Get this: Create and share visual presentations online without having to install any software. Or: take screenshots of any area on your screen and upload it directly to the web to share it with your tech or design team. Resize, edit and apply effects to any digital image you have. All this and more in this week visual communication-focused Sharewood Picnic.

Photo credit: Herbert Kratky

Here my toolkit of useful video and visual communication tools I have selected for you this week:

1. ThinkFree Show: Create, edit, and share presentations online without installing any software
2. Clip2Net: Free plug-in allows you to take screenshots of your screen, and to upload them online immediately and automatically
3. WebImager: Take screenshots of any part of your desktop and upload them to Flickr directly
4. PIXizer: Upload a picture or provide its URL, select the new size, set the quality and download your new resized image
5. Resize2Mail: Resize your digital images online in three easy steps
6. ZoomIt: Free downloadable tool lets you zoom and annotate part of your screen for your online demonstrations
7. PhotoNotes: Free service lets you create Polaroid-like images with no photo editing knowledge
8. FreePhotosBank: Free image search engine allows you to find and download pictures

Visual Communication And Video Publishing Tools

1. ThinkFree Show
   
   ThinkFree Show is part of an online Office suite, ThinkFree online, and it allows you to create, edit, and share presentations online without buying any software. After a free registration, you are able to log in and start creating PPT presentations as if you were using Microsoft PowerPoint, and also to export them as PPT, PPS and images. The free version offers 1GB of storage and it is free.
   http://product.thinkfree.com/desktop/show/





2. Clip2Net
   
   Clip2Net is a simple program for taking screen shots and having them uploaded on the web immediately. Once the user has logged in and captured the desired image, the site will upload the shot to a Web folder and given its own URL. These folders can also be shared with an embedding code that can be integrated into a blog or website. To get started just register, log in, download a small plug-in and start capturing. Free.
   http://clip2net.com/





3. WebImager
   
   WebImager is a free tool for Flickr, that you can use to take screenshots of your desktop and upload them directly in your Flickr account. After you have downloaded and installed the tool, you can select any part of your screen, edit it with simple tools such as resize and crop, and upload it in your Flickr account directly. The software is free to download and use.
   http://phpspot.net/php/flickr/





4. PIXizer
   
   PIXizer is a free online image resizer that anyone can use to resize any type of image. It is really easy to use: just pick a file from your pc or provide the URL, set the image quality, width, height, click preview and then download it. Basic and advanced settings are available such as percentage resizing, and pre-set image quality and size. Free to use, no registration needed.
   http://pixizer.com/





5. Resize2Mail
   
   Resize2Mail is an online application that allows you to resize your digital images in 3 easy steps. Browse for the picture you wish to resize, in gif and jpg formats only, select the output size and whether you can to rotate the image as well, and click OK. A new page will load, and you will be able to save your new resized image on your computer. Free to use, no registration needed.
   http://www.resize2mail.com/advanced.php





6. ZoomIt
   
   ZoomIt is a screen zoomer and annotation tool that you can use to give presentations or slideshows. ZoomIt runs in the tray and activates with customizable hotkeys to zoom in on an area of the screen, move around while zoomed, and draw on the zoomed image.ZoomIt works on all versions of Windows and you can use pen input for ZoomIt drawing on tablet PCs. Free.
   http://www.microsoft.com/...





7. PhotoNotes
   
   PhotoNotes is a free service that helps you creating Polaroid photos online easily. All you need to do is to uload a photo, select a frame in which you want your photo to appear, pick a font type and color to add a text below the picture and click preview. If you really like what you’ve created, you can share it with your friends via email, or simply save it on your PC by right clicking it. Free to use.
   http://www.photo-notes.net/





8. FreePhotosBank
   
   FreePhotosBank is a free website when you can search and download photos. You can browse pictures by categories and sub-categories, or simply search for a specific keyword: when you've found the picture you want, you can download it in zip or jpg format, and use it on your website or blog for free. The service is free to use, and does not require any registration.
   http://www.freephotosbank.com/

Originally written by Nico Canali De Rossi for Master New Media and first published on April 6th 2008 as "Visual Communication And Video Publishing - Selected Tools And Web Services - Sharewood Picnic Apr06 08"