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Find, Use, and Edit Online Images: Editing Images

Editing Photos

Editing Photos with Free Websites

You may come across a project or a need to edit photos. Whether that's for a school project, a personal photo, or for a professional presentation, you should become familiar with the photo editing tools available to you.

Adobe Photoshop is available for DU students to use in the Digital Media Center or you can purchase a subscription to Adobe's Creative Cloud. As an alternative, some photo editing websites listed below allow you to make some basic photo edits for free.

PicMonkey - Free

PicMonkey lets you edit photos, with filters, frames, and text for free. There is a premium version available with a paid subscription that unlocks additional editing tools.

BeFunky - Free

 

BeFunky is a quick online editing tool to add effects, edit photos, and create collages. There is a free version and a paid subscription that can unlock additional editing features.

Pixlr - Free

 

Pixlr has four free photo editing web apps offering various levels of editing capabilities. The most advanced and most similar to PhotoShop is Pixlr Editor, which allows you to work in layers, add effects, and transform objects. If you want simple photo edits, Pixlr Express or Pixlr Touch Up should be able to do the trick.

Photoshop - Creative Cloud Subscription

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Adobe Photoshop is a photo editing software that is the choice of many photographers and graphic artists. It allows you to edit photos using layers, add effects, add text, etc. Photoshop is available for DU students to use in the Digital Media Center or you can purchase a subscription to Adobe's Creative Cloud. Adobe Education Exchange is a free membership which provides access to  courses, workshops, and teaching materials for learning Adobe software.

Technical Specifications

Technical Specifications for Images

  • Resolution - The resolution of am image determines the quality and clarity. A high-resolution photo contains more pixels per inch (ppi) to provide a clearer image. High-resolution photos (300+ ppi) are used for printing and large format uses. Images for digital use don't need as high of a resolution so 72 ppi should be appropriate as it keeps the file size more manageable for websites and web servers. The higher the resolution, the larger the file size. The lower the resolution, the smaller the file size. 
  • Size - When an image or graphic is created, the creator determines a canvas size. This determines the original size of the image (in pixels) that can be scaled proportionately to be larger or smaller.
  • Format - Images can be saved into various image formats or file types. Image software tends to allow conversion of one format to another. Below are a few of the most common:
    • JPEG (.jpg): Many images are stored as JPEG files because this format allows files to be compressed to take up less space. Because JPEG files are small, they are easily transported (email, flashdrives, etc).
    • GIF (Graphics Interchange Format, .gif): Another popular file type found on the web. GIF images are widely used for graphics and multiple images can be saved as one GIF to show movement as a rotation of still images.
    • TIFF (Tagged Image File Format, .tif): saves an uncompressed digital reproduction. Therefore, it is recommended you originally save high-quality TIFFs and then create JPEGs for general use.
    • BMP: uncompressed proprietary Microsoft format.
    • Other formats include, but are not limited to: PSD (Photo Shop Document), SVG, and RAW