Preloadr
Earlier today, I was thinking, “I wish Flickr had a built-in editing system so I could make the occassional tweak after uploading my images.”
Apparently, at that moment, the internet was plugged into my brain and said, “OK - you got it.”
Via Lifehacker and Digg, I discovered a new Flickr API called Preloadr (http://preloadr.com) which lets you edit your Flickr photos in the following ways:
- crop
- rotate
- flip
- resize
- move (shift)
- add text
- histogram
- graduation
Most of those editing functions are standard for any image editor, but bringing them online is cool (although it’s been done before). One thing that sets Preloadr apart from its rivals (aside from Snipshot) is that it integrates directly into your Flickr account, allowing you to not only edit-then-upload but also giving Flickr Pro users the ability to upload-then-edit.
In addition to the basic tools, the graduation tool allows you to change the intensity of contrast/brightness (dubbed “luminosity”), as well as red, green, and blue levels. There are filters that you can apply including blur, sharpen, color correction, auto contrast (which actually works rather well from my test - see below), grayscale, swirl, and granulation. There are Undo and Redo buttons and, when saving the image, Flickr Pro users are given an option to overwrite the existing file or save the edited image as a new file.
As far as image editors go, Preloadr is extremely basic and I would recommend Photofiltre over it pretty much whenever possible. For detailed (and seemingly useless) technical information, such as the histogram tool, this program is probably great… but I’m 99% confident that I’ll never really use that stuff. I like the Flickr API functionality, allowing me to edit my Flickr pics online without having to upload them again. I also like that I don’t have to set up a Preloadr account to take advantage of the service and that the interface is straight-forward enough for just about any Flickr user. I don’t like that I have to go to Preloadr.com to do this type of simple editing - why can’t Flickr just integrate it themselves?
I’ll probably just continue doing what I always do - make sure my images are proper prior to uploading them. If they’re not, though, it’s good to know that Preloadr is around to lend a hand.
My Experience: 7/10 - Good, but not necessary.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
