How to Add Pictures to your Annotated Map.
Adding pictures to your annotated map requires an account with an online photo gallery that is compatible with Google Maps. Links to these sites are provided by Google Maps. Don't worry, both of them are free. I used Picasa Web Albums but another choice is Panaramio. Other sites that provide embedding codes may also work. It is easy to sign up!
To upload your pictures, log into your Picasa account and select Upload Photos. First it will ask you to choose an existing album or to create a new album. The neat thing about this site is that you can even tell the photo gallery where you took the pictures and it will make a map of where your pictures were taken. It is also important to note that these pictures are public unless you choose to make an unlisted album. For safety you should choose to make an unlisted album.
After you name your new album or select an existing album it will allow you to upload photographs from your computer. It is very similar to when you add an attachment to an email. Simply browse your computer folders for photographs you want to add (up to 5 at a time) and select Start Upload.
There are many cool things you can do to add details to the pictures in your gallery (add captions, add comments, add a location, etc.).
Now that your photos are in your online gallery you can add them to your annotations. Before you start you should have both Google Maps and Picasa open in different windows on your web browser. This will make it easier to transfer the pictures from one site to the other. Have your placemark boxes on Google Maps open to the edit session so you can add the picture to the information you already entered with ease.
To add a picture, first select the album then select the picture you want. Once you are viewing the picture by itself you will see a menu to the right. Select Link to this Photo. Another menu will appear with two choices, to link or to embed. You could do either but if you want the picture to be seen in the annotation you must choose to embed it. Before you copy the code choose the size you want the picture to be once it is embedded. I used the thumbnail size. Highlight and copy the code provided and paste it into the description box on Google Maps*. Voila!
*When you add the picture make sure the placemark's setting is on Edit HTML so you can see the picture. At times I had trouble with my picture not appearing and sometimes this made a difference.
