New Dropbox Beta Adds iPhoto Imports, Screenshot Sharing

Dropbox's latest experimental build brings some nifty features to the cloud storage service. Users will be able to easily share screenshots, import photos using iPhoto on OS X, the ability to send outside files straight to Dropbox, and faster upload speed for files. This merely just an experimental build, so some of these features may not see the light of day.

As for screenshot sharing, Dropbox can automatically transfer any screenshot taken in Windows or OS X to a Screenshots folder in Dropbox. From there, Dropbox will automatically share the file and create a public link on the system clipboard, meaning that you can take a screenshot, and simply paste the link into an email or an IM to share it. It's definitely a much quicker way than before.

OS X users with iPhoto 7.0 or higher can also use the new Dropbox beta to import photos into Dropbox and turn them into public galleries that you can share with friends and family. Dropbox has a pretty simple web interface for viewing photos, so it's great that iPhoto users can take advantage of sharing their photos through the cloud now.

Another feature to the new experimental build is a "Move to Dropbox" context menu item that will appear for "most files or folders outside of your Dropbox." It will allow users to right-click on a file outside of Dropbox and have it moved to the main Dropbox folder — a nifty feature if you want to quickly back up files to the cloud without any hassle. Dropbox also won't share these types of files either, so privacy is kept in this situation.

And of course, the updated build will also come with the usual bug fixes and performance improvements, including faster upload speeds for "large files." Dropbox reiterates that experimental builds are exactly that: experimental, meaning that some of these features may not arrive in the final version, and it all depends on the user feedback they receive.

SOURCE: Dropbox Forums