Christmas has come and gone and you download your photos from the camera. Wow! You find the perfect photo, everyone smiling, no-ones blinking… but the camera flash has resulted in some red eyes coming up. Oh, so close. You’re forced to press the dreaded delete button or settle for a photo that is “almost perfect”. Well, listen in, because this will be a scenario of the past after reading this.

First off, you will need to download TheGimp (http://www.gimp.org/) which is a free photo editing piece of software. To make things easier, install this script (http://www.gimpguru.org/download/red-eye.scm) to help you remove those nasty red-eyes. To install it, simply download and then move into the “scripts” folder inside TheGimp directory on your computer.

Okay, so now fire TheGimp up and then open up the photo you would like to remove the red-eye from. Zoom in on the eyes you would like to change. This makes it easier to work with. Using the rectangle select tool, make a small rectangle on the red section of one of the pupils. Run the script “Script-Fu/Selection/Red Eye” and then edit the settings until you get something you like. It’s recommended to work with a setting of 10% Red, 60% Green and 30% Blue to start with, and then adjust from there to whatever looks best for that particular photo.

This process involves a bit of trial and error; if you are unhappy with the results, use CTRL and Z to undo and then try again until you come up with a result that makes you happy. Once it looks good, repeat the process by selecting the red section of the other pupil and use the same settings as you did on the first pupil. Presto! The photo is finally perfect

When it comes to the best professional photo-editing software, experts agree that Adobe Photoshop CS2 is the de facto industry standard. But, this is a $650 professional-grade software package, and you might need to take a class in order to overcome the steep learning curve. Photoshop CS2 is capable of almost any type of modification you desire, but it is certainly not easy to learn or understand. The next version of Photoshop, Photoshop CS3, is set for release mid 2007. A major change will be the optimization of the software (called Universal Binary) for new Intel-based Mac computers. For now, CS2 is the current version.

According to CNet, Adobe Photoshop CS2 is “for serious professionals working with still digital media.” The application has new features, and it integrates much better with Adobe’s other products including Bridge, Adobe’s image organizer which now comes bundled with CS2. Photoshop CS2 also has tools for correcting optical lens distortion and image noise. Professional photographers say there’s really no substitute for Adobe Photoshop CS2. When working in the RAW format, CS2’s advanced Camera RAW plug-in lets you completely rebuild a photo from the ground up. For non-professionals, however, photo-editing software in the $100 price range includes the most important features of Photoshop CS2 — without the learning curve or expense.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 5 (*est. $80) currently has a slight lead over Corel Paint Shop Pro XI (*est. $85) . Elements is favored over Paint Shop at both PC World and PC Magazine. If you are currently using Elements 4, however, you might want to consider before upgrading. Several reviews note that Adobe has removed a few of the more advanced features for the latest version, so if you are a current Elements user who relies on advanced features, you might want to check before upgrading to see that your favorite features are still there.

Although a handful of features are missing from version 4, Elements 5 has added some new tools. Reviewers particularly like the improvements to its organizer, which makes it easier to tag and rename photos so you can find them later. A new curves tool allows the user to make fine adjustments to both contrast and color at the same time (this tool is a simplified version of the curves feature in the $650 CS2). Paint Shop Pro has also enhanced their curves function. However, as with many Paint Shop Pro functions, you are tied to a dialogue box, making critical adjustments difficult to see on screen.

It used to be that you had to have a little toolkit of free image editing programs to take care of all the typical needs any visual communicator normally has. Mine still includes great free image editing programs like Photofiltre, Irfanview and DCE, a fantastic trio, which together with Snag-it (paid) I really couldn’t do without. But the web-based, free image editing alternatives keep growing in number and quality.

Here below is just a micro selection to some of the most recent online image editing tools that have become available.

While limited in scope for now, this is in fact the step in the release of a complete and all-encompassing mini-guide to ALL online image editing tools available.

