A huge part of creating good content is creating good images, or at least creating entertaining images. I have Photoshop on my work computer but am far too cheap to put it on my laptop (especially with Adobe’s latest subscription model). And for me, Photoshop is a bit over-complicated for what I want to do anyway. Here are some great web-based apps for creating and editing snappy dapper photos when you only have a few minutes to spare.
Picmonkey
Seattle-based Picmonkey has been a favourite of mine since Picnic bit the Google-buyout bullet. It has some similar features to Picnic (which is now the Picasa photo editor) but is constantly releasing new features and filters. Beyond basic edits and touch ups you can add text, borders, graphic overlays and filter effects. My current favourite is the Ombre effect which does this jazzy blue (you can change the colour) fade business.
While I have a subscription that gives me access to every feature, this is more than enough to keep you happy for free as well. They also have a pretty sweet Facebook app that allows you to edit photos pulled straight from your FB albums.
Collages
Picmonkey also a handy collage tool that lets you upload multiple photos and lay them out using preloaded templates. Great for product shots and events.
Pixlr
Totally free and 3 options depending on how creative you want to get with your photo wizardry.
Pixlr-o-matic
Not quite as amazing as their mobile app, Pixlr-o-matic still has plenty of game going on. You can upload a photo, apply effects and add overlays and borders. They have quite a few options to play around with, especially if you’re going for bright and playful photos. My only complaint is that the 1:1 cropping function doesn’t allow you to edit what portion of the photo is being cropped. When that’s an issue, I crop photos before uploading them to the app.
Express
Express is basically the web version of their sweet mobile app which means you can apply cool effects like this:
You can also apply text and make basic adjustments. It’s a great feature for someone who likes to play around but isn’t comfortable using more Photoshop-like tools.
Editor
To me, Editor feels very similar to some open source photo-editing programs. You can create new images, edit using layers, paint, burn, dodge, blur and a number of other tools that will be familiar to Photoshop users. One small drawback is not being able to resize an image that you open as a new layer. Though, it is possible that I just haven’t figured out how to do that yet.
Do you have a favourite photo editing app that you’d like to share? Leave a comment and let us know what it is!
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