5 Sites That Will Change The Way You Work With Digital Photos

 

 

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5 Sites That Will Change The Way You Work With Digital Photos

via MakeUseOf.com by Kabir Chauhan on 1/13/09

With the Christmas season and New Year behind us you've no doubt collected a bevy of photographs and like most people you've either crammed them into a folder on your computer or done the generic Flickr upload.

But if you're like me, you'll be looking for something different to do with the megapixels of memories that you've collected over the past few weeks, as well as of years past.

Here is a collection of a few websites that should give you a little more freedom with your images and are sure to change the way you work with digital photographs.

Collagr

If by any chance you've already done that Flickr upload, then Collagr is just for you. This easy-to-use site lets you quickly spice up a collection of photos that you may have either on Flickr or Photobucket by simply providing a URL.

Thus far, collages can be customized by way of background colors, layouts, resolutions and overall size. However, the site is still in open beta and more features (including a sleeker UI) are currently in the works.

Big Huge Labs

Big Huge Labs is hands down one of the best sites for playing with your digital photos. The site has a ton of things to do and uploading images is effortless. Photographs can be transformed into movie posters, calendars, trading cards, badges and the even motivational posters.

BHL also offers a bunch of cool effects as well, including a caption-maker, billboard-creator and my personal favorite, the 'Warholizer'.

Imageloop

Imageloop is a website that offers to create customized slideshows of your photos and images. Registered users (it's free) can upload photos from their computers, social networks (such as Facebook, Flickr or MySpace), or even from a URL of their choosing.

From their customization of your slideshow is simple: everything from image animations and effects, background music, captions and size can be specifically tailored. The site also allows you to set privacy restrictions to your slide shows; such as allowing or disallowing viewers to add their own images to your collection, for example.

Finished slideshows can be uploaded to preset sites like Facebook and Blogger or to personal websites. Imageloop can also create loop galleries, which feature a sleeker interface, as well as play/pause and speed controls.

Blipfoto

Another cool site, Blipfoto has a unique premise: upload one photo per day to create a daily journal to share with family and friends. The site will probably appeal to more photo-savvy users but the idea is certainly out of the ordinary and can give you a chance to showcase your photos, whether professional or just for fun.

Journal entries can also contain a written commentary about your digital photographs, giving the site a certain blog-like feel and keep in mind that only JPEG format images are permitted for upload.

MyFamily

MyFamily is a site dedicated to personalizing photos and sharing them with…you guessed it: your family. The site lets family members connect with each other by creating a private web locale for you and the people you want to let in.

MyFamily offers unlimited storage of photos, videos and even files, however a free account does have a monthly upload limit of 100 MB (forking over the cash gives you 1 GB). But 100 MB should be more than enough for most people per month.

One of the more prolific features of MyFamily, in my opinion, is the photo story option, which lets users create a 4-picture slideshow, coupled with your own audio commentary that adds a storybook feel to your photos and emphasizes the family-orientated feel of the site.

BONUS:

Loonapix

If Big Huge Labs wasn't to your heart's content try Loonapix. The site has almost 40 effects to choose from, including making your pictures look like wanted posters, YouTube videos and newspaper clippings. Most images have to be cropped to get the right effect however, so try sticking to portraits, or small group photos.

Know of any sites that are photo-friendly? Then comment below and share your thoughts with fellow MUO readers.

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Categorized under: Flickr, image editing, photo, photo effects, photo sharing, photography

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