Several readers seemed to like the free software applets that I featured in my recent Twofer Tuesday Utility post, so here are two more handy utilities that just might make your day.   This time, I’m highlighting a couple of great web-based graphics-editing applications that I’ve been using lately:

• Picnik is a free web-based application that’ll help you create masterpieces from your digital photographs.   After you complete the easy sign up, simply click upload photo from your local hard drive or open your photos from one of the several photo sharing sites that’re supported.
  
  One of the most exciting & useful features of Picnik is that it allows you to crop an photo without distorting the original image proportions.   Why’s that worth getting revved up about?   Well, that means you can start with an image that’s 400 x 300 px, crop out the portions of the photo you don’t need, and still end up with a 400 x 300 px image.   That’s perfect for projects where you need to keep image sizes consistent — like blog posts, for example.   This feature isn’t even available in most retail graphics & photo editing packages!

• Dumpr offers a small collection of (mostly) free web-based photo effects tools.   While I can’t vouch for exactly how practical or useful these effects tools are, they’re addictive, fun, & easy-to-use applications that’ll let you do some really creative things with your digital photos.
  
  My favorite of these is Museumr which lets you stick your own photo into an art gallery in a modern museum (See below!).   Some of the photo effects available are a tool to insert your snapshot into a paparazzi-inspired scene, create a Rubik’s Cube, change a photo into a pencil sketch, make a jigsaw puzzles, wrap an image around and much more!

Labels: software