FotoFlexer Online Photo Editor

Getting Started with FotoFlexer Online Photo Editor

Introduction to the Application

F
otoFlexer's home page has a big yellow button in the upper right corner that says: Upload Photo. Just click the button to begin uploading photos and other images that are stored on your home computer and other devices. If you are a beginner with FotoFlexer, you might want to select the Sample Photo option beneath the upload button. This will give you an image from FotoFlexer's gallery that you can use for practice. Your third option is to select one of the social networking sites or photo storage sites. This option is beneath the Sample Photo option.

If you click the Upload Photo button, you will see these options offered again in a sidebar pane to the left of the big button that says: Upload. Previously, you had to register to use the sample photos, but I just checked and apparently you no longer have to do that. Choosing one of the social networking or photo storage sites will require you to connect to that service, of course. From here, you also have the opportunity to Grab from Web, which allows you to enter the URL for any site where you have pictures. Note: Please always be courteous (and legal) when grabbing images from other sites.

At the top of the FotoFlexer workspace, you will see the options to Load Another Photo, make a New image, Save your image or just Quit. This bar also includes links to a Feedback form and Settings (which requires registration, but it's free).

For beginners, let me point out that the Load Another Photo option introduces the concept of layers. Behind the first image you load is a background. This is the photo canvas. Consider it the desktop, or a working surface. When you load another image, it overlays the original image and will become part of a combined image. (Don't worry about where it puts the image; you have lots of tools for manipulating the layers.)

Neatly laid out as tabs at the top of the workspace are all the functions FotoFlexer Online Photo Editor, divided by categories:

• Basic
• Effects
• Decorate
• Animations
• Beautify
• Distort
• Layers
• Geek

As you select different categories from the tabs, the options for that function are displayed as icons above the image in a simple, easy to understand format. Selecting one of the options often opens other dialog boxes at the top of or beside the image that allows you to change the defaults for that function. Some of the options have a Cancel button so you can just change your mind. For some others, once selected, you will have to complete the process and then click Undo.

For the image displayed in this section, I used photos from morgueFile, created a 4-block collage with them, and customized the final image by adding a Fresco effect and a solid border, which produced the museum matte finish. All effects were done using FotoFlexer.



Original images courtesy of morgueFile

User Experience

What Working with FotoFlexer Is Like

F
otoFlexer has a very crisp, clean and attractive user interface. It is nicely laid out and easy to understand. Anyone at all familiar with photo editing techniques will be able to immediately begin using the application with good results.

• Ease of Use / Intuitive Interface - Extremely intuitive; easy to understand
• Size of Workspaces - Uses entire window space, even on wide-screen monitors
• Attractiveness / Clean Lines - Extremely crisp and clean
• Excessive Use of Ads - One banner ad at top of workspace; easy to ignore
• Zoom - Easy-to-use scale to the right of the image
• Undo - Maximum 10 levels; cannot revert to original
• Redo - Maximum 10 levels; cannot revert to original
• Immediate (Live) Preview of Changes - Yes
• Full Screen Mode for Editing - Yes
• Right Click for Additional Options - Yes
• Keyboard Shortcuts - No

File Management in FotoFlexer

Where You Can GET and PUT Your Files

I
n the arena of file management, FotoFlexer Online Photo Editor is a leader with a wide variety of options for locating and uploading images or photos and for saving your enhanced images.

General Information

• Sample Photo for Practice - Yes
• Max File Size - Unknown; seems to be about 1.5 megapixels
• Max Resolution - 2240x1680
• Time to load file - Not the fastest lion in the jungle, but acceptable

Open / Download

• File Formats - JPG, PNG, GIF
• PC or Laptop - Yes
• Removable Media (flash drive, external hard drive, etc.) - Yes
• Mobile Phone - No
• Social Networks / Photo Storage Sites - Several, including Flickr and Photobucket
• URL (any website) - Yes

Save / Upload / Export

• Files Formats - JPG, PNG, GIF
• Save to PC or Laptop - Yes
• Save to Removable Media - Yes
• Save to Mobile Phone - Can be e-mailed if your phone is capable
• Upload to Social Networks - Several
• Upload to Photo Storage Sites - Photobucket and TinyPic
• E-mail - Yes
• Save on Application Host Server - Yes, with registration
• Print - No
• Create a Product (similar to Zazzle) - No

Workspaces

• Save to FotoFlexer (with registration)
• Multiple Images - Yes, but using them may be very confusing for beginners. Initially, every individual component on the canvas (desktop) may be individually selected by clicking on them. (You will see "handles" appear at the corners.) However, certain functions will merge layers, turning them into a single combined image. Although you may resize individual images by selecting them and dragging the handles, crop will always crop the entire image and merge the layers. Chances are that the beginning user will be frustrated using multiple images until skill is gained.

