Online Photo Editing

Hi Everyone!

We all love to edit our photos. Let's face it. We may want to get rid of something that doesn't look too nice, change the filter, add overlays to an image, touch things up, etc. However, all of this can't be done with the basic features given on our smart phones, iPads/tablets, etc. So, we have to use other methods (such as the internet or an app) to accomplish this. I know people who have Photoshop can easily do this, but for those who don't, there are other alternatives. Today I'm going to give you some websites where you can edit your photos online for free. *Note: there are free options and paid options on each of these, so if you really like one of them and can afford it, I would recommend going with the paid option.

1. PicMonkey: This is probably my favorite one! I use PicMonkey to edit almost all my photos, and to also design blank canvases. I really like how organized the options on PicMonkey are, and find it very easy to add overlays, text, and do all the other things I need to do. You can start with a custom blank canvas (you pick the size) or upload an image and begin from there. There is a paid option in this called Royale which is better in that it has nicer options, but I use the free version when I edit my pictures. However, they currently have a 30-day Royale free trial you can sign up for . I personally think PicMonkey is the best for designing and jazzing up your pictures. The one complaint I have is that the website is pretty slow, and this can be kind of frustrating when you're trying to add text or overlays to your image. Once, the website froze, and whatever I was working on got lost so I had to restart it over again (I was not very happy). In summary, the free version of PicMonkey is great for doing basic designing and editing, but you need to be patient when using it.

2. Canva: I haven't played around much with Canva, but I can tell you it's pretty nice from the experience I've had. I tried this out for my first blog, and really liked that there were a lot of graphics to use (for free). It also worked a lot for faster and efficiently than PicMonkey. However, unlike PicMonkey and Pixlr (below), you need to set up an account even if you're going to use the free version.

3. Pixlr: I have never actually used this before, but many people say that you have a lot more control in the editing you're doing by using this over other choices. It's kind of like paint.net for those of you who have used that application. There are a few web apps you can launch for free and use- the different apps do different things.

I hope you found this helpful, and thanks for reading!

-Silvia

Wordle Review

Hello Everyone! 

Have you ever wanted to make a list of words look cool and interesting? Then Wordle is the perfect choice for you! Wordle is a website that generates word clouds from the text (words) that you provide. Your days of boring-looking lists of words are over. Simply enter your text, and Wordle will create a beautiful masterpiece of your words for you. You can also generate more than one word cloud with the same words. Did I forget to mention that you can also use the images you create however you want?! How cool is that!

I got introduced to Wordle in elementary school. We were doing a project for Thanksgiving about the things we were thankful for, and our teacher decided that we would each make a word cloud using Wordle for the project. That way, our work could be displayed in the hallways since it would look both neat and cool.

With the new school year starting in about a month (for students in the US), I thought it   would be a good idea to tell you all about another way to decorate. For example, if you were decorating your notebook for science class, you could create a word cloud using science related words, print it out, and glue it on the front cover! Not only would it jazz up your notebook, but it would also serve as a good indicator as to what subject the notebook is for. I haven't personally done this yet, but would like to do it sometime in the future. Also, if you don't feel like brainstorming and creating your own word cloud, you would probably be able to find one online that someone else created and shared.

Below are two word clouds I made about this blog. They both have the same words, but I made two of them to show you how the overall design can vary a lot.

I hope you enjoyed this post, and please let me know if you used Wordle to make your own word clouds!

-Silvia

App Review: Fresh Paint

Hi!

Today I'm going to be reviewing an app called Fresh Paint (Microsoft app). I'm pretty sure this app is only available for Windows, and the good thing is that it's free!


Source

This is probably one of the coolest apps I've ever tried out! Fresh Paint allows you to create artwork without even having to physically have art materials out. Not only can you start with a blank canvas and work to create whatever you want, but you can also upload an image onto a canvas and work form there. How cool is that? Also, this isn't just limited to painting/paints. You can use other materials too such as oil pastels and colored pencils. This is literally almost like your entire art set in one efficient app. I've mainly tried out the painting part of this app, because I love to paint and I find it so fascinating that my artwork looks like I  painted it with actual paints and brushes. Also, I find it more easier to paint than work with pastels or colored pencils because I use my computer mouse for this, and things can get a bit messy with those mediums. For painting, there two different types of paints you can choose from: watercolor and acrylic. There are different options for brush size, and you also have the option of creating custom colors using a color wheel and can blend colors together. The best part is that there is a fan at the bottom of the screen, and that really helps you with layering colors. It's like real life, except it speeds up the process. If you wanted to have your background be blue and wanted to paint a sun on top of it, in real life you would probably have to wait about 5-10 minutes until the blue dried before painting a yellow sun on top of it. With this app, you can have the drying process occur within seconds by simply clicking the fan. It's so easy!! The one concern I have with this app is that I don't think there is a way to add typed text to artwork- I wish there was, because it would be helpful for doing things like writing the title in the corner, name signing, and more. Below, I've included a painting I created using this app. Doesn't it look like I actually painted it?

What is your favorite art related app? Thanks for reading!

-Silvia