Downloadr is a top of its class application as it provides all the functionality one would expect from a downloader with ease of use that makes it possible to start downloading photos from Flickr in just a few clicks.

It supports authentication when needed but can also be run by users who do not have a Flickr account. A search can be conducted by entering tags, a username, fulltext or places with additional filters like dates or creative common photos available.

50 Flickr photos are displayed per page by default which can be changed in the options. All it actually takes to download the photos is to select some or all that have been returned by the software followed by clicking on the Download selected button. Downloadr will always download the largest available photo size from Flickr.

Photos can be previewed in a larger size in the application. Information about the photographer, tags, exif data and photo are retrieved and displayed in the preview window as well.

A right-click on any search result displays various additional options including related tags that can be searched for, loading the photo page on Flickr or searching for additional photos taken by the user who took the photo.

Authentication is required before private photos can be downloaded. A handy backup option is provided to backup all photos in just a few clicks.

Exif and IPTC data is automatically written so that the information are preserved in the photo downloads. The developer of the Flickr photo downloader has created a screencast that demonstrates the functionality.

Downloadr is compatible with most Microsoft Windows operating systems including 64-bit editions. It requires the Microsoft .net Framework 3.5.

It works with direct connections of the photo frame but also memory cards and other storage devices that might be used to update the photo storage on the digital photo frame.

The program itself is easy to use but not so easy to setup as it requires quite a bit of configuration before it can be used. The software comes with a configuration utility that needs to be executed during the first connection.

This tool scans the connected devices and tries to identify the digital photo frame that is connected to the PC. The user has to pick a drive letter manually if that fails.

Probably the most difficulty parts of the configuration are the selection of the frame type and setting the api key, authentication token and shared secret under Flickr Options. The developer of Flickr2Frame has published a tutorial that walks the user through the process of getting those information and entering them into the software.

The main software program will then download photos under the selected label and user account from Flickr to the designated storage space on the device. if the digital photo frame is connected directly it will automatically move them in the right directory (erasing all files in that directory first) so that they can be displayed afterwards. An option to keep the photos that are already in the directory would be really nice to avoid losing photos this way.

Flickr2Frame is available at the Codeplex website. It is compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 and requires the Microsoft .net Framework 2.0 or higher to be installed on the computer system it is being executed on.

ZFlick is just one of those applications. It has been designed for Adobe Air and can be executed from the local computer system after startup. The interface displays just a search form at the beginning which can be used to initiate a search for photos at Flickr.

The application will then display 50 thumbnails of photos that are related to the search term entered by the user with the option to browse additional pages with the controls on top. The exact number of matches and pages is displayed next to the controls to give the user an overview of the photos that have been found.

A click on a thumbnail will load a larger view of the photo in the application. It is from here possible to open the photo on Flickr directly or drag and drop it to download it to the local computer system. A left-right click will return to the thumbnail view again.

The photos that can be downloaded are not of the largest size which is really the only criticism that users could have. An option to change the default photo size that gets downloaded would be appreciated.

ZFlick requires Adobe Air which makes it a compatible with different operating systems including Microsoft Windows and Mac OS. It can be downloaded from the developer’s website.

Flickr Uploadr is a computer program that is available for Windows and Mac users. It can be used to easily upload multiple photos from the local computer system to the popular photo hosting website Flickr. The photo uploader offers a clean interface. Photos can be added from the build in file browser or by dragging and dropping them into the interface.

Flickr Uploadr will automatically display thumbnails of each photo that has been loaded into the software. A click on a photo will display various tags in the right sidebar. It is for example possible to change the title, description, tags or safety level of the photos. Other options include hiding the selected photos from public areas at Flickr and defining which user group is allowed to see the photo.

One interesting option is the ability to selected multiple photos at once so that information can be changed for all of them at once.

Flickr Uploadr requires permissions and a logged in user to work. The program will automatically open the Flickr website and display an authorization prompt for the software after login. The program needs to be authorized only once. for every Flickr account.

Flickr Uploadr will display the disk space for the remaining month and the full size of all photos that have been added to the photo uploader software.

A final click on Upload will initiate the transfer of the photos to the Flickr account.

Flickr Uploadr is compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista and Mac OSX 10.4 and 10.5.

The script will display a small ORG overlay in the upper left corner of each thumbnail which is the clickable direct link to the full image on Flickr. This does not work on all thumbnails but on most. Not working thumbnails are for example those where the uploaders prohibited direct links.

A click on the ORG overlay will open the image in full size in a new tab in the web browser. Users might want to edit the allowed websites and pages of the userscript to add websites that they visit regularly where Flickr thumbnails get posted. The author of the script did include a handful of sites including Flickr obviously.

Surprisingly though not all Flickr pages are included in the website list. You might want to add an entry like http://*.flickr.com/* to the list of allowed sites to include all pages on Flickr.