I have wanted to test the digi-waters for quite some time, so when I found Picnik.com, I was excited to try my hand at digital or hybrid scrapbooking. This free online site allows you to download pics from flickr, picasa, facebook, photobucket or your computer. All of the basic tools are free, but if you want something a little more advanced, it’s only $24.95 for the year.

I had to download the latest flash player, but it was painless and quick, and I was able to begin editing in minutes. At Picnik.com you can edit, crop, resize, sharpen, delete red eye and use other basic tools. The real fun comes in when you add effects, text and shapes to your photos. There are really a lot of possibilities, and I had such a fun time exploring the different effects. Once you’ve created the effect you want, you can save the image to your computer, share them on your blog or print them whenever you get a chance.

If you have drooled over layouts like the one in Master ’08 Tracie Radtke’s last blog, now is your chance to experiment with hybrid scrapbooking and all-digital layouts. I think Picnik is a great option if you want to experiment without investing a lot of money into a photo-editing program. I really liked the results, given the fact that I was able to do everything online without downloading or investing any money. If you decide to test the waters and want to talk about it, check out the Testing the Digi-waters thread in the forum. Let me know what you think about picnik.com, or share information about other photo sites you love.

Top Left:
Eating one of my favorite pasta dishes while I was home visiting my family.
Left: A picture of my dad who is a photo-journalist and constantly taking pics, but rarely in front of the camera.

Create something, Inspire everyone.
GinaMarie