Photography Blog

Most people tend not to think about the details of their online photo sharing experience. As long as their photos get from their computers to their online photo album, they could care less about the processes that got it there. The way that digital cameras designed, this really isn’t a problem, as most cameras and photo editing software support this approach. However, there’s a lot more that goes into online photo sharing than is obvious on the surface.
Those who are interested in the fundamentals of digital photography may be curious about different file formats. Many have heard or seen the terms for picture file extensions, such as .jpg (or JPEG), .gif, .tif, and .png. What do all these different three letter extensions mean?
JPEGs
The term JPEG actually stands for “Joint Photographic Experts Group” – the group that initially created the standard back in 1992. Since then, the JPEG has become the most commonly found picture file type on the Internet. This is primarily because JPEGs offer a tremendous amount of flexibility in terms of its compression and picture quality. That is, its possible to significantly reduce the storage size of a JPEG file by also reducing the quality. Back when the Internet was first starting out, downloading mutli-megabyte picture files just wasn’t practical. JPEGs could maintain a reasonable image quality while making the file size of the image much smaller.
JPEGs have remained an Internet standard thanks to this quality. People are able to make images much easier to transfer between computers without losing a significant amount of picture quality. The drawback to JPEGs is that it is a “lossy” format – this means that each time a picture is edited and resaved in the JPEG format, it loses a degree of quality.
TIFFs
TIFF stands for Tagged Image File Format. TIFF files are versatile and high quality, supporting up to 48-bit color depth (compared to 8-bit for GIFs and 24-bit for JPEGs). The downsides of this format are two-fold. For one, TIFF files have a wide variance and an image viewer that can view one type of TIFF file can’t necessarily view anther. Secondly, TIFF files are not widely supported by web browsers, making them impractical for online photo sharing.
GIFs and PNGs
GIF stands for Graphics Interchange Format. Like the JPEG, GIF files are also commonly found all around the Internet. GIF files are comparatively limited in their color palette – having only 256 colors to work with. This make GIFs a good choice for relatively simple pictures without a lot of color differences, such as cartoons and simple logos. While it a lossless format that doesn’t degrade in quality, it’s pretty rare that you’ll see a photograph in a GIF format in the modern age, since most cameras are able to take pictures with significantly more color depth.
PNGs, or Portable Network Graphics files, are the successor to GIFs. Unlike GIFs, they support truecolor, a 16-million color palette. PNGs are lossless, making them great for editing photos. Most web browsers support PNGs, but they can still be quite large. In many cases, the best choice is to edit a file in PNG format, then convert to JPEG for distribution.

Once you have discovered the many uses of creating photo stories such as sharing your adventures with family and friends, creating an online journal or creating a story to highlight your qualifications in order to boost your college application or resume you will want to use free photo editing software to create your stories. Finding free photo editing software online to create your stories is easy because there are many sites and programs to choose from. You will want to choose the best free photo editing software for the type of stories you want to create, however. You can even create a free online photo album.
You should look for free photo editing software that allows your stories as much flexibility as possible. You should be able to resize your photos, create backgrounds from a variety of designs and colors and place the text where you would like it to go. You also want the software to allow you to edit your photos to reduce redeye and eliminate flaws in the photo. The ability to crop your photos is also helpful so that the image is focused on the subject and displayed to its fullest potential. In fact, your free photo editing software that you use for creating your photo stories should be able to do anything you can do with regular photo editing software PLUS the capability to add your text in a creative fashion.
Even the best professional photographers regularly use photo editing software, so budding photo storytellers should not feel that their photos are second-rate just because they need some editing with free photo editing software to create stories that are compelling. Editing is just a way of taking a good photo and making it great so free photo editing takes your stories to the next level. You want your viewers to focus on the subject of the photo and be drawn into your story so removing imperfections and cropping unnecessary scenery can help them zero in on the important elements of your photo story.
Finding the best photo editing program online for your stories will ensure that your creativity will not have limits. You want your photo story to translate from your mind onto the computer screen just the way you see it and the right editing program will help you do just that. In fact, all the editing tools and options that are available may just make the photo story you develop better than you could’ve imagined.
Creating photo stories is a great hobby that has so many possible uses such as: creating a family history, recording a vacation, journaling your thoughts and feelings or just keeping in touch with friend and family. Free photo editing for your stories makes this fun hobby even better in these difficult economic times. With a couple of clicks of your mouse you can be on your way to creating memories that will last a lifetime with free photo editing and the stories of your adventures with your family and friends. What could be better than that?

