Friday, December 3, 2010

things i heart: photoscape

"things i heart" is my friday series on the blog.  hope you enjoy!

psssst.  i have a secret to share with you today: i can't afford photoshop.  i know, shocking.  it's realllly expensive and i'm this teeny little blogger just having fun, so yea, wish i could, but i can't afford it.  but about a month ago i was getting really sad that i couldn't do all the fun groupings and borders and other editing that bloggers with photoshop could do, and that's when i stumbled upon my life-saver (note: over-exaggeration for dramatic effect) . . . photoscape!  it was my favorite price: free. 
 
basically, you download the software and then go to work!  

{opening screen}

so far, i have only made use of the editor and combine functions.  let me show you combine:
 
 {one picture added}

i'll walk you through how i made one of my hostess gift combinations from yesterday.  start by selecting the folder on your computer (displayed in top left corner) you want to work with.  the photos in that folder appear along the left-hand side.  it's then a simple drag-and-drop into the center, and delete them from the top at any time.  you can also rearrange the order in which they appear along the top (again, just drag-and-drop!)
 
{three pictures added}
 
you can combine pictures next to each other, above each other, or in a checkered pattern, like i did here.  tip: i generally stick to a maximum of 4 checkered because any more than that makes the finished picture smaller than i like once inserted on the blog.
 
{all four added}
 
after combining, i then switch to edit either by clicking editor along the top or "edit" in the top right corner of a picture.
 
in edit mode you can do all the usual cropping, plus add borders and other effects.  as you might have noticed from my recent posts, i like rounded edges on my pictures.  to accomplish this, simply click the "round" button along the bottom tool-bar.  that's how i rounded all the pictures used in this post (which i realize don't look all that great like that but i wanted you to see an example!).  i also like trying out the different round borders, which change the shading around the edges.
 
{round 4 border}

scrolling through the MANY borders available (just click on the down arrow next to the blue highlighted box on the bottom tool-bar to see list) and testing them out is a fun and extremely easy way to waste time!  my other 2 favorite borders of the moment:
 
 {pocket border}

 {stamp 2 border}

tip: i've found i have to be careful with borders, though.  sometimes a picture looks better speaking for itself, without any "fancy" editing.  you have to make sure it enhances, rather than detracts!
 
so i'm definitely still new to photoscape and picture editing in general.  i've never taken classes in it so i'm working with trial-and-error (and i know i have a long way to go!), but i heart photoscape for meeting my current photo-editing needs.  whether you're also a blogger or just want to edit personal pictures for your own enjoyment, i definitely recommend photoscape.  

happy editing!
 
xo. di.
*all images screen caps taken by me of me using photoscape.  images used credited in yesterday's hostess gifts post
 
**i received absolutely nothing from photoscape for this post.  when i find a good thing, i just want to pass it on to you!

6 comments:

  1. Photoscape is really easy to use and also in italian language. Thanks so much for the idea!

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  2. Very helpful - appreciate the step by step!

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  3. Nice! I do have photoshop but sometimes find it too much of an effort ( I guess that sounds pretty lazy...) This seems quick & easy, also nice to use on another computer when I'm away from home!

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  4. I'll have to check this out... I don't have photoshop either. Thanks!

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  5. Thanks for the recommendation! I definitely don't need the full-blown Photoshop, so it's good to know that there are other (and cheaper) options out there.

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  6. i hope you girls find it useful! lucia - i'm so glad it's in italian for you too!

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thanks so much for the note! i love reading your comments. xo. di.

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