Photo Sharing Tools

Deciding where to store your photos to share with friends and family might be confusing.  Do I choose a free service, a pay service?  Is it safe and secure?  What are muy options?  What privacy settings are available?  With any of the sites suggested below, take time to read through the settings and choose options that you are comfortable sharing.


Free Photo Storage:
Picasa

Use the Settings link in Picasa Web Albums to change settings.

Snapfish

Flickr


Photo Storage for a Fee:
SmugMug offers users a place to store their photos with privacy.  Share photos with others via e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, or embed them on a blog.  Create a customized page with your photos and videos. SmugMug identifies itself as being "Like Fort Knox for your photos."  Smugmug offers unlimited photo uploads of JPG, GIF and PNG files and backs up of all file types (for a fee).  Advanced privacy settings allow you to password protect your entire SmugMug site, including telling search engines to ignore you.  Try it for free and then decide if you want to pay to keep SmugMug as a Basic ($40/yr), Power ($60/yr), or Pro ($150/yr) user.

Phanfare is a place you can upload photos and videos, create slideshows, share photos on Facebook, and Twitter and display photos and videos on your iPhone or Android phone.   New photos you take on your iPhone can upload automatically to Phanfare (free app at the App store).  Users have their own URL at Phanfare and sharing does not require viewers to register.  Video uploads are limited to 2 GB per file.  Start a free trial and then decide if you want to continue under a Phanfare plan ($29/yr), Premium plan ($99/yr) or Pro plan ($199/yr).

Image Editing Sites:

Picknik - http://www.picnik.com/
Features (as outlined on the Picknik site):

• Fix your photos in just one click
• Use advanced controls to fine-tune your results
• Crop, resize, and rotate in real-time
• Tons of special effects, from artsy to fun
• Astoundingly fast, right in your browser
• Awesome fonts and top-quality type tool
• Basketfuls of shapes from hand-picked designers
• Works on Mac, Windows, and Linux
• No download required, nothing to install

Creating Books, Cards and more
Blurb

MagCloud

HP Photo Creations
Download free software to create photo books, calendars, collages and more.  Print at home or order items to be shipped to you.

Learning How to Use Photoshop:
Visit this vimeo site where PhotoShop for Kids (of all ages) shares videos on creating using PhotoShop.