Web Finds: Online Image Editors

A few weeks ago I featured some image editing software you can download for free, install and use to edit photos easily. But then I realized, some people may might not have the 'privilege' to download and install stuff from the internet (ex. those using internet cafe PCs or office workstations). So those tools might be practically useless.

Thankfully, there are tools anyone can use to edit photos without downloading or installing anything. There are a handful of excellent online image editors you can try. Here are five of the best ones.

Pixenate - A quick and easy editor, Pixenate lets you work on your photos using basic functions such as crop, resize, and rotate. It also has a spirit level function that lets you straighten photos that seem a bit askew. Aside from the controls for brightness, contrast and saturation, a nifty tool lets you whiten teeth too! The site also offers six fun effects including lomo (short for lomography). Now you can create lomo photos without buying expensive Lomo camera. The site loads fast and you can have good-looking photos in a jiffy.

Picnik - This site has a pretty interface and great editing tools. There's a cool 'Auto-fix' button that works just like Picasa's 'I'm Feeling Lucky' button - it lets you enhance your image in just one click. Other notable image editing tools include an Exposure button that lets you adjust exposure and contrast and even adjust levels with the 'Advanced' button. In terms of editing tools, Picnik may well be the online version of Picasa. However, the site uses Adobe Flash Player which might not be installed in some computers.

Phixr - Another photo editing tool with most of the basic functions offered by the first two mentioned sites but with a less attractive and less user-friendly interface. Yet it works well too.

Cellsea - Taking online image editing a few notches higher, Cellsea introduces a wide range of tools not found in the first two previously mentioned sites. Aside from the basic editing tools, Cellsea also lets you remove noise or smooth out grainy looking photos. There are also tools you'd normally find in advanced editing software including a variety of blurs, effects and distortions. These are probably for more advanced users.

Facefilter Live - This is an interesting site that offers instant online photo makeover slash facial reconstruction. Simply put, it lets you change your facial expression provided that you upload a photo subject that looks directly forward. The site wasn't working and I couldn't edit the photo I uploaded so I can't give you a first-hand account of how it works.

However, there is a sample photo mode you can experiment on. There you can select from 'emotional templates' to change the facial expression of the pre-loaded subject. Some are funny (like 'Monkey' and 'Young' modes), others a bit freaky (like the 'Angry' and 'Fox' modes). If only the site works, I could have posted a photo of myself in 'Monkey' mode. Haha. Buti na lang 'di gumagana ang site.

So there, five useful online image editing tools you can use to work on your photos without the need to download or install anything. Overall, I liked using Picnik for quick editing and touch-ups. Pixenate works faster though. Meanwhile, the one from Cellsea is tops when it comes to versatility.

Just a friendly tip for those accessing these sites in their office workstations, if unnecessary web browsing is prohibited, make sure you visit these sites only at your spare time (like on breaks, for instance) so that you will not get in trouble, okay? Hehe. ;-)

Dex Recommends: Free Image Editing Software

Do you find MS Paint's functions too basic and you need more image editing features when working with your photos? Are you a wannabe photographer like me who needs an easy-to-use but costless photo editing and manipulation software? If you don't have access to, or have very limited knowledge in Photoshop and other professional image manipulation software you can opt for more user-friendly but effective software you can download for free. Here are some image editing software I use:

Picasa - If you need an idiot-proof and very easy-to-use image editing software and photo organizer, Picasa is highly recommended. It is a freeware application now owned by Google which helps you clean up your digital photo collection by easily locating and organizing the photos in your computer. The best features Picasa offers are the basic photo editing tools such as color enhancement, red-eye reduction, cropping and many more. You can also add effects that can transform your photos from ordinary to exciting in just a click of a button.

Neat Image - Does your digital photo look grainy and rough? That's called image noise. Unless you intentionally want a grainy looking photo, these visible image noise can be quite annoying. Now, you can reduce image noise in your digital photos with the help of one application: Neat Image. This app makes your images look better by reducing the visible noise and grain. You can even use it to even out skin tone or smoothen your portraits for a picture-perfect finish. Just don't overdo it or you'll end up looking like a very smooth balloon.

Paint.NET - Do you want a less costly (Read: free) alternative to Photoshop with most of the functions you need right at your fingertips? Then you should definitely try Paint.NET. I have been using this app for two years now -- basically for minor editing tasks -- and it works like a charm.I have yet to unlock the full capability of Paint.NET, though, since I still have limited knowledge of most of its functions. But it's definitely a permanent fixture in my list of must-have applications.

The GIMP - Short for GNU Image Manipulation Program, GIMP is another top-notch photo retouching and image manipulation software that offers almost all the functionality of Photoshop but none of the cost. GIMP can process digital graphics and photographs with excellent results. I have yet to fully use GIMP's features though. Anybody want to give me free lessons on how to use GIMP? Hehe

FastStone Photo Resizer 2.4 - Want to protect your photo from plagiarism? Add a text watermark to it using FastStone's Photo Resizer/image converter. It also lets you rename, resize, crop, rotate and change the color depth of your photos in a quick and easy batch mode.

Picture Resizer 2.0 - This is a no-fuss, easy to use Photo Resizer that takes up very little space in your computer. Simply download the file to your desktop, which appears as a simple icon, then drag and drop your image files on the application icon to resize. By default, the app resizes pictures to 400 pixels but you can change the size by renaming the icon -- for example, rename to Photoresize200.exe to produce 200-pixel images.

So there, all these applications are freeware and they're readily available on the net. Just click on the links I provided. If you have other image editing software in mind, don't forget to leave a comment. :-)