More in the Cloud

I didn't want to talk about cloud computing without mentioning a couple more sites that could free up your computer for more important things like games.  Which brings us to another commonly used program on your desktop or laptop.  I'm sure at one point in time, most people have had the need for photo editing software, and as good as MS Paint is, it just doesn't even come close to what Adobe Photoshop can do.  The problem is that Photoshop is so dang expensive, even for a personal use license. So where does one go for their photo editing needs? Why the internet of course.  And i don't mean to download Photoshop, even if it is available online if you know what i mean.  and i know that Gimp is available for download, and it's free but i wanted to feature apps that were online without the need to install. What i'm talking about is online photo editing tools.  And to my surprise, there are a few websites that offer such services.

My favorite one is Pixlr. Which is a full featured online photo editing tool.  Having alot of the same features that Photoshop does, Pixlr is an app that doesn't try to hold the user's hand with quick one click fixes. It's tool palette is very similar to photoshop. Whether you want to cut, crop, clone, or magic wand an image, Pixlr pretty much does it all. You can work with layers and filters, do adjustments, even play with levels and curves. It lets you work with pictures that you upload, or pictures that you can find on the internet. It's pretty powerful for something that works in browser, and most of all, it's free.  Pixlr also offers quick fixes with it's Pixlr Express, so check it out if there are photo editing jobs that you need to do without access to Gimp or Photoshop, or Corel's Paintshop Pro.

Another similar site is FotoFlexer. I haven't really tried this site, but it looks like it could do some decent photo editing in a pinch. Red eye removal, morphing effects, smart selection. It's the type of photo editor that you might use if you're trying to upload a funny picture to facebook, or myspace. Maybe the kind of photo editor that your grandma would use if she wanted to fix remove the red eye thing that happens from those pictures she took with her pocket digital camera. 

One more site that i've seen mentioned around the interwebs is Picnik. Similar to fotoflexer it offers an easy interface which lets users make quick adjustments to their pictures for quick sharing on social media sites. It also lets you edit pics that you've already uploaded to various websites like Flickr and picasa web albums, facebook, myspace even photobucket.

Of course these sites really won't replace the power of a dedicated Photo Editing Suite, except maybe Pixlr; but for someone who doesn't want all the bells and whistles that Gimp may offer, and is disappointed by the limited features of MS Paint. The Cloud photo editing apps might just be the answer.