e-mail file sizes. A nifty instant-messaging feature lets you share shots in real time.

SLIDE.COM Download the site's photo-indexing software, and you can create a slide show that appears as a small strip on your desktop. Get friends and family to sign up with Slide, and each time you drag and drop in a new pic, they will get an e-mail alert. Caveat: you will need a Windows PC and a broadband connection.

INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT In 2000, 10 million people used online photo services, a number that doubled by 2004 and is expected to reach 26 million this year o The three largest photo sites--Kodak EasyShare, Shutterfly and Snapfish--make up 75% of the $241 million industry o It is estimated that by 2006, 55% of American households will own a digital camera and that Kodak's sales of camera film will fall an additional 30% next year