Unity Photos lens landed in Ubuntu 12.10 (by default)

Unity Photos lens is a handy lens that gathers, categorizes and displays both local and online images, items exposed in the Dash.

The supported online sources (work-in-progress) are Flickr, Facebook and Picasa, consequently, uploading images to the mentioned services, automatically exposes them in the Dash via the handiness of the Photos lens.

Weeks ago, various "official rumors" stated that, in Ubuntu 12.10, new default additions are to probably land, especially in the Unity "zone", goal achieved by the newly landed Unity Photos lens 0.4 in Quantal (by default), increasing the number of default lenses to 5.

A definitely interesting aspect of the 0.4 version is its approach of dealing with user accounts, meaning, Unity Photos lens automatically uses one's accounts from System Settings' Online Accounts (as opposed to opening the lens and clicking an authorize-specific button from inside the Dash).

By default, the Photos lens exposes, under Sources, Picasa, yet, by authorizing Flickr and Facebook, the lens automatically adds Flickr and Facebook (as sources), meaning, automatically gathering and pushing into the lens images from Flickr and Facebook.

In order to authorize (and thus add to the Photos lens) Picasa, Flickr and Facebook, navigate to Unity panel's "cog"-->System Settings-->Online Accounts-->Add (authorizing Google, automatically authorizes Picasa).

Unity Photos lens' usage is as simple as opening the lens and typing a word in the search area, action "resolved" by the lens by displaying matched images, including Friends Photos (category that houses images from Facebook) and Online Photos (containing Flickr images).

Along with the online approach, Unity Photos lens uses Shotwell as a data generator, in the sense of using and displying images added to Shotwell; navigating to Shotwell-->File-->Import From Folder/Application, adds the selected images to Shotwell, added images displayed in the Photos lens under My Photos category.

Dealing with an image bears a double-sided approach, meaning, the user can simply click on a picture (action that opens it via its default file handler and/or via the web-browser directly on its Flickr, Facebook page) and/or right-click on it, thus summoning the Previews, previews applicable for online items, too (like for instance, right-clicking on a Flickr image, opens it in its preview mode with big-sized image, title, various details, as well as the ability to open it in its Flickr page by clicking the View button).