Web-designers and photo-savvy teens alike, everybody needs to edit a picture once in a while. Photoshop is great, but expensive and relatively hard to use. Alternatives like Gimp can solve the first problem, but sometimes we’re just too lazy to learn stuff. That’s why you turn to the interweb. Here are some great (and not-so-great) online image editing apps. I stumbled upon most of them using the MakeUseOf.com Directory, neat tool for anybody who’s curious.

Ranked in order of [estimated] deliciousness.

1. Picnik

Amazing!

2. Mashface Beta

Littered with face parts, Mashface gives a strong first impression. The home page has an introduction video featuring so-called mashes of Barack Obama and John McCain, along with some other guy I don’t know, maybe Tom Cruise. The site’s purpose, to literally mash different faces together, is quite clever, and the interface is well-suited for it.

3. PhotoFunia

This one lets you add you or one of your pictures to many different settings, from Time Square to Angelina Jolie’s shirt. Some of the options use face detecting technology, allowing you to turn yourself into a lot of things, like Santa Claus, a Jedi, or Mona Lisa.

4. DrPic

Equipped with the basic weapons of edit, DrPic is a relatively basic editor.

5. Picture2Life

Like DrPic, it has all the basics, and a little bit more.

6. PICFONT

Lets you add text to images. Helpful, but not so special.

7. FACEinHOLE

Very similar to PhotoFunia. It lets you add your own face to different pictures. Its not as advanced as PhotoFunia, though.

8. TEXT-IMAGE

Very simple design with a simple purpose.

Comment below! Share your opinions and suggestions, and please consider sharing this article!

SmugMug is a great utility to share your photos online. My uncle has used it to create a family tree/photo album and it proved to be the perfect fit for the job. There are no ads or spam on their site, and the galleries are really sleek and easy to make. Its been reviewed before by the Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times. If you ever need to make an online photo gallery, I think I’d use SmugMug :D.

What do you think about SmugMug?

As I’ve mentioned before, Hulu.com is an internet service that lets you watch TV for free. From the moment of its launch it has grown to be an incredibly popular site, raking in numbers around 45-90 million dollars in their first year. The site currently offers a very large selection of shows, and also full-length movies. The design is very easy to navigate and really sleek (especially the player). While I was reading about their site on ReadWriteWeb a question popped into my head. Will Hulu (or YouTube) ever replace actual television? Its a question I think is worth thinking about.

The Pros

• Advertisements are limited and non-obnoxious on Hulu.
• Its free.

The Cons

• Websites that stream content such as TV have an intense effect on your bandwidth. If you don’t have an unlimited plan with your ISP, this can cost you.
• Although there are many, internet TV still doesn’t provide every single channel or show available on real television.

Post a comment and say what you think about Hulu.com and internet TV.

Hi,

Recently I checked out IndyMogul.com, an awesome website that explains everything about do-it-yourself filmmaking. From the first ten minutes there I was really amazed by it. They provide guides, videos, and forums all about low-budget filmmaking. For everyone out there who would like to make cheap movies, IndyMogul.com is a must-see.

Feeling quite shocked, I am writing this post after viewing a short video that informed me about the ideology behind Google. I had known before that immense amounts of data can be collected from the internet, but I had not known the slightly sinister scheme that some major website administrations have. Now I realize just how hopeless the battle against excessive internet data collection is. Although it will take very much time and effort, our identities–you, your person–can be rescued from the clutches of this virtual evil.

Although some company’s practices for data collection are intruding and unlawful, it can be for a good cause, although not entirely. Facebook is known to send peoples profile data to businesses, allowing them to adjust their sales methods by targeting certain types of people. The data that these companies now have access to will allow them to pin point customers that they almost know will be interested in their product. This boosts business, but exposes our identities. Another instance of good natured data collection is when it is used to fight crime. Police and government agencies–and, unfortunately, bad guys, too–have access to information that could potentially save lives. Using computers, police officers can track the exact location of almost any criminal. If you feel insecure and unsafe now, you should begin to practice internet safety measures. These won’t do very much, but slightly reduce data collections effect. For more information on how to do this, either leave a comment here, email me, or find references through a search engine.