PPP is the designation for the project control file, which isn't playable but can be reloaded to continue editing.
When clicking SAVE, and selecting JPG for the output type, a prompt asks if you want to "overwrite file?" Save AS allows for a new write to a folder and filename of your choice. This in essence is an export in the format that has been chosen.
AI offers these further suggestions...
"PhotoPad can overwrite the original file, but only if you use Save on the image itself; Save As or project-style saves create a separate output file instead of replacing the source. What you’re seeing in the Photopad/Application Support area is the app’s project/library storage, not your finished export folder, and .ppp is PhotoPad’s project format.
What to use
For your eBay workflow, the practical path is:
- Open the JPEGs from the folder you want to work in.
- Edit them.
- Use File > Save if you want the edited image to replace the original JPEG in that same folder.
- Use Save As or Save for Web if you want to write a new JPEG to a different name or location.
Why the originals stayed unchanged
PhotoPad keeps a project record when you work in a multi-step editing workflow, and that can show up as .ppp files in its own storage area. That means the edits may be preserved inside PhotoPad even though the Finder copy in the original folder still looks untouched until you actually save over it. In other words, the app is separating “working state” from “exported file,” which is why it feels different from Picasa.
Recommended setup
If you want the simplest replacement for Picasa, use PhotoPad this way:
- Open photos directly from the real Finder folder.
- Make your crop/straighten edits.
- Save, not just close the project.
- Confirm the file in Finder is the updated JPEG.
- Avoid relying on the internal library as your working destination unless you specifically want PhotoPad-managed projects.
If it still won’t overwrite
Check whether PhotoPad is prompting you to save as a project or a different format, because that will preserve edits separately instead of replacing the JPEG. Also verify you are not using a batch or library mode that exports into PhotoPad-managed folders rather than back into the source folder. If needed, use Save for Web or Save As and point the destination at the original folder, then replace the old file manually.
Best answer for your case
Yes, you likely need to export or save directly over the original JPEG, not just “save” the project state inside PhotoPad’s own library. If your goal is a Picasa-like workflow where the source folder itself becomes the finished upload folder, the key is making PhotoPad write the final JPEG back into that same Finder folder rather than leaving edits in .ppp project storage."