One week before graduation, my computer decided it had had enough and died. Thankfully I had finished all my papers and projects, but was terribly disappointed that my Dell could not make it past the finish line, as it had been with me since the first day of college 4 years ago.
Unfortunately for me, my summer job started as immediately as my computer quit on me, and the first day of work I got a “simple” powerpoint project. Any designer knows that powerpoint is the anti graphic design. I had a vision for this project. And it included masked and cutout images with lots of fancy text.
Needless to say, the Dell PC with Windows 98 at work did not have Photoshop, or any tool resembling Photoshop. What is a designer to do?
I heard about Avairy almost a year ago from a very hip and knowledgeable webbie friend. However, I never actually checked it out until that day in the office.
All I can say, is OMG.
Aviary had every basic tool that I needed to cut out the people in my photograph. I could use layers, magnetic lasso, and export the files into a variety of different formats, PLUS they stored my images online.
It was really easy to use, and since it is a flash based web app, once it was loaded it was pretty easy to navigate through, and even with the lagging internet speed, I had no problems with photo editing. I even was able to log in from home on my roommates laptop and work on the project later.
Aviary has image editing, vector editing, a color swatch and palate creator (LOVE IT), an audio editor, and a firefox screencapture add on.
This software is perfect for any designer lacking tools, or for a quick editing job on the go.
Even more, it’s the PERFECT way for any aspiring designer to get their feet wet with digital media software. Its free and fast to use, and the way that the tools are used are the same as in the Adobe suite or other design software. They also have extensive, easy to follow tutorials for the new designer.
Aviary does imprint a watermark on the corner of your image. But if you become a subscriber ($$) then you can remove the watermark, and also gain access to their entire fleet, including a 3D image editor!
Aviary's list of programs only continues to grow, like a desktop publisher, and painting simulator, and its rumored that once Apple makes Iphone flash compatible, Aviary will be avaibale. Can you imagine? Designing on the go!