Basic Features of FotoFlexer

Working with the Standard Tools

A
ll of the most common basic features of an online photo editor, such as crop and resize, are available with FotoFlexer. The Basics tab is the place to go for those functions.

• Crop - Draw selection area on image and adjust with selection "handles"
• Copy - Yes; select and right click for options or use icon above
• Resize / Scale - Yes; select from presets; enter percentages; enter size in pixels
• Flip - Yes, horizontally and vertically; flips entire canvas, not individual photos
• Rotate - Yes; in 90 degrees increments only
• Marquee Selections - Yes, for some tools; draw selection area on image and adjust with selection "handles"
• Advanced Selection Tools (lasso, oval, etc.) - No
• Increase Canvas Size No

Note: After initially loading an image, the Basics tab will have a Resize icon. If you add a second image, the resize button will disappear and will not come back until the current workspace is closed and another opened.

Text Capabilities of FotoFlexer

Blue Ribbon Quality Tools

T
he text option for FotoFlexer is located on the Decorate tab. This is a primary area in which FotoFlexer surpasses most online editing apps. There are two different buttons, one for standard text and another for glitter text, which creates animated affects on the text.

When you select the text option, two boxes appear on the screen. One is where you type the text, the other is the outline of the "object" box. As you type in the top box, it appears in the object box. The more you type, the smaller the text in the object box becomes. After entering text, you can drag the handles of the object box to increase the size of the font or to fit the selection box to the existing text. You will also notice a pop-up dialog box to the right of the workspace. Here you can choose from an adequate set of different fonts, set the font size (uncheck the Auto box), add a colored background to your text, make the text background transparent, align it within the box you have made, and choose colors for backgrounds and fonts.

• Range of Fonts - Fair, several unique to FotoFlexer
• Font Preview - Yes
• Color - Yes
• Size - Yes; fair range of preset sizes, but can be set to whatever size you want using the object "handles"
• Bold / Italics / Underline - No
• Placement on Image - Yes, drag to position
• Rotation - Yes, small rotate symbol at top of object box allows freeform rotation
• Transparency - Yes; makes the background invisible; does not affect opacity of the font
• Special Effects - No
• Move / Reposition after De-select - Yes; be sure pointer is on an actual letter if you have set a transparent background
• Edit after De-select - Yes, and dialog box will reappear to make changes

Original image © guardianstar77, 2012 - All Rights Reserved

Photo / Image Enhancement Tools

Fine Tuning with FotoFlexer

W
ith FotoFlexer Online Photo Editor you have most of the standard options for enhancing photos as well as some that are much more advanced than what you will find in other free online photo editors. You will need to look under several different tabs to find them all.

• Hue / Saturation - Yes
• Contrast / Brightness - Yes
• Color Balance / Correction / Enhancement - Yes
• Levels - No
• Curves - Yes, under Geek tab - not for newbies
• Exposure - No, but has Autofix which works fairly well
• Desaturate - Yes, grayscale under Effects
• Blur - Yes
• Noise - No
• Sharpen - Yes

Common Add-On Features

Other Things to Do with FotoFlexer Online Photo Editor

M
ost of the common photo editing tools are included in FotoFlexer. In addition, it has an exceptionally good red-eye reduction tool. One of the most powerful features of FotoFlexer is that almost everything you do (such as adding text and stickers) creates individual objects. Each of those objects can then be selected, repositioned, resized, rotated, edited or deleted at any time.

In addition, you can use your right mouse button to click on any of the objects for a list of other options, including placing one object behind another, copying the object, flipping it, rotating it, etc. Such depth in using objects is rarely seen in free online photo editors!

• Red Eye Reduction - Works very well with default setting
• Frames / Borders - Yes, but very limited
• Shapes - Yes; under Stickers; fair selection; resize, reposition, edit after de-select
• Stickers / Stamps - Yes; fair selection; unique in that you can change the colors of the selected stickers
• Talk Bubbles - Yes; under Stickers; resize, reposition, edit after de-select
• Polaroid - No
• Collage - EZCollage under Basics; very simple to use and great results
• Face-in-a-Hole - Yes, but very limited

The collage shown above (featuring my grandchildren) was done in just a couple of minutes using the EZCollage feature. This is a really nice tool.

