Visual communication tools keep holding our interest and attention as they increase your ability to communicate, train and market in more effective ways. Among our selected visual weapons another web-based image editors to apply effects and edit your pictures, new image search engines that make it easy for you to find all kinds of images, as well as a free multimedia player to embed and distribute your image slideshows.

Photo credit: FotoFlash

Here my full list of useful visual communication tools I have selected for you this week:

1. Phantasmagoria: Java-based image editor lets you modify pictures on any machine
2. Picitup: Image search engine lets you apply filters to your researches
3. Tag Galaxy: Flick search engine lets you combine multiple keywords through a 3D interface
4. Splashr: Arrange all of your Flickr pictures, or someone else's, into embeddable players
5. Picreflect: Add simple reflections to your images online
6. GIFUP: Upload images from your computer, Flickr or web-site, and create animations with them
7. Retriever: Draw with your mouse, or upload a picture to start a Flickr research that matches what you drew
8. Web 2.0 Free Logo Generator: Create customizable Web2.0 logos online, with no photo editing software

Visual Communication Tools

1. Phantasmagoria
   
   Phantasmagoria is a free Java-based image editor, that runs on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. It supports a wide range of image formats, and it lets you easily edit and improve your images with a lot of effects. You can create graphics, including textures and highy stylized text and, when you are done, you can export directly pictures to Flickr. Free to download and use.
   http://www.develderby.com/phantasmagoria/






2. Picitup
   
   Picitup is an online image search engine that allows you search for pictures applying filters. Just inserting a keyword and clicking search will bring you to a result page, where you can decide to filter images: you can select faces, landscapes products, or even colors and, when you have found the right picture, you can click on it and you will be brought to its page so that you can download it. Free to use.
   http://www.picitup.com/






3. Tag Galaxy
   
   Tag Galaxy is a Flickr search engine that displays results as planets and galaxies. After you insert a term to begin the research, multiple planets will gather, suggesting other possible keywords related to the starting one so that your research can become wider. At the center of the galaxy, you can click the planet, and it will begin showing pictures that you can click on and download from their Flickr page. Free.
   http://taggalaxy.de/






4. Splashr
   
   Splashr is a new tool that anyone can use to show Flickr photos on embeddable players. All you have to do is to enter a Flickr username, email, photo-set id, or simply tags, decide how many photos will be showed on the board, select the style, and click a button. You can then preview the player, share it via email, or embed it on your web-site so that everyone can see it. Free to use, no registration needed.
   http://splashr.com/






5. Picreflect
   
   Picreflect is a simple web-based tool to add reflections to your pictures. After you load a picture from your PC or URL, you can change reflection height and transparency settings, resize or rotate the picture, change the background color and even flip it. Then, you can click generate and save your picture locally on your machine. Free to use, no registration needed.
   http://picreflect.com/






6. GIFUP
   
   GIFUP is an online GIF animation and avatar generator. Simply upload images from your computer, or get them from Flickr or any web-site, and GIFUP will automatically create an animation with the images you provided. When you're satisfied, you can then save it to your computer, or share it with your friends. Free to use.
   http://www.gifup.com/






7. Retriever
   
   Retriever is an interesting site where you can draw a picture and start a research that matches what you are drawing on your sketch pad. After you decide dimension and color of your brush, and you can start drawing anything you want and in a matter of seconds it will show search result from Flickr that match what you drew. You can also upload an image, or provide its URL, and Retriever will look for pictures that are similar to the one you uploaded. Free.
   http://labs.systemone.at/retrievr/






8. Web 2.0 Free Logo Generator
   
   Web 2.0 Free Logo Generator is a web-based service that lets you create Web 2.0 logos, without knowing anything about photo editing. You can personalize the text, font, background color, size, reflection, image format and resolution. When you are done, you can right click the logo and save it locally on your PC, or you can send it via email to other people. Free to use, no registration needed
   http://www.simwebsol.com/ImageTool/

Originally written by Nico Canali De Rossi for Master New Media and first published on June 21st 2008 as "Visual Communication And Video Publishing - Selected Tools And Web Services - Sharewood Picnic Jun21 08"