Unless you plan on doing crazy edits you really dont need photoshop. I highly reccomend Lightroom. Its another Adobe product and its so much more user friendly. You can do lots of quick edits and even more complex things like applying filters. It also has great cataloging features and you can watermark your photos on export. You actually load your pictures right to Lightoom and so you can edit from one to the other a lot quicker (if you've ever used iPhoto its like a way more roboust version of that).

hey girl, I'd suggest lightroom over photoshop unless you are serious about learning advanced techniques for editing photography and graphic design. LR is super cheap and can help you do lots of cool stuff for blogging. You can also buy lots of actions and presets for it. I use CS3 and love it but its expensive and overkill for just blogging. hope that helps. it always sucka having to learn new programs but you'll be shocked by how much you love adobe products more!

No fun! I got Photoshop Elements for Christmas (it was on sale for $50) and honey it is like a foreign language! I have figured out some things, but I have a long way to go! For now, I use iPhoto to edit photos. It does the basics and is really easy to use.

Hello there! I use Picasa. It's free to download. http://picasa.google.com/. I have also heard really good things about Lightroom. I have it but I haven't used it yet. Good luck on your venture for a new editing tool. It stinks they had to shut Picnik down. It was a fun program to play with.

Hi girl! I have never used picnik...but I swear by Picasa...I love it! And they just added some more really fun edits! I recently did a post on it....here ya go
http://cleverlyinspired.blogspot.com/2012/01/picasas-latest-updatelove.html

I found photoshop has a free, less advanced, online version (forgot address, sorry) but it wasn't as good as picnik. Boo. I'm on the lookout too because I grew to really, really, really love picnik.

Oh my gawd, I know! I looooove picnik and I about cried when I saw that over the weekend. I did read that they are adding all of it to google+ when picnik closes, so hopefully it will be very similar just on google+ rather than picnik…at least I hope so! I have tried others, and they just aren’t the same!

I used to use Picasa, but I didn't find that it had many features. Just the basics like iPhoto offered. I bit the bullet and bought myself Photoshop last year. Although I am still learning the ins and outs, I love it. It is overwhelming at first, but the possibilities are endless. I got it with a student discount but it's definitely something to look into. Good luck!

I saw the email from Picnik and I was so BUMMED!!! I can't believe Google is shutting down EVERYTHING!!! I'm going to need to find a new one too.

Hi Michelle,

Between Naps on the Porch did a post on alternatives to Picnik.
http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/2012/01/8-free-photo-editing-sites-alternatives.html

I have to look at them myself since I also use it. I think Picasa has good features and I recently installed that but since I have a Mac and iPhoto, it's like having 2 sets of all my photos on my computer. Not ideal.

I'm sure we'll find something good! Photoshop Elements is around $80 too. Not terrible, but I'm not 100% on what it can do either.

Hi! I use photobucket, which is free. I believe they have a version you can purchase, but the free one works well with me. I've only just started editing my photos on the blog... I'm such a beginner. But I like that it's easy to use and seems pretty straightforward.

Maggie B.
"Finding Myself"
www.magslifetoday.blogspot.com

So glad you're asking this. I'm being a big fat baby about it, too.

I was so sad on Saturday after learning this news!!! All the invitations I sell in my etsy shop I create in Picnik, so I am on the hunt too for a new program. I don't know what other people that sell invites/printables etc use but I would love some suggestions!!!

Ugh I am so sad too- this is not cool! I did see this link (http://www.dailygyan.com/2008/11/10-online-photo-editors-that-you.html) on Pinterest of some options but I haven't explored any of them yet. Let us know what you decide! It sounds like Lightroom may be the way to go!

Hey Michelle, just wanted to let you know that I used a photo of your gorgeous bathroom on my blog today, and shared a link to your blog.

On another note, I use photoshop. It is tough to learn. I am still a beginner with photoshop. Something that helps in the meantime is purchasing (sometimes you can find for free) actions.

I just started putting DSLR tutorials on my blog last week, the first being about aperture... I hope to continue teaching about photography and will move into photoshop tutorials as well.

Thanks for all of the inspiration from your pretty space!

Hey Michelle! I have been using Picasa since I started blogging and it is really easy to figure out and user friendly! It has some simple editing options to enhance your photos, but my favorite feature is the collage option. Sometimes when blogging and you have a lot of pictures, its better to group the photos than have a long list of pictures. There are so many options with this feature! Here is a youtube video tutorial if you are interested: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWgVNzV1OYc. In addition, I like how Picasa ties directly in with blogger. Once you have your photos ready, you can upload them immediately to your blog from Picasa.

Photoshop is expensive,so I would not buy it on my own, but I have it on my computer through work. If you do happen to have access to it, be sure to download The Pioneer Woman's Photoshop actions. http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/2010/03/actions-update-2/ Basically you install them into Photoshop and just with one click, your photos are edited! Hope this helps!

I've only used picnik once or twice because it was integrated with the picasa albums where all my photos are stored... but I admit, I use Photoshop. Expensive but I like it. Wish I could help :( I don't even understand the reasoning behind it... why ARE they closing?

