Something about stuff: Picnik-ing

Original image

I'm not a 'power user' of Photoshop, but I have used it for quite a while, and have some level of competence with it for image manipulation. I've worked with the Adobe suite on a low professional level as well as completing a TAFE evening course in Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash.

Picnik-ed image

Picnik is not a replacement for graphic design professionals, or even talented and dedicated amateurs. It doesn't support layers for 'mashing up' two or more images. It doesn't have all the funky filters, and I don't think it will let you deep etch either. BUT if you don't have $1000+ to blow on PS, and you are really a casual user, then Picnik is the right price - Free, or a paid subscription to the advanced features.

The layout is fairly intuitive. Tabs for editing the image, cropping, rotating and resizing the image along with an auto or manual colour balancing.

'Shopped image

The fun starts with the 'Create' tab. It allows you to place stickers, text, frames and various effects that you can achieve with some of Photoshop's filters. Neon, posterize, crystallize, pencil sketch to name a few. On the image I edited with Picnik, I had fun with stickers and Gooify, which is very similar to Liquify in Photoshop. I was impressed to note that there were blending effects as well, but will admit to having a bit of trouble getting them to work.

Such image manipulation software available for free on the Internet must be quite a boon for educators, if they choose to use it. For students not acquainted with using such software, it can be quite a steep learning curve, thus making some instruction a necessity. The temptation in using such software is to spend (or waste - depending on your point of view) messing around with it.

For students it can be a great way to demonstrate creativity, create new meaning with images and populate their work with visuals that are meaningful. With the connectivity to Flickr, creating a group that shares, views and comments upon each other's work can create a good sense of community with the students.