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Simple photo editing and touch-up work shouldn't cost you a thing these days, thanks to all of the new, free-to-use image editors and improvements to the ones that have been around for a while. You don't really need to lay down big bucks for Photoshop or the new version of the full featured Adobe CS4 hitting the market. Instead, you might want to consider some of these very workable options:
GIMP is the GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed piece of software for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. It works on many operating systems, in many languages. GIMP has really come along way, making great strides in the look and feel of this handy editor with versions for Mac, Windows and Linux users. Check out some great screenshots here and here.
http://Alilg.com - A free online photo editor. The interface is reminiscent of older versions of Photoshop, but with far fewer tools. I like the way the editor pops out into a separate window and looks like I'm not in the browser anymore. It does not support all file types, but it is quick and easy, and does not require any kind of registration, membership, whatever.
http://www.drpic.com/ - This is another free online photo editor with a nice look and feel as well as a whole lotta tools. All of the editor's buttons are very simple and easy to understand, and you can quickly save your image to the web (for free, without a membership) or your computer in a variety of formats and quality. I highly recommend this service for anyone new to this type of work who wants something simple, fast and easy.
http://www.flauntr.com - This online editor is all about embellishment and templates. It's a fun way to jazz up an image and possible create some great branded looks. Flauntr does require you to register and makes their money by offering you ways to make prints, cards and other products. You can get lost in the fun of Flauntr's fake magazine covers and numerous backgrounds very easily.
http://FotoFlexer.com - Yet another fabulous, free online editor. FotoFlexer allows you to edit your images as uploads, or images you already have posted to a variety of other places on the web like Facebook, Picassa Web or Photobucket. Features include tools such as distortions, layers, effects, smart scissors and a whole lot more. This service gets to be more and more fun as you explore the live webcam option, adding animations to your images, and changing people's haircolor! Watch a great demo here.
http://Picnik.com - Flickr.com users already know that Picnik is a great service for editing their photos that are already uploaded. But, you can also import from and save to other services as well. There are scads of cool tools, fonts and shapes at the free level, and an optional subscription based level with more tools and functionality too.
http://Webresizer.com - Speaking of online, are you looking to do most of your image editing for the web? Webresizer offers you extremely simple tools to resize an image, crop it, optimize it and make the image more usable online. Optimizing your images will help the speed of your site and universal readability for your online visitors.
These are but a few of the heaps of online image editors (except GIMP which is not web-based) popping up constantly. Even Adobe has launched an online version of Photoshop. Mashable.com has a fantastic post on 20 online editors including most of these and way more. The comments are a great read. too.
What is you fave online/free image editor?
