Yahoo to shutter Yahoo Photos

Yahoo will shut down Yahoo Photos, one of its two photo-sharing sites, and focus all its efforts on its other photo-sharing site, Flickr.

Yahoo said it will close the site Sept. 20 at 6 p.m. EDT. Until then, users can move their photos to other photo-sharing services, including Flickr, Kodak Gallery, Shutterfly, Snapfish and Photobucket.

Yahoo said it will automatically move users' photos to the photo-sharing sites of their choice. In addition, users can download their original resolution photos to their computers. US users of the New Yahoo Photos can also get an archive CD for US$6.95 plus shipping from Yahoo's partner Englaze.

If users don't tell Yahoo what to do with the photos before the site closes, their photos will be deleted and will no longer be accessible.

"Of course, we hope you'll join us at Flickr, but we also realize that Flickr may not be for everyone," Yahoo said. "In the end, we want you to find the service that's right for you, and we hope you take some time to learn more about your options before making this important decision."

Yahoo Photo features in other Yahoo products such as Yahoo Mail, Yahoo Messenger and Mobile Web will also end, and users' photos will no longer be accessible from those services, the company said.