The original of the image used in the last frame of the above collage is shown below.


This delightful image features my youngest grandson who has the most gorgeous red hair and liquid brown eyes that you can imagine. He is my little angel, so I made an image to reflect that! I added wings from the Stickers tab and resized them to fit his body on the original image. I then copied the region of the image that should be layered over the wings (the support for the swing he was sitting on) and erased the appropriate sections of the overlain image so the wings would show beneath. Then I added text and finally a pretty border. Took a few minutes, but well worth the effort, don't you think?



Original Images © guardianstar77, 2012 - All Rights Reserved

Common Filters / Effects

Jazzing It Up with FotoFlexer Online Photo Editor

M
any of the most common photo manipulation tools are noticeably missing from this application although FotoFlexer has a lot of nice preset options under the Effects tab. The Distort tab only contains four basic manipulation tools: twirl, bulge / pinch, stretch and squish. These can create a lot of really fun distortions but do not have the depth of many other online photo editors.

• Kaleidoscope - No
• Liquid Waves / Waves - No
• Ripple - No
• Water Ripple - No
• Twirl / Swirl - Yes; unique in that you can create multiple swirls in opposite directions; move pointer onto image to begin
• Edge Detection - No
• Lighting Effects - No
• Lens Flare - No
• Sphere - No
• Emboss - No
• Pixelate - Yes, under Effects
• Textures - No, except as presets in Effects
• Terrain / Bump Map - No

The abstract image above was created using the Twirl effect and adding a couple of different borders.


Original images courtesy of morgueFile

Advanced Photo Editing Features

To Enlighten Graphics Artists and Illustrators

F
otoFlexer Online Photo Editor does not have an extensive array of advanced features commonly used by graphics artists, illustrators and designers, but it does at least allow some manipulation of images using the concept of layers. In the image shown here, I uploaded two images - one of a beautiful sunset and another of a grouping of candles. By using the layers tab, I was able to place one on top of the other and adjust the opacity so the images were somewhat blended, creating a very nice abstract image.

• Pixel-Based / Bitmap Editing - No
• 16-Bit Support - No
• CMYK Color Space - No
• Range of Brushes - None; can select size and color, but not opacity settings or shapes
• Range of Shapes - Shapes available only as stickers
• Pen Tool - None and pencil tool is very limited
• Layers - Yes, but not as most who need them would find necessary; no styles, masks, adjustment layers, etc.
• Tablet Support - No

The above image was created using Layers. I simply opened two images of the same size, laid one over the other, and changed the opacity of the top one so that parts of the bottom one could be seen through the top one.


Original images courtesy of morgueFile

Animation within FotoFlexer

Add Glitter and Movement

T
he only animation tools in FotoFlexer are presets for Text and Stickers. Text we have already talked about. There are three categories of Stickers from which to select - Animated Stars, Animated Lovies and Animated Stickers. Each has a fair selection of objects, with the ability to change the default colors of the objects. (I don't know of any other online photo editor that does this.)

I don't like using animations in Web pages because they can be slow to load on some internet connections, but here is an example a photo that uses "animated lovies" and "glitter" text.


This handsome young man is my husband, with whom I have spent over 40 years of my life. We have two sons and (at the latest count) five grandchildren. This man is the light of my life, my best friend, and, indeed, my hero.




Original Images © guardianstar77, 2012 - All Rights Reserved

3D Transformations within FotoFlexer

Sorry - These Tools Don't Exist

F
otoFlexer has no 3D transformation tools. Some of the stickers are available as 3D images, but you cannot make your own. Some of the Distort options can give a small illusion of a 3D effect (such as Bulge), but the more common tools for creating 3D objects like cubes and spheres are missing, as discussed below.

Noticeably Missing Features

What You WON'T Find in FotoFlexer Online Photo Editor

A
lot of the tools commonly available in other online photo editors are missing from FotoFlexer. However, this is a very widely used program, and an extremely superior one in some areas. So, hopefully, in the future many of these options will be added.

• Polaroid-like Photos - This is one of the most annoying. So many programs have this functionality that I cannot imagine why FotoFlexer does not.


• 3D Transformations - Again, more and more programs are adding the ability to create 3D transformations, such as cubes and spheres, so I am amazed that FotoFlexer has not added them yet.


• Common Filters - Many online photo editors now have the ability to create kaleidoscopes, waves, ripple, and water ripple effects. Adding these would greatly enhance the usability of FotoFlexer and narrow the competitive gap.