Half of the fun of shooting digital pictures is to edit the photo using software to get the best result you want. There are many good software programs from simple to advanced that can help any amateur photographer for free. Here are my top choices for no cost software photo editors, based on the type of changes you might want to use.
Ifranview – Best known for viewing but also has editing capabilities.
Extremely easy to learn and use for basic editing like cropping, color adjustments, special effects, and file formats. It was first published in 1995 and if you just want to crop and rotate, change the file type, or adjust the color balance of a picture, this is a good tool. Extremely simple but and easy to learn than more complicated image editors. It is small, fast on any computer, and also has a great slide viewer too.
Photoscape – Extensive capabilities and small learning curve
If you need pixel editing features and other advanced editing tasks, Photoscape is a great choice. With tons of different features and also quick to learn. Photoscape has different modules for various editing tasks that include a viewer, editor, batch processor, converter, print layout tool, screen capture, combining photos and even a search function using face recognition. This is an excellent photo editor for children and beginners.
GIMP – Steep learning curve but very high-end features
For amateurs who need some serious editing photos power, GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is a raster graphics editor, provides very sophisticated features. Like the commercial software Adobe Photoshop, you can perform many tasks with sophisticated editing in GIMP. In development since 1995, this software is available on virtually any platform, including Mac OS. The features are extensive which means that there is somewhat of a stiff learning curve too. But for dedicated amateurs, it is an excellent choice and can provide many of the same abilities of popular and expensive commercial software for photo editing. But there are a ton of tutorials and forums that can help get a new user up to speed quickly.
Picasa – Google’s Photo Editor and Also A Online Sharing Version
If you want to both edit and share your photos online, Google has an online application called Picasa that can do both. One of Google’s new applications created in recent years, Picasa has many features and is very easy to learn and use. You can edit your pictures, then organize them into web albums and share them with friends and family online with Picasa Web Albums application. It also gives you a great way to safeguard important photos just in case your home computer loses your original copies. You can also order prints and even elements with printed pictures for gifts.
All the above software has the basics and can provide the novice with a free solution for digital photo editing. You can find their website by searching by name in Google (too many links to put in the article). All the software has great support and it is fairly easy to find answers to questions online. Some offer tutorials, some did not even need tutorials since they are so easy to learn and use.
With the holiday season fast approaching, it is time to grab the digital camera and start taking photos. Even if you don’t always get the perfect shot, you can go and make changes or improvements using one of these free photo software editors.

Because lots of photo editing software are in market nowadays, you may be hard up in choosing which one is the best. Some are also free of charge, you can find these free photo editor on the Internet. However, we have to consider a few things in choosing free photo editing software either in the Internet or in the Market

So, what are things to consider when choosing a software to edit your photos? Here are important features to consider:

Let us presume that majority of free photo software nowadays offers basic editing tools, like sharpen, brightness, saturation and crop, contrast, red eye removal, and hue. Apart from these, there are more great advanced features added, if you’re going to make use them.

For instance, there’s something so called as the Curves. Curves are a more advanced photo editing which permits you to manage highlights, lightness, and so on. If you think it would be very advantageous for you, then that could be something to look for in photo editing software.

