September 15, 2010

Show and Tell: picnik.com

When it comes to taking pictures, I simply do not have an artistic eye.  I am a point-and-shoot-and-hope-for-the-best type of picture-taker (I can't even call myself a "photographer"- I am a "picture-taker").  And when I don't get a great shot, I visit http://www.picnik.com/ to edit the photos and improve them a bit.

Now, I am not sure if the response here is going to be, "Duh, Annie, everyone knows how to do this,"  or "Instead of picnik you should use a different website/program..." or "Cool, I didn't know how to do this kind of stuff." 

So, allow me to show and tell a little bit-


With this picture of Lucy, I cropped it so that she is in the center, and then I brightened the coloring, softened the photo, darkened the edges, and whitened her teeth.  Oh, and then I added the before/after frame so that you can see the difference.

This picture of Devon at the State Tournament was kind of poopy, even though my subject is super handsome :)   I changed the exposure and the temperature, cropped the shot, whitened his teeth, and did the before/after frame.  No, I didn't enlarge his muscles- they are really that big. (ha ha ha, I'm funny!)

With this one, I used the blemish remover feature to lighten the dark circles under my eyes, and I whitened my teeth, cropped the photo, and added the white fuzzy frame to make me look dreamy :)

I've also used this website to make photos look like Polaroids, or add text, like I did here:


What I love most about picnik.com (besides the teeth whitening feature) is that it is free!  I like free!  They provide the option to become a "member" for a fee, and membership allows you to use several "premium" features...  but I still like free!

What do you use to edit your pics?

9 comments:

Leslie said...

I had no idea! I was going to buy adobe lightroom ($300.00) but I will try piknik first! Thanks for the tip, your pictures have been looking particularly good :)

Molly Andersson said...

ooo i like your site much better than the one i use.. i generally use photobuckets editing feature.. which can do cool stuff like make the picture look like a frame from an old movie or turn the picture into a monet painting or look like a comic strip! but never have i seen the ability to whiten teeth!! well done my sister! ;)

Just Me said...

I like whitening teeth! I always wondered why your photos look so pro fession al. I will try piknik. And FREE!! The best! Wow, great to know.

Just Me said...

oops, it's picnik.com

Wilson Girlzz said...

THANK YOU!
My picture editing tool is the delete button on the camera :o) so this is a MEGA HUGE tip for me!!

I am beyond excited to give picnik a try! Seriously, I am SO EXCITED!!!!

I love the idea of a blemish remover, teeth whitener, and big muscles (very funny by the way) even better is that it is all free!!

Just Me said...

Ok, where is the whitening and the softening? I must be blind or something, I can't find it. But everything is easy to use. If I can find it.

Annie said...

Cool! I'm glad that y'all are liking this tip!

Donna, under the "CREATE" tab, click "Featured" to find teeth whitening, and use "Effects" for the softening option. I can show you too when I see you next :)

Tanner Blake's Blog for school. said...

You know how pictures and editing get me excited!!!

Your pictures look fantastic!!!! And yes, you are SO FUNNY! :)

I use adobe lightroom, and am on my third free trial! :) I am cycling through the family. I will be purchasing it though because I love it! But piknik looks pretty awesome too!!!

comfy cozy said...

I have tried Picnik before, but only twice, and I had NO IDEA of the capabilities! I mean, hello?!- a blemish remover! Sheesh, I don't even have to bother with makeup then on those days when I'm pleasantly surprised by a zip (yes, that's what we call them around here)!

Good tip, from one "picture-taker" to another! :)