Visual Communication And Video Publishing - Selected Tools And Web Services - Sharewood Picnic Feb04 08

Need to use Photoshop but it costs too much? Want to edit some pictures online without having to download and install a new software? Need to record a video of your screen and upload it to all major video sharing services with one click?

Photo credit: RGB Space

In this weekly selection of visual communication and video publishing tools, I have picked up some cool tools and web services that can do exactly what you want. Here my visual communication tools selection list:

1. GIMPshop: Open-source Photoshop-alike image editor allows you to modify all of your pictures as if you were using Photoshop
2. FotoFlexer: Online image editor lets you create albums, upload pictures, and edit them online
3. Image Magik: Batch convert, edit and add effects to all of your images for free
4. uTIPu: Record everything on your screen, add a voice narration and share the video with everyone
5. Hey!Spread: Upload all of your videos to major video hosting services from one place
6. Ript: Create collections and collages of images easily without knowing anything about image editing
7. Button Generator: Create personalized Web 2.0 buttons with no image editing knowledge
8. Color Schemer Online: Provide HEX or RGB value of a color and create perfectly matching color combinations

Image Editing and Visual Communication

1. GIMPshop
   
   GIMPshop is a modified version of the popular open-source image editor GIMP. You can edit pictures as if you're using Photoshop, as it modifies the layout structure to closely match the popular Adobe's software's interface. The only differences between the two softwares is that GIMPshop is completely free and downloadable from the web. It works on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.
   http://www.gimpshop.com/





2. FotoFlexer
   
   FotoFlexer is a Flash-based image editing tool, that you can use to edit your pictures online. After register for free, you can start creating as many photo albums as you want, in which you upload pictures that you can further edit by cropping, resizing, removing blemishes and wrinkles, changing eye color, adding captions, and more. It is completely web-based and free to use.
   http://fotoflexer.com/





3. Image Magik
   
   Image Magick is a free utility for converting, editing, and composing images. Image Magick can batch convert all of your images in a matter of seconds, without having to manually process them in Photoshop, or image editing software. Besides changing file format, you can also flip, mirror, rotate, scale, adjust colors, apply effects, draw text and lines. Free to download and use.
   http://www.imagemagick.org/





4. uTIPu ***DEAD
   
   uTIPu is a free service that allows you to record anything that is happening on your screen, add a voice narration and publish it online. Just download the free tool and start recording your screen while you are showing something. After you are finished recording, you will then be able to narrate with your voice what is going on and, by signing up for an account, you will be offered 250MB of free space to share your video with everyone. Free.
   http://utipu.com/app/





5. Hey!Spread
   
   Hey!Spread is an online service that allows you to upload your videos to major hosting services (YouTube, MySpace, Google Video, Yahoo Videos, Dailymotion and Blip.tv). After you add a title, description and tags, you just have to decide the services you want to upload your video to and provide your login credentials. 100% web-based and free.
   http://heyspread.com/





6. Ript ***DEAD
   
   Ript is a downloadable tool for Windows that you can use to create collages and photo collection easily. After you install it and launch it, you can add all of your images to the "pile" and edit them by rotating, resizing, flipping and also by adding text to them. You can then arrange them like if you were really disposing them on a real table to watch them all at once and, when done, you can save, print or email your creation. Free.
   http://www.ript.com/





7. Button Generator
   
   Button Generator is a free web service that anyone can use to create Web 2.0 buttons to use in web-sites, but also in any presentation, without having any image editing knowledge. After you select the style, dimensions and background color of your button, you can also select the font type, size and colour, you just have to click render and download the zip file containing your new button. Free to use.
   http://www.thefreewebstuff.com/





8. Color Schemer Online
   
   Color Schemer Online is an online application for creating perfectly matching color schemes. Just select the RGB values or HEX code of the color you want to start with, and it will immediately provide you with a
   perfect color scheme, with both HEX and RBG codes of the colors. You can also lighten on darken the scheme simply by pressing a button. Free
   http://www.colorschemer.com/online.html

Originally written by Nico Canali De Rossi for Master New Media and first published on February 4th 2008 as "Visual Communication And Video Publishing - Selected Tools And Web Services - Sharewood Picnic Feb04 08"