Last week I asked students to use the following websites to edit one of their photos.  It was fun to see how one image could be manipulated in so many different ways. The great feature of most of these sites is that students do not need to register for accounts and work can be saved directly to their computer.

PicMoneky is a great site with many features. You can crop, adjust colors, add filters, as well as many "fun" special effects that middle school students tend to love.

PsykoPaint is fun and very much outside the box.  Students can upload a photo and then use various brushes inspired by different artists to smudge over the photo.  Editied photos look more like paintings when they are finished.  However, the site will not allow images to be saved to a computer without registering for an account which is frustrating.

BeFunky is a lot like PicMonkey.  There are many different edits, effects and frames that can be added.  I particularly like the artsy option of turning the photo into a cartoon or painting.

Hockneyizer takes a photo and turns it into a collaged version just like David Hockney’s work.  Simply upload a photo and pick how many polaroids you want the collage to have.

Pixlr is another good site, but more basic than PicMonkey or BeFunky.  Students simply upload a photo and then drag different filters through the camera lens to see the change.  Fine tuning a photo cannot be done on this site, but it is still fun to explore!

My second group of 7th grade art enrichment students just started using digital cameras last month.  On the first day with the cameras I ask them to take photos trying out varoius modes.  Here are a few student photos taken in macro mode!