nvkhkhr
Prime VIP
FotoFlexer's tag line hypes the Web-based picture editor as the "world's most advanced online digital photo editor"—and it certainly packs in enough features. It includes many of the same elements that have made Picnik (Free, 3.5 stars) a success—namely, simple browser-based image editing—and FotoFlexer adds a few of its own advanced tools such as layering and animations. Unfortunately, it lacks a few of Picnik's features—it could use more help for new users, too—making it a good online photo editing tool, but not a truly great one.
Interface and Usability
It's easy to get started. As with Picnik, FotoFlexer doesn't require you to create an account to edit (should you do so, however, you can run photos in the beta "Hi-Res Mode"—which slows the application down quite a bit). You can add a photo from your PC by clicking the large "Upload Photo" button, importing photos from Facebook, Flickr, MySpace, Picasa, Phanfare, PhotoBucket, Smugmug, or Yahoo Search, inserting a URL, or using one of three sample photos—a similar tactic to that employed by Picnik. In fact, once you upload an image, you'll begin to see the number of similarities shared by the two online image editors.
View Slideshow See all (7) slides
More
Like Picnik, FotoFlexer offers a tabbed interface divided into Basic, Effects, Decorate, Animations, Beautify, Distort, Layers, and Geek. Each tab has between 8 and 20 effects that can fix mistakes, add borders, and miscellaneous artwork. For example, clicking "Erase" under the Decorate tab heading caused an on screen eraser to appear that allowed me to white out areas of an image simply by mousing over it and holding left click. A handy slider gives users the opportunity to select a brush size for making small, medium, or large strokes depending on your needs. The "Adjust" utilized handy sliders (similar to Picnik's) that let me alter the hue, saturation, and lightness levels.
Specifications
TypePersonalFreeYesOS CompatibilityWindows Vista, Windows XP, Linux, Mac OS, Windows 7 More
Differences From Picnik
FotoFlexer has features that let it stand out on its own. The "Geek" tab grants users access to advanced features such as Smart Scissors (which let me quickly outline a photo section I wanted to keep while eliminating the rest), and Morph (which let me blend two facial images into one). The latter requires quite a bit of tinkering to work correctly, but it appears to be a tool that will satisfy those willing to make the investment—when it works. It crashed Internet Explorer 8 three times.
Three options were presented to me upon clicking the "Animations" tab: Animated Stars (in a variety of sizes and shapes), Animated Lovies (heats, stuffed animals), and Animated Stickers (wings, snowflakes, Easter eggs, and more). I selected a flashing skull-and-crossbones that alternated between black and white. The sticker was added to a small editing window where I could change the black by picking a color from a number of presets, or mixing one myself using the color mixing tool. After clicking "Add Sticker," the skull and crossbones were overlayed onto my image of white flowers—very nice. An even cooler visual effect occurred after jumping over to the Distort Tab, and then clicking Twirl, which altered the image into a pulsating mess of curve that looked pretty artsy.
Another area where FotoFlexer differentiates itself from Picnik is in the inclusion of image layers—a feature typically found on higher-end image editors such as Paint.net v3.5.5 (Free, 3.5 stars) and GIMP 2.6.1 (Free, 4 stars). Including an advanced feature in as such a novice-friendly application demands a bit of handholding, and that's where FotoFlexer drops the ball. It offers no instruction on how to use the feature; Picnik explains all its function in a clear, concise manner.
When you're done editing, you can save the image in only two formats—JPG and PNG—which is guaranteed to make prosumers frown. Picnik, on the other hand, offers BMP, JPG, GIF, PDF, PNG, and TIFF output.
Printing and Sharing
Unlike Picnik, Fotoflexer doesn't allow you to print from the application. You could, however, save the photo to your hard drive and print as you would do normally. You can also share images to Facebook, Flickr, MySpace, Picasa, Phanfare, PhotoBucket, Smugmug once you select a site, click the Connect to Flickr button, and sign in with your credentials.
Should You Go With FotoFlexer?
