quick & easy photo editing tips!

hello old friends!
it's been awhile since my last post, hasn't it?

since last month we have enjoyed every last drop of our summer & have now started school again!

don't you think that went by way too fast? ;)

thank goodness i have all the photos i took of everything from vacations to everyday playtime, or else i probably wouldn't remember!

i love taking pictures... editing them, on the other hand, is something i don't love!
i'm not super knowledgeable when it comes to adobe photoshop or any other elaborate editing program & i just don't have the time (or patience) to learn.

i'm sure a lot of you busy mommies feel the same way, and i get a lot of questions on how i edit my photos & get them to have that "vintage wash" effect with the rounded corners.
i use www.picnik.com and i absolutely love it... it's easy, fast & free!

i'm going to walk you through a few steps on which "actions" i use so you can see how easy it really is:


let's start with a regular photo:

*go to the top of the page & click the "create" tab.
you will see all the actions on the left.
*scroll down until you see the "cross process" button.
*click & adjust the slider to your desired look. i usually slide it anywhere from about 45-75%.
*hit apply
your photo should look something like this:

*now, find the "vignette" action (still to the left of the page) & click.
*slide your percentages to desired strength or leave as it is & hit apply.
*for this photo i used: size-50, strength-40%, & fade-20%.
this is what it looks like:

*next, go back to the side actions & click on "1960's" button.
*adjust slider to desired look (i adjusted mine to 90%), hit apply
you should have something that looks like this:

*now, for the final steps you can leave as it, or you can go to the "edit" tab on the top of the page & fade your colors a bit:

perfect!

*or, for a more "grainier" effect, go back to the "create" tab and choose the "cinemascope" action on the left. then uncheck the "letterbox my photo" square.
it should look like this:

done!

do you see how easy it was...

to go from this: to this:

some of my other favorite "actions" to use are "lomo-ish" (for more vibrant color) & also "orton-ish" (for a softer look).
there are lots of fun effects to try, and the more you get used to the format of the site, the easier & faster it will become.
have fun & experiment ;)

i'm ready for the weekend, how about you?