How instill more storytelling into your online fundraising? Think about magazines — use images!
Images help you communicate your message and help the reader understand what you’re about. You should incorporate some eye-catching images along with content about your fundraising campaign.
One of the hardest parts if finding an image and editing it for us. There are a a few photo editing tools available to help you reach this goal, but which ones provide the best value?
1.) Photoshop – Adobe’s Photoshop Family is the leader of photo editing software, but the accompanying price tag can be scary for those who work at nonprofits. Photoshop offers a wide variety of software, but Photoshop Elements is the best choice for those on a budget. Elements will allow users to have full editing functionality, but it will also require a time investment to learn how to best utilize it. The list price is $99, but you can find it on Techsoup for $15.
2.) Pixler – This online photo editing software does a good job of mimicking Photoshop, although it doesn’t allow for as much customization. If you have the basics down of how to use Photoshop but you’re working with a non-existent budget, then Pixler is a great free alternative, especially if you’re content with using basic filter effects. Pixler is very fast and doesn’t require you to create an account, which is a nice perk for those who need to edit a photo quickly.
3.) Picnik – Many people have utilized Picnik’s online photo editing software, including both the free and premium options, to create vivid images. Google, the owner of Picnik, has decided to close the website as of April 19, 2012, however, so this online photo editing site will not be available for much longer. They are currently offering all of their premium features for free, so this would be a good time to edit as many images as possible if you like Picnik’s formatting. There aren’t as many options as Pixler, but if you’re new to photo editing the Picnik interface may be easier to learn.
4.) FotoFlexer – This free online photo editor combines many of the best aspects of Pixler and Picnik; it has more functionality than Picnik, including some Pixler and Photoshop tools, but it also gives inexperienced users an easier to use interface. Some of the presets are unlikely to ever be used, but the majority of the site’s editing tools are useful. Filters are easily and quickly applied, and you can undo any step with a simple click.
The decision of which photo editing software to use should be based around your budget and editing knowledge, along with your personal comfort level with the different interfaces. All of the tools listed above, aside from Picnik, are viable options going forward, with Pixler and FotoFlexer being the best options for those who can’t afford Photoshop.
