which way to go (when picnik is gone)

i have been playing around with every editing program i can get my hands on and have been mostly disappointed with what i have found. many of the alternative editing programs need to be downloaded which irks me a bit. 

i don't want to download something just to try it and then end up finding out that i don't like it.

~

ipiccy is the closet thing to picnik. 

unfortunately everyone is heading over there to try it out and since it's in beta form {a testing mode} it keeps crashing or running at a snail's pace. but i do believe that once they get their head on straight, there will many of you who will love this site and it could very likely become the new picnik.

~

pixlr-express is pretty darn good and easy to navigate, but then there's another pixlr with an editing format that is amazingly photoshop like. if you don't like photoshop, you won't like this one at all, but go there just for fun, since on the bottom of that editing page you have the option of playing around with vintage looks and that seems to be pretty fun and easy.

~

be funky is fun and also easy to navigate and has a few picnik like options. this one is certainly worth playing around with and won't waste your time.

~

picture2life is alright. i haven't played much on there, but i think it looks somewhat promising. i think it's a site that holds onto your photos like picnik did, if you want to go back and find them later.

~

the only downloadable editing program i'm going to use at this point i think is snap seed. i have it on my iPhone and iPad and now they're made it for desktop use and from what i've read, it's getting two thumbs up.

~

photovisi-photoshop express-paint.net-lunapic-aviary-picasa-photoscape-gimp

are the other sites i know about that i either didn't like, are downloadable or i haven't tried.

~

i think this is now where we all need to come together and share what we find, what we know, what we like and what we don't like.

 the one thing i know for sure is that i still love LR3 and am thrilled that i took the time to learn it and that  no matter what, there will always be photoshop.

 but i also know that those can be expensive programs and possibly more then what you really need or want from an editing program. 

i also know that some people over all, just prefer an online editing program.

~

so come on everyone. let's play and share. 

and hopefully, by april 19th when picnik is taken from us, someone will have been smart enough to duplicate it, give it a new name and hand it over to us on a silver platter.

*

today...

"hold fast to your dreams, for without them life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly"

~

today

i'm thinking: that taking the time to do absolutely nothing is a true gift to ourselves

i'm creating: a list of other editing programs to share with all of you

i'm feeling: lucky to be loved the way i am and slightly spoiled

~

what are you thinking, creating or feeling?

*

blinded by the light.....

karen

who challenged me last year while i was in florida

threw another one at me this year

"find someone to make sand angels for you"

well i think i get extra credit since i found three little sweethearts

who answered the "sand angel" call

~

the poor little boys didn't last very long though just laying in the sun,

as they were truly blinded by the light. so cartwheels and handstands prevailed.

*

thanks karen for your challenge. anyone else have something they want me to photograph?

after the storm....

a few nights ago, an early evening storm rolled in.

unfortunately it brought it with it, jellyfish.

now granted, they are amazing to photograph. but oh they're gross.

thankfully the beach is wide and you can still walk barefoot. carefully.

these little unassuming guys have tendrils and from what i understand,

they can still sting you even after being washed ashore.

{does anyone know for how long that's possible}

my apologies. i know. this one is extremely phallic. 

oh and don't tell me, "what. i don't see it" because i know you do.

most of them are blue in color

some of them are lonely

and

some of them have families

unfortunately 

all of them make it impossible for me to take sophie's leash off

when we're walking on the beach.

~

but am i complaining. absolutely not. 

after all we're walking on the beach for pete's sake.

 taking photos and laughing and eating ice cream.

*

life is good

formatting and mourning....

my wintertime intermission continues and has yet to disappoint. i know when some people think of florida, hours of laying in the sun in tiny bikinis comes to mind, but that's not what it's like here in the panhandle at this time of year. hence the reason we love it so much.

while i hopefully have your attention for a few minutes, let's talk formatting. did you know that when you delete your photos from your camera, you should never use the delete button. the delete button is fine to get rid of a few individual photos every now and then, but when you're done with a large group of photos {you've downloaded them to your computer} and you're ready for a fresh start on your memory card, go to formatting instead of deleting. formatting will delete all your photos, while keeping your memory card very happy. i don't know the super fancy technical reason to do this, but i know it's important.

there's a huge group of us who are very disappointed and would love to give google a kick in the ass...me being one of them...for taking away picnik. picnik was a great online editing program, used by adoring flickr fans, and isn't like any other editing program out there. honestly, i loved it more then anything photoshop has ever done for me. 

so, sometime next week, i will be sharing all of the online editing programs i have found and have been testing, that are user friendly and similar to picnik. 

i don't know about you, but april 19th i'll be wearing black while i mourn.

1.2.3.....

jump

for those of you who know me

you're probably surprised it's taken me this long to share some jumping photos

last year's "winter intermission" was during tallahassee's winter break

which gave me so many college aged jumpers 

but 

they're all back in school now

and

all the families from last year....well they're just not around this year either

thankfully these middle school aged kids were available today

and

happily jumped for me

*

thanks girls {and a boy} for being so much fun

maybe mom was right....

"and charlie, don't ever mess with a jellyfish"

he had heard his entire childhood

"but it doesn't' look dangerous," he thought

"and i'm a big boy now"

"so maybe i'll just smell it for awhile"

"i can't believe one little peck can hurt me, right"

"whoa. you are one tough little blob aren't you"

"that first little peck would have been enough, but i have something to prove to all the other gulls watching me. so let's just get this over with. one more full beak peck just to prove how manly i am"

*

we have no idea if he was truly eating it or just pecking at it, but it was fun to watch. i did google it and gulls do sometimes eat jellyfish...even with fair warning from their parents.