Image editor that lets you quickly edit all your photos online from any operating systems

Image hosting service that lets users to manage, edit, and share their images online

Picture resizing service lets you create a custom profile avatar for your social networks

Photo service that lets you edit and save your images, screenshots and photos online

Image resizer lets you resize multiple pictures simultaneously within your browser

Color extracting tool lets your extract colors from any images to create color schemes

Photo editing service that lets you easily refine facial images in photos

Photo service providing image manipulation functions that is connected with your Flickr account

Photo editing site lets you make changes to your pictures and to photos available on the Web

Image editing service allows you to upload images from anywhere on the Web and edit them freely

Picnik
Picnik is an image editor that lets you quickly edit all your photos online. It helps you fix underexposed photos, remove red-eye, or apply many special effects to your photos. Picnik is directly connected with many photo sharing sites and works on Mac, Windows and Linux. Picnik is completely free to use.
http://www.picnik.com/

XMG Image
XMG Image is an image hosting service that provides an interface for users to manage, edit, and share their images online. You can use some powerful editing features to crop, rotate, and resize your images. You can also add special effects, enhance your images, and do much more. XMG is completely free to use.
http://xmgimage.com/

MyPictr
MyPictr provides a picture resizing service, which allows you to create a custom profile avatar for your favorite social network. You don’t need to install any programs: just upload your picture, resize it online and download it. MyPictr gives you enough time (approximately 10 minutes) to download your picture, then your file is automatically removed. MyPictr is free to use.
http://mypictr.com/

OnlinePhotoTool
OnlinePhotoTool is a service that lets you edit and save your images, screenshots and photos online. You can use photos and images from your hard drive as well as pictures on the Internet. If you want to save your images online you need to register. It is possible to resize, crop, add text and set up special effects to any pictures. OnlinePhotoTool is completely free to use.
http://www.onlinephototool.com/

Quick Thumbnail
Quick Thumbnail is an online image resizer. You choose an image file, select some resize options, and hit “Resize it”. Your image will be uploaded to the server and resized, and then any or all of the resized images will be provided in a single convenient view. Not only can you simultaneously generate different sizes but you can enlarge your images too. Free to use.
http://www.quickthumbnail.com/

pic2color
pic2color is a tool that helps you extract colors from any images. It helps you creates sophisticated color schemes from images effortlessly and offers seamless integration with GenoPal Online for individual color exploration. Users can also integrate it into their website by posting some HTML code. Free to use.
http://www.pic2color.com/

FaceFilter
FaceFilter Live is a service that lets you easily refine facial images in photos to your satisfaction. You need to upload a picture (to achieve the best result, the photo subject should be looking directly forward), which can be either in jpeg or gif format. The available commands let you change the expression of the portrayed face with great ease. Free to use.
http://www.forteelectric.com/FreePhotoEditor.html

Preloadr
Preloadr is a service providing image manipulation functions that is connected with your Flickr account. Before sending the images to Flickr, you can modify them with several tools and perform cropping, sharpening, color correction and much more. Once you’ve optimized your photo you can specify details about the image and set tags, as you’re used to do at Flickr. Free to use.
http://www.preloadr.com/

Cellsea
Cellsea is a site that lets you rotate, resize, and crop photos to get the exact composition and size you need. There are over 15 ways to correct color, exposure, and lighting problems. You just need to click and drag your mouse to ripple, circle, sphere and curl the photo. It is also possible to add professional-looking blur effects to your photos. You can load from your PC or from an URL. Free to use.
http://www.cellsea.com/java-cellsea/media/index.htm

myImager
myImager is a web-based image editor. You can upload images from your computer and from anywhere on the web and edit them freely with the dozens of tools and filters that this tool offers. Uploaded files can not be larger than 500 KB. myImager is completely free to use.
http://www.myimager.com/

If you can’t afford to get software, you can still download a free software to create and edit images. Some of iy is developed by individuals, and some is limited or an earlier version of a more advanced package. In some rare instances, there are no strings attached, but most often you will need to provide information to the company by registering, or endure ads screens.

GIMP for Windows
GIMP is an acronym for GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed program for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. The terms of usage and rules about copying are clearly listed in the GNU General Public License.

Serif PhotoPlus
PhotoPlus 6 is the perfect choice for editing and enhancing your digital images and photos for print, email and the web.

Paint.NET
Paint.NET is free image editing and photo manipulation software designed to be used on computers that run Windows. It supports layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools.

VCW VicMan’s Photo Editor
VCW VicMan’s Photo Editor is a versatile image editor with an intuitive interface and a wide variety of features. This powerful application is user friendly, offering simple image editing, high productivity and easy customization.