Probably FIFTY times a month (that may be a slight exaggeration) I get asked by Mommies, "What software do you use for your photo editing and scrapbooks?" Deep down I slightly wince every time I am asked. It isn't that I am opposed to sharing this information. It is that I use a program called Adobe Photoshop. For those of you who use (or have attempted to use) Photoshop, you understand my hesitation in suggesting this software to the work 40-hours-a-week-with-3-kids-soccer-Mom with her point and shoot camera. For those of you who have never heard of or used Photoshop, let me get you up-to-date....It's "da BOMB." It is the ultimate super star in photo and graphic arts software. It will do EVERYTHING except your laundry (it may even do that and I just haven't found a tutorial on it yet). The downside to it? It is highly complex. It will be your best friend and your worst enemy. There are students who have gone four years of college using Photoshop to get a graphic arts degree and STILL do not know how to use it to 100% of it's capabilities. Not only that, Adobe is proud of it's products (and should be) so you will pay a pretty penny for it. All that being said, if you are willing to invest the time and money Photoshop is the ultimate software.
However, for those people who ACTUALLY have lives and do not want to commit 3 hours every evening "playing" with photos in Photoshop (I know I am a geek), I have the solution for you....Picnik.
The first thing I like about Picnik is that does a great job of encouraging the user to "play." For instance, I can go from making my photo black and white to a sepia tone with the click of a button. While many online photo editors give you those options, Picnik gives you THIRTY-SEVEN of them....and that's just for filters. There are hundreds of other options for effects.
Picnik also does a great job of balancing the "professional" side with the "fun" side. Many professional photographers use Picnik because it is so simple to use. I can remove red-eye and add a soft filter on my photograph in Picnik much more quickly than I can in Photoshop. However, the software is still something that is fun and easy for kids to use because there are digital stickers, text, and fun frames that can be added to the photos.
For those of you who use social media (and who doesn't?) Picnik can import photos from your social media site and export them directly to your site. Which means I can sit down at ANY computer, load one of my Facebook photos directly into Picnik, edit it, and export it back to Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, Photobucket, Webs, Picasa Web Albums, etc. so they can be seen instantaneously.
Picnik provides online forums for users to find out more "how to" information or discuss creative ideas with other Picnik users. It has a very in-depth FAQ section to help you with any questions you may have. However, Picnik is so user-friendly most people I know have never even needed it.
The best part about Picnik?...it is free. You do not even need to register to use most of their features. There is a premium package that can be purchased at $4.95 for 1 month, $19.95 for 6 months, and $24.95 for 1 year. This package will allow you to use more of Picnik's advanced features such as airbrushing and manually adjusting the levels of a photo. For me, the $24.95 for a year is worth it. But again, I am a photo geek who will spend hours playing with photos.
I have used this for about 4 years now and have not been able to find any other software that is more user-friendly and versatile than Picnik. It is the perfect software from the amateur who just wants to remove red-eye, to the professional who needs to remove elements with the clone tool. Come over to the "dark side" with the rest of us photo geeks and upload and play with a photo. You can find Picnik at www.picnik.com
I would love to know if any of you have used Picnik and what your thoughts are on it. Or if you have never tried Picnik before and played with it after reading this amazingly inspirational blog, come back and let me know about your experience. Has anyone ever run into any challenges using Picnik? What is your favorite feature on Picnik? Please share! As always, please remember to tweet/fb this post if you like it. Thank you so much!
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