Facebook Updates Photos: High-Res Uploading, Bulk Tagging, Lightbox Viewing (PICTURES)

Facebook has announced several changes to improve the site's photo viewing and uploading experience. Easier uploading, simpler tagging and enhanced browsing options are among the changes.

According to Facebook's official blog, users can now upload high resolution images as wide or high as 2,048 pixels (previously, the largest size was 720 pixels). The site has added a Flash-based photo uploader tool and now allows bulk tagging when many photos are uploaded at once. A convenient "download" link will now accompany all photos.

Facebook has also added a lightbox interface for viewing photos. When you click a photo, the lightbox hovers over the Facebook page and lets you view entire albums without ever navigating away from the page beneath. Mashable compares the new user interface with Flickr's recently added lightbox.

Check out Facebook's changes in the screenshots below. How will these changes affect your Facebook experience? Tell us in the comments.

Lightbox photo viewer:

Larger photos:

New uploader tool:

Comments

[Lore Splitt]

02:04 PM on 10/06/2010

I don't actually want people to be able to download my shots... I'm sure you'll be able to cancel that option, but I'm hoping you won't have to do it individually...

[AdamKidabra]

01:32 PM on 10/05/2010

It's about time! Too bad it won't up-convert old albums. Since the pics got scaled down as the upload processed, the high-res versions never even made it to the FB server (...right?). Looks like my current 382 albums (yes, 382) will have to stay in low-res. :-/

[Nina Anthony]

09:52 AM on 10/04/2010

Finally. A Facebook change that I actually like.

[Eric Sarnoski]

12:59 PM on 10/01/2010

Wow with a new download option. Here we go again, piracy and copyright violations galore.
time to remove my images.

[mech]

05:22 PM on 10/01/2010

you've always been able to download pictures...

[Lore Splitt]

02:06 PM on 10/06/2010

By right clicking... meaning, the size you see is what you get. You could never blow up what you've been able to upload to facebook into a poster for example. If you could blow it up to be a 4 x 6 you'd be pushing it.

This, a download option to download a full image? Them letting you upload highdef shots? No. I'll keep my shots I upload very low res so even if downloaded, not much can be done with them thank you very much.

It doesn't mean much if you just have shots up of friends and family- but if you're a professional photographer- that's just bad.

[Justin Starling]

11:36 AM on 10/01/2010

Finally. The old uploader sucked.