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Now reading: Flickr introduces users to Aviary as Picnik ends 15 comments

Flickr introduces users to Aviary as Picnik ends

Published Apr 4, 2012 | dpreview staff

Flickr has added the option to use the Aviary photo editing service, following Google's decision to close the Picnik service that had previously been offered. Flickr users will be able to make basic edits and image corrections using Aviary which, unlike Picnik, is HTML 5-based - allowing its use on non-Flash devices such as the iPad. However, while Aviary offers similar cropping, filter and sticker options, it loses Picnik's paintable curves adjustments and other more advanced options.

Picnik's advanced options, such as paintable curve edits will disappear when Google closes the service. The Aviary options coming to Flickr will include cropping, resizing, rotating and filters.

The more advanced options were originally part of the paid-for Picnik Premium option, but have been available for free on Flickr since the decision to close Picnik was announced in January 2012. These tools have not been included in Picnik's new incarnation as the 'Creative Kit' in Google+.

The Flickr Blog has more details of the announcement, while TechCrunch gives a rather positive look at the move to Aviary and its benefits for the company.

Tags: aviary, flickr, google, image-sharing, other-news, picnik

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Minimalist Photography 101

Flickr users are definitely not happy with the change. As far as I can tell the response has been 100% negative. Aviary is very basic and Flickr did way oversell it. They also told their userbase that Picnik would be available until the 19th of April. This is not the case.

Whatever the merit of the software the roll out of Aviary has been very badly handled by Yahoo/Flickr. There was a general acceptance that this was not initially a problem of their making as there wasn't much they could do when Google decided to fold Picnik. Saying that, with the appearance of Google Plus the foresight of Nostradamus was not needed when working out how this woulf all pan out.

Apr 7, 2012permalink

Azams of Churton

@ Tudor - thanks! I get the impression that Flickr have opted to implement changes gradually. It's OK for now but the whole thing does need to be refreshed.

Apr 6, 2012permalink

rowlandw

Not seeing the resize function in the flickr-linked version.

Apr 6, 2012permalink

Mr Tudor

@Azams I had the same thought/questions, but don't know why it hasn't happened. Hmmm...

Apr 5, 2012permalink

Azams of Churton

OK but wasn't FLICKR going to upgrade its website and streamline user interface etc? Is this put on hold? Does anyone know?

Apr 5, 2012permalink

Mr Tudor

Not linked to Flickr, but the people behind Picnik have now come up with PicMonkey, and it's definitely worth checking out.

Apr 5, 2012permalink

ajemm

This "...Aviary which, unlike Picnik, is HTML 5-based, allowing its use on non-Flash devices such as the iPad."

Apr 4, 2012permalink

lylejk

I actually have an Aviary account (really haven't done much with it; they do have some power nodal editing tools as I recall which is the future of editing and will replace layers) so that's a good thing for flickr folk. :)

Apr 4, 2012permalink

Edwaste

I hope things are'nt getting dumbed down just to please the users that can't utilize flash.

Apr 5, 2012*permalink

(unknown member)

Not too sure why I would want to edit my work on a half-baked solution in Flickr rather than in proper software prior to posting the work there, but then that's just me!

Apr 4, 2012permalink

Edwaste

Many times after adjusting the tones of my photo, when I post them on Flickr, it doesn't quite look the same as it did in my editing software. So I relied on Picnik to fine tune the highlights.

Apr 5, 2012permalink

HeezDeadJim

@Edwaste: I'm going to assume you're saving a version of your final photos in sRGB? Saving in Adobe RGB or Pro doesn't translate well for most browsers.

@MPA1: Not everyone has the money for CS3/4/5 or care about spending too much time in PP. If it's free and offers simple features like color saturation, and adding brightness, and sharpening and not using the paid advanced features (again, that's too much work)...you'll have plenty of users that will use it.

Honestly, if Facehooker used Picnik, it would slightly make going to that site less painful (slightly....I don't have a FB anyways).

Apr 5, 2012permalink

beeguy956

Edwaste: I've found that Lightroom is the *only* program on my computer that respects the color profiles, and as a result everything looks different on it than anything else, including a web browser or other image programs. I ended up sticking with DPP.

Apr 9, 2012permalink

Kinematic Digit

This is great news. Aviary is how I introduce my students to Photoshop. A welcome program to flickr. However I do wonder if they did get their bugs worked out. Aviary in it's more complete form did tend to crash a lot. I always warned my students never to do mission critical work with it.

I'm going to assume that with a partnership with flickr that they have squashed most of those issues and looks like this is a trimmed down version of it anyhow.

Should be a good move forward.

Apr 4, 2012permalink

balochbrud

Good feature of Flicker....

www.balochbrud.se

Apr 10, 2012permalink


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