Unique Additional Features of FotoFlexer

Super Cool Things You WILL Find

T
he programmers for FotoFlexer online photo editor may have missed a few of the more common features, but they have also made it a star performer by adding some features that are very special and some that are exceptional!

• Editable Objects - I am truly impressed with the fact that FotoFlexer creates stickers and text as independent objects and includes the ability to select and manipulate them after creation.


• Right Click - This simple access to content menus that expand the functionality of objects is missing from so many other online photo editors that I am extremely impressed that FotoFlexer has added it.


• Geek - Terrific, highly advanced tools! Although not for a beginner, the tools available under the Geek tab are truly amazing. Most of them have built-in tutorials that walk you through each one step-by-step. A little practice with the tutorials will allow you to do wonderful things with your images, including removing backgrounds (a function which is much in demand).

Environment of FotoFlexer Online Photo Editor

General Things You Need to Know

I
n general, the environment of FotoFlexer does not differ much from that of competing online photo editing applications. As always, you should read carefully the Terms of Service / Use and the Privacy Policy statements before using the application.

• Registration Required - No, but additional services if you do


• Premium / Pro Upgrade Available - No


• Plug-Ins (manageable within program) - No


• Frequency of Updates - Appear to be fairly frequent


• Terms of Use - As I understand the language of their TOS, Fotoflexer does not try to restrict the use of your own images that have been enhanced and/or altered using their website. However, if you store your images on their website, you should read the TOS very carefully as you are granting them a lot of rights relative to your images.

Link to FotoFlexer

Training and Support

What Help Is Available for FotoFlexer Online Photo Editor

T
raining and Support for FotoFlexer is somewhat limited. There are a couple of decent YouTube videos available (see below) that give you some basic understanding of parts of the program, but there should be more considering the popularity of this great photo editor.

FotoFlexer itself offers a few tutorials on their website and some of the Geek features have their own built-in tutorials.

• Help Menu Available within Application - No


• FAQ / Knowledge Base / Tutorials within Application - There are some tutorials available from the "Watch a Demo" link on the home page. These are basically the tutorials for the Geek tools. I could find no existing Knowledge Base or FAQs links.


• Forums / Blogs / Community Groups - Could not find a forum, blog, or community group


• External Training / Tutorials - Extremely limited; a few YouTube videos but most are either too short or too long, boring, or in non-English languages

Summary of FotoFlexer Online Photo Editor

The Big Picture

FotoFlexer is a free online photo editing application which distinguishes itself from most other photo editing applications by making objects editable and adding advanced features, such as layers and the Geek tools. The crisp, clean interface, ability to edit in full-screen mode, and ease of use make it an outstanding choice for most people. And.......It's free!

The Professional Hermit Crab Does Zazzle

Fabulous Designs on Great Products

I happily admit to being a professional hermit crab. One of my favorite places to be is in my computer room in front of my monitor, drawing my "shell" snugly about me as I pursue my work. The ability to do this is one of the reasons why I work at home.

If you, too, count yourself as one of the multitude of professional hermit crabs, please visit my Zazzle gallery for a whole line of products dedicated to us.

Much of the digital art that I create is used on the products in my Zazzle store in the Altered Art and Kaleidoscopes categories. Thank you so much.

Image from BigStock Photo - licensed for commercial use.

Gratitude for Angel Blessings

Thank you to the wonderful SquidAngels who have visited and blessed FotoFlexer Online Photo Editor. I know how busy all of you are, and this is a great honor!

WhiteOak50   —   Iravidlearner   —   Rewards4life   —   JoyfulReviewer
Clipart Courtesy of OCAL on Clkr.com

Meet the Professional Hermit Crab

guardianstar77 is a writer, graphics design artist, nature enthusiast and lover of everything that resembles a horse. She lives in Central Arkansas and shares her life with a husband of over 40 years, 2 sons, and 5 fabulous grandchildren. guardianstar77 is not domesticated, finding that spending time doing almost anything else beats doing housework. Her passions include recycling, frugal living, feeding the hungry, old-fashioned vintage everything, nature, reading, writing, flea markets and yard sales, Christmas, mystical creatures, carousels, and artwork filled with glorious earthy colors.

guardianstar77 is a devout Christian, a staunch conservative, a passionate American, and a defender of capitalism. Although she is, by her own definition, somewhat of a "professional hermit crab", guardianstar77 is deeply loyal to her family and those she chooses to have as friends. When not pursuing writing and artistic goals, she spends her time deepening those relationships.

guardianstar77 is a long-standing member of Squidoo, and she shares her royalties with many Squidoo charities. View all my lenses!