Where to Find the Tools

I often find it very significant for photo editing software to be user friendly. I do not know how you evaluate it, but I hate to search for tools I want to make use of. As far as I’m concerned, I like to use them when they’re easily to be found. Of course, if you are using the photo editor and particular tools frequently, you will get used to it.

Viewing and Locating Images Easily

Some editing software applications are as well great photo viewers. For instance, you may be allowed to change the sizes of the photos. Check if the software have options for viewing photo layouts.

Easy and Effective Resizing of Image

You must have alternatives for resizing the file size and the physical size of your photo, and it must be easy to do that so. Adjusting the photo’s physical size can change how you perceive the picture on the screen, while altering the file size can make it smaller which makes a lot faster to upload. It will as well then occupy fewer space on your PC.

Are all Software free?

Probably not all. However, the purpose is to look for free photo editing software that would do what’s most significant to you. Perhaps, batch editing isn’t something you will use. Or perhaps, you do not mind opening-up the original photo to compare to the one that is edited, if it is easy to do so.

It is not hard to download some and try them. See which one you like doing the editing with the best. After all, they are free.

Life is so busy these days and it often seems there aren’t enough hours in the day. Keeping in touch with family and friends via the internet helps people stay in touch even during the busiest times. A quick email isn’t always enough, however and creating online photo stories with free photo editing software can be the answer. Your stories help your friends and family to feel closer to you as they keep up with all the activities in your life. From the soccer game to the third grade school play your photo stories can help family and friends feel like they were there.
Fitting in one more activity into your busy life may seem impossible, but free photo editing software makes creating your photo stories quick and easy. There are so many options in free photo editing programs for stories that allow you to simply click, click and go. Drag and drop in your photos, click the mouse here to reduce redeye and there to cover a pimple. Crop the photo to remove the garbage can in the background and resize it so everyone can see the cute little faces better. Click again and add your story in the text box. Click to choose your background and theme and choose the font you want. In just a few minutes you have created a priceless treasure to share with family and friends everywhere.
You can create photo stories for every occasion or none at all.
Maybe you catch a priceless shot of the kids helping each other with homework or the cat eating the cereal that got left on the table. Within minutes your great aunt on the other side of the country could be getting a chuckle from the scene in a creative and quick photo story you created with free photo editing software. Stories help your photos create meaningful memories that will last forever for you and the people you care about. Why not send create photo stories instead of plain old emails when it is so quick and easy to do?
Microwaves gave us meals in seconds instead of hours. Email gave us communication at the speed of light and photo editing gives you stories in just a few minutes instead of hours spent creating a scrapbook. Not only is it quicker and free, but you can share your photo stories with as many people as you would like to, no matter how remote or distant the relation. You can even use free photo editing software to create Christmas photo stories instead of sending Christmas cards or newsletters. People can view them whenever they like and never have to decide whether to throw them out or stuff them in a box somewhere.
In short, free photo editing for your stories helps you keep up with your high-speed lifestyle while still keeping your friends, family, acquaintances or even complete strangers up to date on the latest news in your life. There is no reason not to get started right away to create these lifelong memories.