Check out Photoscape! Its free & has TONS of options & is easy to use.

I use Picasa and find it very easy to use (and free!)

Oh no! I would definitely invest in photoshop. I have the entire suite (from school) and would be lost without it. A seriously amazing purchase.

I'm curious to see if Picasa will use a new photo editing service...it's currently using Picnik, but maybe they'll adapt something new? That's what I'm planning/hoping for!

Michelle,
I use the free photo editor, GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program, www.gimp.org). It runs on many platforms (Linux, Windows, MacOS), not in a browser. It's a very powerful tool that handles simple photo touch-ups to advanced rendering. I love it.

...such sad news. I heard :( I LOVED Picknic. I found this link on Pintrest yesterday afternoon.

http://www.dailygyan.com/2008/11/10-online-photo-editors-that-you.html


This should be helpful. I've bookmarked this and hope to find something close to Picnick...nothing can replace that site though....so sad.

I have a Mac and have been editing most of my photos in iPhoto. It has a lot of the same options as Picnik. Instead of purchasing Photoshop (because let's face it, it's not cheap) I actually downloaded GIMP. It's basically a free version of Photoshop. The steps and actions are a bit different than Photoshop but once you learn the basics, it's not too bad. I use that to add text, re-size, etc.

Have you ever tried paint.net. It is free and VERY similar to Photoshop.

I found this post from Between Naps on the Porch yesterday. I haven't tried any of these programs yet, but will as April gets closer. I use Picnik every day for my photos too. :( I've treied using it through the new G+, but you have to do a lot of extra clicking around to even get your photo on there or save it to your computer. http://www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/2012/01/8-free-photo-editing-sites-alternatives.html

I was pretty bummed yesterday when I got the e-mail about this. I love Picnik so much. My plan is to just suck it up and go for photoshop.

I had picasa for a while but since I use a Mac, I didn't like the redundancy of it.

If you find a good site please post about it. I almost cried when I got them e-mail from Picnik. I seriously sat and re-read the e-mail a couple time to make sure I wasn't wrong.

I love Picnik too...such a bummer:( The other photo editing format I have used is Gimp. I think I saw it mentioned in another comment also. It's super easy to use and can get the basic edits you'll need. Please do a follow-up if you find something better-I'm always up to try something new!

I am right there with ya girlfriend! I am not the most computer savvy kids on the block, and I loved Picnik. I hate to spend the money on Photoshop for fear I will struggle with it, and then never use it! My youngest uses Picasa alot, so might try that.Such a bummer!!

I use picasa... if you find something spectacular, please let me know!!!

This makes me sad because I have never even tried using Picnik yet and now they are taking it away! Bummer.

Like a lot of others here, I use Picasa and LOVE it. It's Google's free editing software and it is super user-friendly. I have a Canon point-and-shoot camera (saving up for that DSLR!) and Picasa helps me edit my photos to look sooo much better. I have never used Photoshop, but since Picasa is free I would definitely download it first and see if it does all that you're wanting before spending a lot of money on fancy software!

Good luck! :)

I am so so bummed too! I store all my pics on flickr, which uses picnik as their editor. I've heard Flickr won't partner with Google, and will roll out some new editing program in the coming months. I'm trying not to panic and will wait for it. Editing is too huge of a piece of photo storage, so the big sites like flickr and picasa will come up with a replacement.

Totally mourning the loss of picnik but I didn't have the premium and just used the basic so I'm def gonna use premium to the max before they close. I thought that was quite generous of them to offer it for free.

omg, you just dropped a bomb on me!Why no more picknik!?! Total bummer. I'm in the same boat looking for new editing software now :)

I about CRIED when I got the email. I do photography on the side and Picnik has been a gem. I also have Picasa, which isn't as good, but will suffice in the interim. It sounds like picnik might be developing their own site? I would be thrilled!!!!

I use Pixlr. It's web-based, FREE, and has many advanced features like layers, curves, etc. I've found it to be quite robust and perfect for editing blog pics.

It's like Photoshop-lite for free.

http://pixlr.com/editor

Good luck!

GAH! How did I not hear this?! SO SAD. Currently scouring through your comments to see what I should move to.

I have used Photoshop Elements for a few years and LOVE it! I use it to edit photos and create printables.

Okay, I'm seriously so glad you posed this question! I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to things like Photoshop, but I'm pretty sure I need to learn, and fast! Hopefully will glean a bit of knowledge off these helpful comments!:)

I hate this news!

ugh i am in the same boat and curious to hear readers feedback too

I really love ACDSee. Googl e it to find a free trial of their photo editor. If you like it, it can be less than $40!

I seriously gasped when I heard this news. I may or may not have teared up. Have you heard of BeFunky.com? It's the same idea as picnik. I think it might even have more options. It's the same price as picnik.

I know when I opened that email I was shocked! I use Picasa, but they use Picnik. I'm betting they'll introduce something new for photo editing in the coming months. I'm trying to keep breathing normally. ;)

Nooooooo! How did I miss this announcement? I use Piknik all the time as well as iphoto and Picasa. I own Photoshop Elements but it is not intuitive to me at all. Gotta find a new alternative too. :(