Graphics+Activity+3

 2. New things I learned include:  a. Resizing and file size. I did my first collage at 600 x 480. Then I read the directions again (duh) and had to resize to 500 x 360. When I went to change the size, I had to take the check mark out of the Constrain Proportions box. Luckily, It did not distort what I had started working on. I was having trouble figuring out file size until I went to an online forum and they gave you the steps. File – Save As – Jpeg – and adjust the image quality until you get close to your file size.  b. “Fuzzing” the edge of photos to blend them into the background. For this effect you draw a selection box or ellipse around the picture, Go to Select – Feather – set the margin to 9 and press Ok. Next you press Ctrl+Shift+I and hit delete.  c. Layers! Just do a new layer for everything you want on the collage and then you can manipulate things nicely. Just make sure to name your layers according to what you are doing on that layer.  d. Text. This is something I need a lot of work on. I finally got close to what I wanted, but I know there are a lot of text effects that would have helped me that I did not use.  e. I think that the most important thing I learned had nothing to do with the software. I learned that I can’t just open up a program and make a Picasso! I have a lot to learn. There is a lot I would like to do to the collage, but it will take time and patience to get there.  3. The following photos were used for this collage. All came from Google through Creative Commons except the Character Grows Deep logo.  a. Carolina Wren - Dan Pancamo  b. Child with Hat - Pink Poppy Photography  c. Palmetto Tree – IllinoisHorseSoldier  d. Children Playing – Strocchi


 * [[image:100_5017.JPG width="217" height="165" align="center"]] || [[image:greenega3fotoflexer.jpg width="308" height="171" align="center"]] || [[image:greenega3picnik.jpg width="220" height="170" align="center"]] ||
 * **Original** || **FotoFlexer** || **Picnik** ||
 * Criteria ||  ||   ||
 * Tool Selection || Simple but covers the major editing needs (crop, adjust, resize, selection, etc.)

Basic Effects Decorate Animations Beautify Distort Layers Geek || Simple but covers the major editing needs (crop, adjust, resize, etc.)

Basic Featured Effects Text Stickers Touch-Up Frames Advanced Seasonal || Fotoflexer PhotoBucket Facebook Picasa Flickr Smugmug MySpace
 * Interface || Well Designed, Easy to Use || Well Designed, Easy to Use ||
 * Speed || Worked quickly on cable modem || Worked quickly on cable modem ||
 * Export || Computer

TinyPic Email URL/Link || Computer Picasa Twitter Flickr Facebook Photobucket
 * Share**

Email
 * Share**

Print ||
 * Flash/HTML || Flash || Flash ||
 * Maximum File Size || None stated || None stated ||
 * Maximum Resolution ||  ||   ||
 * Cost || Free || Free, Premium for $2.08 per month ||
 * Layers || Yes ||  ||
 * Effects || 32 effects (comic, blueprint, bronze, color rotate, etc.) ||  ||
 * Killer Feature || Geek Tools ||  ||

This was a really fun assignment. I had no idea there were that many photo editors free online. I played with a few and decided to choose two based on the needs of a teacher and those of a student. I chose FotoFlexer for teacher use, and because my niece is ALWAYS on it, Picnik for students. The picture is of my severely water-wrinkled toes during my vacation (which was interrupted by a hurricane).

For my Fotoflexer image, I did the following: Cropped image Added a Border Chose the effect Blueprint

For my Picnik image, I did the following: Added text “This Little Pitty”, font Revolt Effects – Night Vision Seasonal - FacePaint - Blue Featured - Avast Ye Matey - Crab

I know that doesn’t seem like a lot of editing, but I was thinking along the lines of what you could accomplish to really change an image in approximately 20 minutes as a part of an average lesson plan.

Out of the two editors, I liked Fotoflexer best. The controls were really, really, really simple. The categories were clear cut and the Geek tools were amazing. Everything was self-explanatory and it had many more tools and pre-sets than Picnik. It also included demo videos on how to use the tools.

Similarities included the ability to do common tasks including resize, auto adjust, crop, color, rotate, and sharpen. They both allowed upload and save to your computer, or from the popular social networking and photo sites. The user interfaces were very easy to use and the load times were pretty quick on a wireless cable modem. Just for comparison, I tried both programs using my MiFi and they slowed down (I was not in a high speed 4G area).

The major difference was that Fotoflexer had many more tools as was more robust than Picnik. I feel that for the upper level student or teacher, Fotoflexer gives you more choices while remaining easy to use and intuitive. With a subscription, the premium content on Picnik may allow you to access equivalent tools, but again, Fotoflexer is free.

I found this assignment very enjoyable and educational. I am relatively new with photo editing, so it was neat to see all of the preset effects available in the online editors. I see several more I would like to try and that I will be using.

Jenn