Today my Plurk friends told me about a new online photo editor called Ribbet! Last year, when Picnik integrated with Google (closed), a bunch of us (former Picnik addicts) went to Picmonkey. I liked Picmonkey a lot, I even signed up or a whole year of premium service. However, it lacked one really important feature that Picnik had, which is the ability to upload directly to Flickr, instead of having to save the image first to hard drive, then re-upload to Flickr.
I took Ribbet for a test drive today, and I’m already a fan. It has everything that Picnik had, and more! It is Picnik 2.0! All the premium features are FREE now (that may change soon), but I would happily splurge on the upgrades just cos I love online photo editors for simple blogging edits instead of always relying on Photoshop.
Are you using any online photo editors? If so, which one?
Do you ever feel like being a way from the grid for a month is equivalent to being away for a year? I seem to have missed so much that an entirely brand new (to me) mesh head is now so popular that all of my friends are wearing it.
Photo credit: Kavar Cleanslate
I saw this ad from Kavar and immediately fell in love with all 3 of his avatars! The girls are wearing Genus heads, which is entirely new to me! I’ve heard of the name and knew that they are Genesis part II of some sort… but I haven’t ever demo’d a Genus mesh head. Until this week….
Kavar did give me some great recommendations on skins and some tips about Genus that will help me if I do make the switch. Should I make the switch? Do you wear a Genus head? Let me know in the comments!
What I’m Wearing:
Exile – Alessa
Tee*fy – Belle bodysuit (Bloom), Belle Bra (Sweet)
Pink Fuel – Kiera (LeLutka Head Applier) Biscuit
Hello from the Garden of Whimsy! I’m wearing the Saki Dress from Rosier, it’s so frilly and very doll-like. For some reason, it’s only made for Maitreya Flat, so it’s really flat and unflattering at the chest area, but you can wear it with the regular Maitreya body.
Last night someone tp’d me to a location on the Haute Couture sim demanding that I remove my REALLY LARGE SHOE from her shop. I don’t even have rezzing rights on this sim, so I went to see what she was on about. Apparently a shoe I have never seen before or own was enlarged and on display inside a former shoe shop? I don’t know.. weird…..!!!! I had full perms to it too, and could edit, so I just deleted it from her shop. Tried to contact a Linden, not much help, but I just wanted to document this here just in case anybody in SL has encountered this weird problem.
**EDIT** In other bizarre shoe news, a friend of mine showed me a thread on the SLU forum featuring some very nice sculpted shoes that someone was selling full perm on SLEx. Those looked really similar.. if not exactly the same as the ones sasawe Capalini tried to sell me several months ago.
JE*REPUBLIC has a wonderful decorative hair called the Runway-Secret Flower Hair. This hair was a little harder to modify than most because of the hairline, which never looks right on hair without bangs. However, I love it and it goes perfectly with an older release from Nicky Ree, the Empress Tang gown.
For as long as I can recall, Second Life has maintained a stance against ageplay. Now, with the introduction of a new Child Avatar policy, it seems the platform is reacting to a broader issue simmering within its virtual realms. However, there’s a sense that the policy doesn’t fully address the root of the problem.
Let’s clarify from the outset – we’re not discussing actual children here. It’s evident that the number of users under 18 in Second Life is relatively low, and the fraction that comprises actual children is even smaller. The question arises: Should Linden Lab assume responsibility for monitoring the real-life guardianship of its users’ children?
Turning back to the policy itself, personally, I’ve only created one toddler avatar in all my time in Second Life. Honestly, I don’t think Second Life is concerned about my diminutive, two feet tall avatar. The real target here appears to be avatars that blur the lines, those youthful teenage avatars clad in provocative attire and engaging in adult activities.
One might argue that simply prohibiting users under 18 from accessing Adult regions would suffice. However, the new policy, set to mandate a modesty layer on all “child avatars” by June 30, 2024, suggests otherwise. But what exactly constitutes a “child avatar”? According to American law, anyone under 18 is a child. So, if your avatar leans toward the younger side, could you find yourself in hot water?
In anticipation of these changes, I’ve begun reaching out to skin designers to inquire about updates for previously released products. Frankly, it strikes me as unnecessary for toddler/child skins to include private parts at all – they should have been excluded from the get-go. While my Bebe skin appears to be a blur with no discernible private parts, I’d feel more at ease if the designer updated it with painted-on underwear, just to be safe.
As Second Life rolls out these changes, one can’t help but wonder if they have the resources to effectively enforce them. Undoubtedly, a surge of abuse reports is on the horizon, whether valid or not. It’s clear that Second Life doesn’t wish to outright ban child avatars – family roleplay is a cornerstone of the community. From Zooby babies to pint-sized avatars, residents have been creating child avatars for years. My mini Gogo, for instance, is so cute.
So, here’s a plea to region designers: Please don’t ban “child avatars” on sight. Remember, most of us are well over 18, and child avatars are permitted on Moderate regions too. They’re only restricted from Adult regions, and if you opt to embody a child avatar, simply steer clear of those areas.
