Pixlr is a great set of image creation and editing tools that I recently discovered. Pixlr offers web-based image editing tools as well as image editing tools to use on Android phones and on iPhones. Pixlr also has Firefox and Chrome browser extensions for creating screen captures.

Pixlr Editor is Pixlr’s most full-featured image creation and editing tool. You can create drawings from scratch using the pencil and coloring tools that they provide. Pixlr Editor also has options for uploading images or importing images from other places on the web. The selection of creation and editing tools is huge. There are options for making multiple layer images, dozens of filter settings, and of course tools for cropping and resizing images. Your images can be saved to your computer or you can send them to Flickr, Picassa, Facebook, or you can save them in a Pixlr account.

My Pixlr Editor drawing. Clearly, I’m not much of an artist.

Pixlr Express is a simple tool for quick resizing of images and color editing of images. If you already have an image on your computer or in an online album that you just want to touch-up a bit, Pixlr Express is the tool for you.

Pixlr Grabber is Pixlr’s screen capture tool. You can install Pixlr Grabber in Chrome or Firefox. Using Pixlr Grabber you can capture your screen, crop the screen image, and print what you like. You can also send the image to Pixlr Editor for further editing options.

Pixlr-o-Matic is the Pixlr’s mobile app for Android and iOS. With the app installed you can take a picture and apply a variety of neat effects to the image. I tested it out by adding some raindrops and a “retro” border to a picture of my dog that I then sent to Beth Still. You can also use Pixlr-o-Matic for simple cropping and resizing before sending your picture to a friend or to an online album.

Morrison loves posing for the camera.

Applications for Education
As I’ve written many times in the past, the best place for students to get images for multimedia projects is from themselves. Pixlr offers great tools for students to use to create and edit their own images for use in video projects, slideshows, online collages, and ebooks.