Windows only I don't know very many people anymore that use screensavers on their computers, but displaying a nice photo collage might be worthwhile if you still enjoy having something flashy on the screen when your computer is sitting idle. I came across a pretty nice one that was started a few months ago, and I'd say offers the right amount of options without being overkill.
Windows only I remember testing out the ImageGlass photo viewer last year and was impressed with the speed at which it could shuffle through photos, but I wasn't very fond of the interface. When I recently checked back in on the project I noticed that a technical preview of ImageGlass 1.5 was available, and it is looking pretty good.
There are all kinds of photo sharing websites out there, but the concept behind LiveShare is really interesting. It all starts with a photo stream that is created by you or a friend, and then gets shared out among anyone you want. These streams can be private so that only the people you invite can view/post to the stream, or they can be public so that anyone can view/post to the stream.
Windows only HDR is the process of combining multiple photos with the hope that the resulting image is clear in both the light and dark areas. Getting good free HDR software that is capable of merging the photos together can be a little tricky since there are a lot of things it has to take into account, such as perfectly aligning each image.
For the every-day photos that you snap just for fun, there’s no reason to spend hefty sums of money and quality time learning Photoshop. Instead, head over to BeFunky.com where you can quickly, and easily, edit your photos for free. Not only can you edit your photos, you can also add effects and design elements with very little effort.
I recently read about an incredible service called ifttt (If This Then That). It does something I never thought I would see happen… it integrate dozens of social sites together through the use of customizable actions.
Windows only Before posting or sharing photos you might like the piece of mind knowing that there isn't any identifiable information stored in the metadata of your images. For example, if you've taken a photo using your cellphone there is a good chance that the image was also tagged with the GPS location where it was shot.
Windows only Wouldn't it be nice if you could see a larger preview of an image without having to actually open the photo? That's exactly what FastPreview does, and it does a pretty awesome job of it. All you have to do is right-click on the image file and a larger preview will be shown right there in the context menu.
Windows only Personally I've never needed to compress a large number of images before, but if I did I'd definitely be using Caesium. The interface is easy to understand, and the dual-pane previews along the right side make it easy to see the before/after comparison so that you can get the right compression ratio.
Mac only I think iPhoto is a pretty nice app for managing images on your Mac, but it's not without its faults. Apple has also realized this and that is why they offer a hidden set of recovery options to account for those problems.
Windows only We've come across quite a few photo viewing and editing applications in the past, but Zoner Photo Studio Free is one of the more powerful apps that we've seen.
It can be a pain sharing files with other people if you don't know whether they will have issues opening a document, or whether they even have the necessary programs installed. For example, lets say you had a Photoshop file that you wanted to show someone.
Windows only Digital picture frames are a great way to showcase your photo library, but some people think that they need enormous memory cards so that they don't have to constantly swap out images. The photos taken with a digital camera are often very high resolution, and can therefore limit how much you can fit onto a card.
Do you have a bunch of photos that aren't geotagged and haven't found a free program that makes it easy? Let me introduce GeoSetter to you. This awesome app makes geotagging your photos a breeze and also lets you change other EXIF information on images.
Last month I covered an awesome photo sharing service called DropMocks. Unlike most photo management sites this one wasn't looking to be the most powerful service on the web, and instead just wanted to offer a simple way for users to quickly share photos with one another. There's a new kid on the block that copies a lot of what DropMocks offers, but also throws in a few goodies.
I love when people develop tools that don't take a genius to use. Something that I could share with my parents and rest easy knowing that even they will be able to understand how it works. DropMocks is a fine example of just that.
Developing color schemes can be difficult at times, but with an online service like ColorSuckr you can provide it with an image to have it pull out the top 12 colors. It has a range of features to make generating the color schemes from any image extremely easy.
The free and portable Radical Image Optimization Tool (RIOT) has been an app I've recommended for a few years now (I think I've been using it since about 2008). As the name suggests it focuses on doing one thing, and doing it well: optimizing images. It can compress, resize, adjust, and convert your images in a way that leaves you in control of the end result.
Like many things in life the art of taking photos can be a lot of fun, but the aftermath of organizing the images isn't always that exciting. It's especially daunting if you have thousands of photos scattered around in obscure locations on your computer that you always meant to sort, but never quite got around to.
Sharing content, particularly photos, has exploded in popularity over the last decade. It's easy, it's fun, and as a result, many websites offer services that help you create photo collages. One standout in this area is called Photovisi.
