A guest post 5 Free Alternatives to Photoshop (With Layers)

5 Free Alternatives to Photoshop (With Layers)

The Internet has revolutionized our world, so much so that geographical distances have vanished, we are completely connected to every nook and corner of the world, and we have access to any kind of information if only we know where to look. Another area where the web has made our lives easier is in the procurement of free software and applications; we love the fact that we no longer have to pay for things that are nice and useful. Thanks to the concept of open source, we are now free to use some of the best software, at no cost at all. Yes, some of the best things online do come free, like alternatives to the horribly expensive and proprietary photo editing software from Adobe, Photoshop.

Most people avoid choosing the free options because they are not complete and are usually mere shadows of the software they attempt to replace. But there are a few free alternatives to Photoshop that are quite comprehensive, and I’ve listed five that come with Layers, the feature in Photoshop that has people raving because it allows you to work with and make changes to compositions easily.

· Paint.NET: Hard to believe that any software that has the tag Microsoft would be offered for free, but this one really is. Paint.NET was actually designed to be a free alternative to Microsoft’s Paint software that comes with Windows OS, but it is now an open source application that offers quite a comprehensive set of features. The UI is great, and with unlimited UNDO options and the ability to work with layers, it is a favorite option for those who don’t want to shell out a lot of money for a neat photo editing tool.

· Splashup: If a photo editing tool was a size zero, it has to be Splashup. Formerly known as Fauxto, this application allows you to easily edit images from Facebook, Flickr and Picassa, and although it’s not feature rich, it has most of the abilities that you use most often. This makes it a light tool, one that is fast and does not take up too much space. You can also work with multiple images and layer simultaneously.

· GIMP: Although this free application lacks adjustment layers, it cannot be left out of any list that contains viable and good alternatives to Photoshop. GIMP is almost Photoshop, except for a few minor features. And best of all, it’s completely free, a fact which makes up for the few shortcomings it has. Although GIMP is good enough and is being constantly improved upon by a large community, if you want to try something that was developed much later (GIMP is the oldest alternative to Photoshop), you could try GIMPshop which is also similar to Photoshop and free.

· Phoenix: A Rich Internet Application (RIA) that allows you to work on your images from within a browser, Phoenix looks and feels just like a desktop application. While it’s close enough to Photoshop to satisfy diehard fans of Adobe’s software, the real delight in using Phoenix is that it is a collaborative application that facilitates group work. Users can be in different countries and scattered across the globe, yet they’re able to work on the same project, thanks to Phoenix.

· FotoFlexer: It’s advertised as the “world’s most advanced online image editor”, and while that statement may have to be taken with a grain of salt, it’s true that FotoFlexr is a great photo editing tool. It links seamlessly with Facebook, Flickr, MySpace and Picassa and also allows integration of its API into your website. This is also an online tool like Phoenix in that it must be used from within a browser when you’re connected to the Internet.

By-line:

This article is written by Kathy Wilson, who writes on the subject of Photography College . She can be reached at her email id: kathywilson1983@gmail.com .

David Denton, Cetus, Second Life/Virtual Worlds Architect Designer

Note; the links I provide in the presentation are Second Life slurls. The slurls will take your avatar directly to the site in Second Life. You can get an account and avatar for Second Life by visiting their website here: http://secondlife.com/?lang=en-US


In many ways Second Life is the virtual "warehouse" of art and art work by illustrators, designers, musicians, writers, and digital artists. It provides for the delivery of a variety of artistic expressions of images, music, and interactive experiences never before imagined. One of my favorite is that of Cetus. Cetus is the creative expression of digital art in Second Life created by David Denton.

According to David's website, he is an architect and Virtual Worlds Architect, as illustrated below his work is fantastic. The photos present Cetus, the Cairo Project, an exhibit hall at Stanford and University of New Mexico. What makes his work most remarkable is his use of light, color and transparent textures, this ultimately makes his use of prims much less than you would anticipate.



Cetus:

Cetus is an example of what builds and sites in virtual worlds should be...a stretch of the creative potential of virtual worlds and designs to do something different, to create an interactive immersive experience.

Cetus:

While I was visiting Cetus, for about the fourth or fifth in fact I ran into David or that is his avatar, DB Bailey. I complimented him on his work at Cetus and he asked me if I had seen the Cairo Project. Because I had not he took me on a tour. According to David/DB the Cairo project is collaboration between the University of Southern California and Cairo University. This incredible project will allow students from these two different cultures to learn about each other, their countries and to collaborate together. In fact this project itself is symbolic of the success that can occur when teams can work together to create a build in Second Life that can be replicated in real life. The build in Second Life can allow the architects to design and experience how the site will actually "work," in the real world and to easily make changes as necessary before the site is actually built. This is an efficient way of designing and building.



The photo below is the actual screen that will be used to stream videos in world at the Cairo Project. Note the reflections in the floor a well.

