free fast foto editing December 5, 2007

Online photo editing is more important to public libaries than we may realize at first glance.
Why?
Because of the restrictions on downloading we place on our public computers.
Because of that, applications such as Adobe Photoshop Elements, were unavailable to our patrons.
Now, with Web-based online editing, patrons can crop or enhance their images without downloadable software, and simply edit their photos on the Web.

The only downside to these applications below, is that none so far have added text editing. So there is no ability to print over or on your images.
At least, not yet.

Picnik
Picnik is the best and most intuitive. Once you are done editing, you can transfer your photos directly to Flickr. Picnik has replaced Ajax-based PXN8 as our favorite online photo editing tool.

Snipshot.com previously called Pixoh, is a good Ajax-based editing tool that stands out because of its above average design and the fact that they have an API into their service.

Pixenate Has a Firefox extension that puts Snipshot in your right-click menu. Their free API lets you use Snipshot for your own website
I love that No download is necessary—100% browser based, no plug-ins required. You can edit an image on the fly, and edited photos can be transferred to Flickr easily.

PreLoader
PreLoader is a very useful flickr-based photo editing tool. They’ve integrated the Flickr API with nexImage photo editing software and presented it as a new, free online service. No registration is required (or even possible) – you simply log on to your flickr account through the Preloadr site

Google Presentation saved me November 7, 2007

I love free things on the Web.

I just do.

So, when I stumbled upon Google Presentation, I found how easy it was to create PowerPoint-like slides without having Microsoft Office. I got busy.
I was logged in to Google and clicked on More, then on Documents.

I’d used Google documents before so there was a reason for my poking around, and ah hah!
I found something. Google Presentation. Bingo

Here’s How
First thing is to have a Google account. Then log in.
At the main Google search page, click on More (top of screen)
then click on Documents
then on Presentation
Google Presentation is similar to PowerPoint slides.

Some neat features–

Your slideshow is Web-ready
You don’t need to save your files to a flash drive
You don’t have to worry if the computer you may be using has PowerPoint
You have an instant interactive class for students anywhere around the world.

Here’s How

Once you are finished with your slides, click on Start Presentation.
This makes the slides you created available on the Web.
You’ll see a meeting sidebar pop up on right, next to your slides.
There is a box at the bottom to type into.
The ensuing chat shows in the larger center box like any IM messaging window.

When your presentation is finished, simply close your file.

You can access the Presentation file from the Documents link under More

or under My Account.

All Google Document and Google Presentation files are stored there.

A few things to note:

If you click on Publish, you can get the URL for your slide presentation to put onto your blog.

If you are usuing an overhead and do not want to use the interactive chat feature, simple click on the separator bar between the slide and the chat window. The slide will expand to the right and the chat window disappears.

Heartland Workshop Notes October 26, 2007

Heartland Workshop Slides

Web 2.0 is all about fun.

Try these applications below and join in.

I’ll post more on each of these with more detail in upcoming days, but here is a good list to get you started.

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Flickr
photo storage and so much more
FUN with your pictures
click the link to find out about photo books, stickers, calling cards, calendars…

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del.icio.us
A social bookmarks manager. Using bookmarklets, you can add bookmarks to your list and categorize them and keep them on the Web.

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Meebo
Multiplatfrom Instant Message service that requires no download.
Meebo creates an IM widget for your blog, too.

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YouTube
Go to Catagories to get a sense of what you can find.
Upload your video then stream from YouTube to your own blog by imbedding the link.

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Twitter
Literally a minute by minute social network. See a timeline of random moments.
A good site to get some information on Twitter, is:
here

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LibraryThing
Catalog your own collection. A book collectors dream and easy to use. LibraryThing also offers a widget for your blog, which shows some of your titles, and links to your page. Cataloged through the Library of Congress and Amazon.com and more.

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Widgets and Gadgets
I think there is a widget or gadget out there for everyone. The variety is staggering and very exciting. google gadgets yahoo widgets

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Slide.com
Instant slides from picture files. Easy and fast with no logging in.

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SlideShare
Share your PowerPoint Slides online. Slideshare takes some time before your slides appear so don’t upload your slides, so give yourself a day before your presentation to make sure your slides appear.