As I reflect on Second Life’s new child avatar policy, I find myself questioning its true effectiveness in ensuring children’s safety. While I appreciate the intention to create a secure environment, I can’t help but wonder about the practical implementation of the policy. Is it genuinely focused on protecting children, or is it more about managing Linden Lab’s image and legal liabilities? It’s a nuanced topic that deserves deeper exploration. If you share my curiosity or have concerns you’d like to discuss directly with Second Life, consider joining the first Community Roundtable with Second Life Leadership on May 20. It’s a chance to engage in constructive dialogue and seek clarification on any lingering doubts or questions.
Dutch Touch is having a mini hunt! You can find the new Dutch Touch Onyx Skin (Purple Special Ed.) in all 5 skin tones in 5 little shopping bags scattered all over the sim. Check the Dutch Touch blog for a map of where the bags are located.
This was a breeze to find, you'll be glad you did it 🙂
You should look into photoshop actions if you haven’t already. A lot of them you just press one button and it does all the work for you by a single click of the button. It’s pretty neat.
It’s really easy! You literally press the play button in the actions tab and it does all the work. And yes it is paid for some of the nicer actions, you get a lot of them, but you can find free ones too!
hi, thanks for the tip! i just few weeks ago found Pixlr Express, http://pixlr.com/express/ which for me is perfect. and it is totally free and very easy and fast to use.
Has it clone tool? Sometimes it is a bit of clipping, or those pesky grid lines… What viewer do you use now? If you say the official viewer, how do you manage? Do you use a customized skin? I think the official viewer feels so clumsy compared to Firestorm. I don’t find most of the handy photo tools in it.
And I registered so I can get all the exstras for free a limited time… *facepalms*. I guess it is too early in the morning for my brain. Thank you so much, I really, really missed Picnik!
Hi, great post. I will be looking into that. I currently use Corel Photo XI (old PSP) and am a PS newb. I find alot of things are easier to do on Corel Photo, tho I adore the Liquify option in PS. I got a new puter and all my proggy plugins are on my laptop and Im looking for some good effects. Thank so much for posting this
It hasn’t got layering, and that’s what I need most of all for my photos. I liked PicMonkey when it was free, but I stopped using it when they started charging for it.
Google Picasa will do most of the things PicMonkey does, and for free. For everything else, Photoshop!
You should look into photoshop actions if you haven’t already. A lot of them you just press one button and it does all the work for you by a single click of the button. It’s pretty neat.
http://paintthemoon.net/
I’m kind of a ps newb. I know just enough to make my ads & site banner, lol. Is this site paid?
It’s really easy! You literally press the play button in the actions tab and it does all the work. And yes it is paid for some of the nicer actions, you get a lot of them, but you can find free ones too!
hi, thanks for the tip! i just few weeks ago found Pixlr Express, http://pixlr.com/express/ which for me is perfect. and it is totally free and very easy and fast to use.
I’ve been using Ribbet for a couple of weeks now and I love it, it’s basically the same as Picnik was, which I was a really big fan of!
hey, yes ist very similar to Picnic, but i really miss the nicelooking templates that they had…
Has it clone tool? Sometimes it is a bit of clipping, or those pesky grid lines… What viewer do you use now? If you say the official viewer, how do you manage? Do you use a customized skin? I think the official viewer feels so clumsy compared to Firestorm. I don’t find most of the handy photo tools in it.
NVM, I looked it up myself. I see it is in premium, means you have to pay for clone tool.
And I registered so I can get all the exstras for free a limited time… *facepalms*. I guess it is too early in the morning for my brain. Thank you so much, I really, really missed Picnik!
No, thanks. Photoshop’s got it all. 😀
Hi, great post. I will be looking into that. I currently use Corel Photo XI (old PSP) and am a PS newb. I find alot of things are easier to do on Corel Photo, tho I adore the Liquify option in PS. I got a new puter and all my proggy plugins are on my laptop and Im looking for some good effects. Thank so much for posting this
Thank you for letting me know about this site. I think it’s awesome. I’ve already reworked a new SL profile photo using it!
Thanks a lot for that info! I was big fan of Picnik. Now I use mostly Ipiccy or PhotoScape, but I’m really looking forward to test Ribbet.
Hi, thanks for this site… Juicy i’ve one question for you: what you use for doing your skin and dress so luminose? I love it <3
Just a nice and bright Windlight setting, I don’t really do anything special.
It hasn’t got layering, and that’s what I need most of all for my photos. I liked PicMonkey when it was free, but I stopped using it when they started charging for it.
Google Picasa will do most of the things PicMonkey does, and for free. For everything else, Photoshop!
Hi Veronika, You can use Ribbet for layering as long as you’re registered: http://blog.ribbet.com/?topic=photo-basket
You can also delete from layers (mask) using the eraser tool: http://blog.ribbet.com/?topic=eraser-tool