Photo-editing

Sure, you could mess with Photoshop and its Background Eraser Tool to remove a background from a photo, but what if you don't own a copy of pricey Photoshop? I do own a copy of it but have never mastered it and don't like to use it. I don't even like waiting for it to load. For the Photoshop-less and Photoshop-averse, Web app Clipping Magic is worth a gander.

After navigating your way to Clipping Magic, you can simply drag and drop an image on the site or select a photo via the Choose File button. With … Read more

There is a seemingly endless parade of photo-editing apps for iOS and for Android. Helping Handy Photo stand out from the crowd is a handful of tools that lets you remove, clone, and move objects in your photos, along with a reverse cropping feature that lets you extend the edges of your photos. For all of its tricks, Handy Photo costs a reasonable $1.99 and is available for iOS and for Android.

For iOS, Handy Photo is a universal app designed for the iPhone and iPad. Because of the variety of tools it affords, I tried it out on … Read more

How much do I love Cheapskate readers? So much that even when I'm a little under the weather (cough), I can't help serving up five sweet deals (sneeze) to carry you into the weekend (moan). That's love, people.

1. Storage to go Oh, flash drives, you so crazy. Crazy-cheap, that is. Today only, and while supplies last (not long, I'm guessing), Best Buy has the Kingston DataTraveler Special Edition 16GB USB 2.0 flash drive for $7.99 shipped, plus sales tax. This tiny drive includes Kingston's urDrive software, which helps manage, organize, and back … Read more

Snapseed is a powerful photo editor that lets users adjust photos with an impressive arsenal of tools and settings. However, Snapseed's gesture based controls makes manipulating photos much more accurate, and is an essential application for any mobile photographer who wants more out of their pictures.

After downloading and installing the app, Snapseed will guide you through a quick tutorial of how to use their editing suite. Common gestures like pinching will define areas of effect, and swiping left to right will adjust how light or intense you want the applied filter to look. Snapseed comes with under a … Read more

Need a way to organize your photo library? Even better, do you need tools for tweaking your photos, tools that go beyond what the typical entry-level image editor (I'm looking at you, Picasa) has to offer?

Through tomorrow, our very own CNET is offering Cyberlink PhotoDirector 3 (Windows) absolutely free. It normally sells for $149.95.

That's a mighty big freebie, so you're no doubt wondering what the catch is. No catch! You'll need to supply your e-mail address so you can receive your license key, and then you'll need to enter that license key … Read more

No doubt you heard earlier this week that Adobe is giving away Creative Suite 2, an older version of its popular (and pricey) image-editing and design bundle.

Then it turned out that, no, the software wasn't free; Adobe's Don Isaacs wrote that the company was merely "terminating the activation servers for CS2," and that the download page was only for those who already owned licenses for the product.

Ah, but it was too late: the story had gone viral (big time), and it appears Adobe has decided not to try stuffing the genie back into the … Read more

Have you ever begun to edit a photo and before you know it -- three filters, a border, and a crop later -- you've lost track of where you started? Going back to view the original photo is an option, but then you risk saving the current edit, or losing it altogether and having to start all over.

A post on Droid Life reveals a new feature in Android 4.2 that allows you to view the original photo during the edit process. It's simple to use in order to compare an original photo to the freshly edited … Read more

If you're looking for a decent photo editor without breaking your wallet, FX Photo Studio for Mac is a solid solution. It comes with plenty of tools and filters for post processing and adding flare to your photos.

Upon launching the program, users are welcomed with a slick, dark interface that directs your attention to the photo itself. The layout makes great use of screen estate and the interface is clean and uncluttered. The overall experience of Photo Studio really focuses on bringing out the elements and emotions that you want out of the photo through its custom filters … Read more

How many awesome photos have been ruined by a telephone pole appearing to stick out of someone's head, or people walking into the background at the last second?

Anyone adept with Photoshop can remove such unwanted elements, but it takes some doing. You need time, expertise, and, well, Photoshop (which ain't cheap).

Today only, Giveaway of the Day has Inpaint 4.7 for Windows free of charge. Normally $19.99, this clever utility can quickly and easily remove date stamps, power lines, people, scratches, and other undesirable elements from your photos.

Update: Make sure you click the "Download Inpaint 4.7 now" … Read more