There is lots of free photo editing software available. Many are excellent for most editing needs, and some even have advanced tools.
So, what are some of the things to look for when you are choosing a program to edit your photos with?Here some features that I feel are important.
Let’s assume that most photo software today offers the basic editing tools, such as saturation, sharpen, brightness and contrast, hue, crop, and red eye removal. Other than these, more advanced features are a plus….if you are going to use them.
For example, there is something called Curves. This is a more advanced edit which allows you to control lightness, highlights and so on in the same editing tool. If you feel it would be advantageous to you, then that would be something to look for in photo editing software. However, there is no point looking for a tool such as this if you know it is not for you.
One feature that I find extremely useful is being able to look at your original photo and the one you are editing (a duplicate) on the same screen. This saves you the time of re-opening the original to see if you like the changes you made. Looking at both images together allows you to see if you have saturated too much, if the crop is acceptable, if it has become to light or too dark, etc.
Types of Sharpening
There are many different kinds of sharpening methods in photo software. Most free software offers simple sharpening. For example, Picasa 3 provides a slider with which you can increase or decrease the amount of sharpening. If you use Irfanview, you must click to sharpen the image, and then click again to sharpen it more. If you feel you need more sophisticated methods, you might consider paying for more advanced photo software.
So, Where Are Those Tools?
I always find it important for editing software to be user friendly. I don’t know about you, but I hate to have to search for the tool I want to use. As far as I am concerned, I like it when they are easily found, not hidden away. Of course, if you use the software and particular tools regularly, you do get used to it.
Easy But Effecting Image Resizing
You should have options for resizing both the physical size and the file size of your image, and it should be easy to do so. Adjusting the physical size will change how you see the image on the screen (or in print), while changing the file size will make it smaller, making it faster to upload. It will also then take up less space on your computer. I like to have some choices and be able to see what the resized image looks like with various file sizes.
Can You View and Locate Your Images Easily?
Some editing programs are also great image viewers. For example, you might be able to change thumbnail sizes. Are there options for viewing your photo layouts? With some, you can edit in batches (such as re-sizing or changing image file extensions) or even sync with online web albums.
Can You Have It All For Free?
Probably not. However, the goal is to find free photo editing software that will do what is most important to you. Maybe batch editing is not something you would use. Or maybe you don’t mind opening up the original image to compare to the edited one, if it’s easy to do so.
It’s not difficult to download a few and try them out. See which you like working with the best. After all…they are free.
Some that I recommend are Paint.net, FastStone Image Viewer, Irfanview, Web Resizer, and Picasa 3. I have written reviews of these programs on my website.

Learning to use new technology is always a confusing experience. They are often full of complex jargon and you may feel lost without some kind of reference. If you’re interested in trying your hand at editing photos in order to share them online, then read on for some definitions of common terms you might find.
Cloning Tool
A cloning tool is a basic copying tool that allows you to copy a part of an image to essentially create a “brush.” Once you’ve copied the part of the image that you want, you can just use your mouse to paint that same like you would draw a line in a basic paint program. This is most useful when you have a specific texture that somehow ended up with some sort of blemish. You can simply paint over the blemish and, if done correctly, it will look like the natural texture. Some software programs have a feature that can automatically do this for you.
Fill-Flash
Fill-flash is sometimes referred to as a highlight or shadow adjustment tool. This tool can help you fix a photo in which the background is too dark, or the subject of the photo is too light (or vice versa). As with the cloning tool, many software programs have an option to perform this automatically for your convenience.
Adjustment Layers
Adjustment layers are a fairly advanced feature that allows you to edit a photo with affects without actually altering the photo itself. That is, instead of making changes to the picture itself, you create additional layers that are superimposed on top of the standard picture. You can edit the main photo or any of the additional layers at any point, or even delete the extra layers without affecting the main picture. Depending on what software you’re using, you may even be able to adjust the transparency of the extra layers to whatever level you desire.
Type Effects
This term refers to effects that can be placed on text entered on your image. Depending on the type of software you’re using, you may have to use a text tool to input your text, or you may be able to add text directly onto the image. In either case, type effects allow you to add effects like shadows, 3D effects, warped text, and many more.
Selection Tools
Selection tools are the tools that you use to select a part of an image that you want to manipulate. For instance, basic selection tools might commonly come in shapes like squares or circles. However, there are also advanced selection tools that allow for more unique interactions with the image you’re editing. For instance, one type of selection tool might allow you to select all parts of an image that have the same color. Or, for maximum flexibility, you can use a lasso type tool to select exactly which parts of the image you want to work with.
Obviously the world of photo editing is very complex and these are just a few basic terms. If you run across other terms that you don’t understand, you should just make a backup of your picture and experiment to find out what they do. You may be able to really improve the quality of some pictures and make your online photo sharing experience all the better.