photos

Split up an image with artistic results

Split Pic Pro is a fun photo-editing app that lets you clone yourself (in a manner of speaking), create collage-like projects, add effects, then share your work with your friends.

To get started, you need to select one of the 12 different layouts. You have the option to move each of the bars that separates your layout for a little customization, but it really seems like it needs more default layouts. Fortunately, even with the small assortment, you'll be able to make some really cool projects.

The next step is to fill each of the panes with an image … Read more

EA treading into social networking territory?

Gaming company Electronic Arts has come out with something totally new -- a free music and photo social networking app called Vue.

No, it's not a social network focused game. It's simply a social network.

The question is -- why did a gaming company create a social networking app? It's not yet entirely clear. According to Venture Beat, it is a "low-budget exploratory project" started by EA Partners group.

The premise of Vue is to find songs on music services like Spotify and Rdio, pair them with personal photos, and then share the package with … Read more

Lightroom 4.4 brings Nikon D7100 support, Fujifilm fixes

Adobe Systems has released Lightroom 4.4 with support for two mainstream SLRs, Nikon's new D7100 and Canon's Rebel SL1, and with better image quality for a Fujifilm cameras with unusual sensors.

Lightroom is designed for editing and cataloging photos, especially those shot in cameras' proprietary raw image formats that offer higher quality but impose an image-processing burden on photographers. Adobe periodically updates the software to support new cameras -- and in the case of version 4.4 to fix problems with existing cameras such as the Fujifilm models.

Fujifilm's X-Trans and EXR sensors each vary from … Read more

Twitter adds more 'Cards' for app and photo gallery embeds

When you see a photo, article summary, or video in a tweet from a Web site, it most likely was done with a feature called Twitter Cards. The social network announced today that it's expanding this feature to include "deep-links" to mobile apps and also offer up some new Cards, such as product information and photo galleries.

"We first introduced expanded Tweets with three card types: summary, photo, and player/video," Twitter's head of platform, Jason Costa, wrote in a blog post. "Since then, we've heard that publishers want to be able … Read more

Manage digital photos the easy way with iPhoto Library Manager for Mac

Users with multiple digital photo storage areas may have difficulty working with them using traditional photo programs. While limited in terms of features, iPhoto Library Manager for Mac works well as a library manager.

Available as a free trial version with limitations that are not apparent, the full version requires payment of $29.95. The program's download and installation, in part due to the native installer, completed quickly, and setup required acceptance of a user agreement. Support for updates appeared to be available and, while there were no easily located instructions, the program's menus were easy to figure … Read more

Enhance your photos quickly and easily with FotoSketcher

Maybe you've seen photos that have been edited to look "old" or like they were painted by an Impressionist, and thought, "I'd like to do that!" Major image editing tools like Photoshop apply filters to images to create such effects, but suppose you don't have a major image editing tool like Photoshop? And even if you do, do you have the time to learn how to create these effects? Maybe you should try FotoSketcher, a simple tool for applying all kinds of visual and drawing effects to your digital images. With a huge … Read more

Social Media Image Maker edits photos for social networks

Each social-media profile lets you use images to convey your personal (or professional) brand. Unfortunately, not every Web site allows you to use the same size photos. In the end, you'll have some social-media profiles with images that look stretched or squished. Instead of fussing with images to make them look proper, try using the Social Media Image Maker.

The great thing about this site is that it's easy to use, and can make your social media profiles look much more professional (or at least like you know what you're doing to friends and family). You won'… Read more

Move, clone, and remove objects with Handy Photo

There is a seemingly endless parade of photo-editing apps for iOS and for Android. Helping Handy Photo stand out from the crowd is a handful of tools that lets you remove, clone, and move objects in your photos, along with a reverse cropping feature that lets you extend the edges of your photos. For all of its tricks, Handy Photo costs a reasonable $1.99 and is available for iOS and for Android.

For iOS, Handy Photo is a universal app designed for the iPhone and iPad. Because of the variety of tools it affords, I tried it out on … Read more

Stocksy aims to bring the soul back into stock photography

Bruce Livingstone, founder of the iStockphoto site that grew from a small stock-art community to a multimedia juggernaut, is launching a competitor called Stocksy United today that he hopes will bring the business back to its roots.

Stocksy is a startup, but it won't attract venture capital, won't be acquired by a larger rival, and doesn't have an exit strategy. Instead, it's a cooperative run by its own photographers who get paid a relatively high percentage of the royalties generated by each image sale: 50 percent. On top of that, photographers split the profits left over … Read more