FotoFlexer has parts that would satisfy the casual and hardcore image editor, yet manages to alienate both by not giving the former enough hand-holding, nor the latter enough freedom to save files as they wish, or send to printer). When it comes to free image editors, Picnik is more well-rounded on the lower end of the spectrum, while the Editors' Choice award-winning GIMP 2.6.1 does an excellent job on the higher end. Fotoflexer gets a bit lost in the middle.
Interface and Usability
It's easy to get started. As with Picnik, FotoFlexer doesn't require you to create an account to edit (should you do so, however, you can run photos in the beta "Hi-Res Mode"—which slows the application down quite a bit). You can add a photo from your PC by clicking the large "Upload Photo" button, importing photos from Facebook, Flickr, MySpace, Picasa, Phanfare, PhotoBucket, Smugmug, or Yahoo Search, inserting a URL, or using one of three sample photos—a similar tactic to that employed by Picnik. In fact, once you upload an image, you'll begin to see the number of similarities shared by the two online image editors.
View Slideshow See all (7) slides
More
Like Picnik, FotoFlexer offers a tabbed interface divided into Basic, Effects, Decorate, Animations, Beautify, Distort, Layers, and Geek. Each tab has between 8 and 20 effects that can fix mistakes, add borders, and miscellaneous artwork. For example, clicking "Erase" under the Decorate tab heading caused an on screen eraser to appear that allowed me to white out areas of an image simply by mousing over it and holding left click. A handy slider gives users the opportunity to select a brush size for making small, medium, or large strokes depending on your needs. The "Adjust" utilized handy sliders (similar to Picnik's) that let me alter the hue, saturation, and lightness levels.
Specifications
TypePersonalFreeYesOS CompatibilityWindows Vista, Windows XP, Linux, Mac OS, Windows 7 More
Differences From Picnik
FotoFlexer has features that let it stand out on its own. The "Geek" tab grants users access to advanced features such as Smart Scissors (which let me quickly outline a photo section I wanted to keep while eliminating the rest), and Morph (which let me blend two facial images into one). The latter requires quite a bit of tinkering to work correctly, but it appears to be a tool that will satisfy those willing to make the investment—when it works. It crashed Internet Explorer 8 three times.
Three options were presented to me upon clicking the "Animations" tab: Animated Stars (in a variety of sizes and shapes), Animated Lovies (heats, stuffed animals), and Animated Stickers (wings, snowflakes, Easter eggs, and more). I selected a flashing skull-and-crossbones that alternated between black and white. The sticker was added to a small editing window where I could change the black by picking a color from a number of presets, or mixing one myself using the color mixing tool. After clicking "Add Sticker," the skull and crossbones were overlayed onto my image of white flowers—very nice. An even cooler visual effect occurred after jumping over to the Distort Tab, and then clicking Twirl, which altered the image into a pulsating mess of curve that looked pretty artsy.
Another area where FotoFlexer differentiates itself from Picnik is in the inclusion of image layers—a feature typically found on higher-end image editors such as Paint.net v3.5.5 (Free, 3.5 stars) and GIMP 2.6.1 (Free, 4 stars). Including an advanced feature in as such a novice-friendly application demands a bit of handholding, and that's where FotoFlexer drops the ball. It offers no instruction on how to use the feature; Picnik explains all its function in a clear, concise manner.
When you're done editing, you can save the image in only two formats—JPG and PNG—which is guaranteed to make prosumers frown. Picnik, on the other hand, offers BMP, JPG, GIF, PDF, PNG, and TIFF output.
Printing and Sharing
Unlike Picnik, Fotoflexer doesn't allow you to print from the application. You could, however, save the photo to your hard drive and print as you would do normally. You can also share images to Facebook, Flickr, MySpace, Picasa, Phanfare, PhotoBucket, Smugmug once you select a site, click the Connect to Flickr button, and sign in with your credentials.
Should You Go With FotoFlexer?
FotoFlexer has parts that would satisfy the casual and hardcore image editor, yet manages to alienate both by not giving the former enough hand-holding, nor the latter enough freedom to save files as they wish, or send to printer). When it comes to free image editors, Picnik is more well-rounded on the lower end of the spectrum, while the Editors' Choice award-winning GIMP 2.6.1 does an excellent job on the higher end. Fotoflexer gets a bit lost in the middle.