Pictures of the real world application of a collaborative project between David Denton and architects in Cairo:

David also demonstrated how an artist from Egypt uses Second Life to display his artwork. This particular artist designs clay tiles in Egypt, they were used here as decorative elements for building:

Here is another example of this artist's work:

David has also done design work for universities throughout the world and he offered to show me some of the work he has done. This includes the Stanford Library exhibit hall in Second Life:

The build at Stanford seems to be floating, if you visit and look up this is what you will see. It is an amazing feeling of airiness and floating...yet you do feel that you are in a structure.

Finally David's design at the University of New Mexico is an artistic representation of cultures native to this state. However it is much more than that ..a digital representation of live in the State of New Mexico. There is a hot air balloon tour which allows you to get a good view of the site.

It is remarkable. The colors are rich, the graphical representation of the desert mountains surrounding the are realistic. This site is a feast for the eyes, set you environmental settings to sunset to fully enjoy this experience.

This site provides students and faculty with unique meeting spots to enjoy discussions or classroom activities:

More photos from the beautiful University of New Mexico site:

These sites and the work of David Denton illustrate the truly remarkable potential of virtual worlds in providing rich artistic, collaboration, and learning experiences in the 3D/virtual world environments. Not only that it provides us with the means to tap into the potential of collaboration and communication. It was an exciting opportunity for me to meet and discuss with David Denton his work in Second Life!

Visiting other countries in Second Life and My Caledon Art Gallery

One of the most satisfying experiences of Second Life is the opportunity to explore other cultures, learn about other countries and meeting people from all over the world. This past holiday weekend, being snowed in and some other things going on in my life that limited my activities set me on a quest to do just that. Over the weekend I visited Little Norway, Project Murais and several Japanese sims. When visiting sites such as these ensure that you and your group respect the traditions and activities that residents may be participating in, some of these are role play sims and it maybe best to not intrude.

I visited several sims and will provide an overview of a few of them here. These include Project Murias which, according to the website, is funded by Irish Aid, and provides a venue for demonstrating the different issues that are faced by developing countries in education. These illustrations provide insight into disease, irrigation, and an avenue to provide information on those who are providing leadership in their countries. According to the Project Murias Website this sie provides:

The strategic aims of this project are:

• to create a MUVE with rich resources, artifacts, and experiential learning experiences.
• to promote, share and publish the work and ethos of the stakeholders and agencies concerned.
• to use content and artifacts from global and local communities with their particular interest and focus.

As part of the Bachelor in Education final year elective course in Development Education, student teachers are using Murias to construct interactive quests which will explore their understanding of Malaria, Water, Education, Aid and Child Labour.

Keep in mind that the reference to Development Education is the preparation of teachers to teach in developing countries. The Second Life Slurl for this SL site is: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Murias/171/125/27

Visit this site and support it, funding ends in February 2010 according to Fli Nurmi caretaker of the site.

Below is an image of a flour mill similar to what you may see in Africa or other developing countries:

Another build at Project Murias illustrates the infestation of mosquitoes which spread malaria:

This is a critical site for education and learning about the challenges faced by developing countries, for teacher education and educating the general public at large. If you don't have a Second Life Account to visit such sites you are missing out on an opportunity to learn about other cultures such as this. We all don't have the travel budgets to travel to these countries but if yuou have a PC and Internet you are able to travel here and experience the insect manifestations, the living conditions and the activities that are necessary to irrigate and grow crops.


I also took advantage of the chance to visit several Japanese sim. I shopped, observed some activities that are part of the Japanese culture and toured and viewed some of the architecture. One sim was set in the era of the Edo Period. Now you have a chance to not only read about the Edo Period but actually visit a site designed to illustrate life during that period. The Second Life slurl is here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Milarepa/121/30/44



Some of the photos I took while there are below:

Another Sim I visited was Little Norway. The one thing that, for me exemplifies this culture is theStav Kirke. I am very familiar with this type of church as I have often visited the Stav Kirk or Chapel in the HIlls in Rapid City, SD. The Stav Kirke in Second Life is available for rent. Some photos of the Second Life Stav Kirke are here:

Some other images from the beautiful Second Norway sim:

I had to photograph this old tractor in Second Life because I love to photograph old machinery in the world too:

All in all an adventurous SL-acation and very enjoyable as I wandered around. On any given day you can type in the name of a country in search and find a laundry list of sites to visit. Some are good and not so good. You can determine that from the terms that come up in the description. Not only are these sites visually interesting to view, with a variety of activities to participate in that are significant to the culture but it was an entertaining and educational way to spend the afternoon.


On a personal note I have spent some time in Caledon -- Glengarry setting up my own Art Gallery. I am excited and have included some pictures here. I have spent several years taking photos of my home Wyoming which lends itself very well to some gorgeous scenery as well as collecting photos of a vintage type. Some photos of my gallery in progress are here:

I am really excited by this opportunity to share the vintage photos and other artwork I am working on ..it's a work in progress .. and an exciting one at that, I hope you join me on this adventure ..it is always fun to be a part of the Caledon Community.