Five fantastic-ish online image manipulation programs [I Heart Internets]

Too cheap to buy Photoshop? GIMP giving you lip? Never fear young padowan, there’s a whole slew of Web 3.0 online image manipulation apps so you can be up and creating your LOLcats or Fark photoshops or whatever in no time flat. Of course, not all online image manipulation programs are created equal and some are more equipped to do your bidding than others.

I’ll give you a rundown of some of the programs, but if you want to see real life examples of the comparisons in action, check out Meowza (of Worth1000 fame) give a layer-by-layer comparison of several of the biggest new online apps here.

Photoshop Express
Adobe’s recently released PS Express does some things very well– like adjusting contrast levels, reducing red eye etc. However, while you or I may use Photoshop for heftier things like photoshopping tits on Brad Pitt for example, Photoshop Express doesn’t support layers or merging of images– it’s more for the casual Photoshop user that just wants to make grandma look a little less demonic.

Picnik
Picnik isn’t a heavyweight online photo editor– again, it’s more for the casual user. However Picnik does support layers and image merging, but other than that it’s pretty light. It does support quick uploading to photo sharing sites like Flickr, Picasa, etc and has over 40 built in image effects for quick single photo editing.

FotoFlexer
FotoFlexer joins the group of image editors that’s made for lightweight image editing. It doesn’t have layers and its brush and eraser tools are a little clumsy and ugly, even if overall the program is fast and easy to use. Like Picnik, it comes with a number of built in effects and easy-to-use tools and has an especially good liquid deform tool. So if your goal is making someone fat or thin, it’s pretty easy with FotoFlexer and the results are nice. And it also integrates easily with the major photo sharing sites.

Aviary
The Aviary suite of tools is created by the founder of Worth1000 and all the best photoshop minds on that site, so more than any of the others, Phoenix, the image manipulation tool is as complete of an image manipulation package that you can find online that will have all the bells and whistles you might expect in something like Photoshop. It supports layers, beziers, masking, image merging, etc etc. And if you’re looking for more than just image manipulation, Aviary has a whole slew of online apps in the pipes that puts even Adobe to shame — vector illustration, 3D modeling, pattern making, font editing, audio editing, video editing, desktop layout publishing, font editing, painting and oooh lots more. Right now there’s only a few of these tools ready to try out and it’s still in beta so you’ll need an invite to try it out. (I’m in the beta but I don’t have any invites yet, sorry) but once it goes live, it promises to be a real complete package. Right now, Phoenix does have a learning curve, since it’s set up a little different than PS, but once you get it, you get it.

Splashup
Splashup is pretty similar to Photoshop– not only in just tools, but its layout as well. If you’re familiar with Photoshop, you’ll find a lot to love about Splashup. While it does have its drawbacks, it’s still poised to be a contender among the world of online image manipulation apps.