In this Sharewood Picnic: Visual communication tools for downloading and converting any videos from any video sharing service, as well as tools and services to help you search, convert graphic file formats and edit pictures without needing to download any image editing software.

Photo credit: Kirsty Pargeter

Here below my selected video publishing and visual communication tools for this week:

1. KCoolOnline: Web-based service allows you to convert and download videos from more than 200 services
2. Vconvert: Online video converter allows you to convert YouTube videos to all major video formats
3. EasyCropper: Easily crop your images online with no additional software or registration
4. Yotophoto: Free images search engine mixes results from multiple search engines
5. Photo to Sketch: Convert all of your images in hand-drawn sketches easily
6. Web Resizer: Select a picture from your PC, enhance it, and compare the original and optimized sizes
7. Photoree: Set your personal filters and let the system recommend you pictures
8. Fresh Badge Generator: Create personalized Web 2.0 badges for your blog or web-site in a matter of seconds

Video Publishing

1. KCoolOnline
   
   KCoolOnline is a web-based service that you can use to download and convert videos from popular video sharing websites. It currently supports more than 200 sites (like YouTube, Google Video, Veoh, Dailymotion...), and it can be used just by pasting the video URL and clicking the button. Plus, apart from downloading the original file, it can also convert videos in almost any format available. Free to use, no registration needed.
   http://www.kcoolonline.com/





2. Vconvert
   
   Vconvert is an online video converter that enables you to convert all of your YouTube videos to all major video formats. It will let you enter the URL of the desired video, download it to a server, convert it to your chosen format, between wmv, mov, mp4, 3gp, flv, or mp3-audio-only, and then it'll show you a download button to finally get your converted file. No registration is needed and it is free to use.
   http://vconvert.net/







Visual Communication Tools

3. EasyCropper
   
   EasyCropper is a free, web-based easy-to-use solution that anyone can use to crop any type of image. It is really simple and quick to crop a picture: in fact, all you have to do is to click the upload button, look for your picture on your hard disk, decide width and height, and click download. It requires no registration and it is completely free to use.
   http://www.easycropper.com/





4. Yotophoto
   
   Yotophoto is a free image search engines that combines results from Flickr, Wikipedia, Stock.Xchng, Morguefile, Pixelperfect Digital and OpenPhoto. The interface is really easy to use: you just have to enter a keyword into the search box, and results from multiple will be shown, indicating the type of license (Creative Commons, GNU FDL or similar licenses), size and site. The service is free to use, with no registration needed.
   http://yotophoto.com/





5. Photo to Sketch
   
   Photo to Sketch is a free application for Windows that anyone can use to convert photographs into sketches. You just have to select the precision and line thickness of the pen/pencil/pastel and click convert. You can also batch convert multiple picture automatically, just by importing them, setting the preferences and clicking convert. The program is free to download and use.
   http://www.thinkersoftware.com/...





6. Web Resizer
   
   Web resizer is an online image enhancer that you can use to optimize your images with no additional software. After you select a picture from you PC, you can start editing your image by resizing it, increasing contrast, changing brightness and color saturation, sharpening, applying borders, and deciding the image quality. You can then compare the sizes of the two images, so that you can download the optimize version or apply further changes. Free to use without registering.
   http://www.webresizer.com/





7. Photoree
   
   Photoree is a free website that recommends pictures to you. Once you register Photoree creates for you a personal filter,which is responsible for the selection of the images that will be shown to you. Photoree shows you a stream of images which you will rate so that Photoree can adapt the filters to your image taste. More the photos you rate, better the filter will learn your taste. Free to use, registration needed.
   http://www.photoree.com/





8. Fresh Badge Generator
   
   Fresh Badge Generator is a browser-based application that anyone can use to create Web 2.0 badges for their web-sites in a matter of seconds. It features many options that you can choose between, such as shape, badge and borders color, text font, color and glow, gloss and shadow effect, and more. When done, you can preview your badge and download it in png, jpg and gif format. Free to use with no registration needed.
   http://www.freshbadge.com/

Originally written by Nico Canali De Rossi for Master New Media and first published on March 9th 2008 as "Visual Communication And Video Publishing - Selected Tools And Web Services - Sharewood Picnic Mar09 08"