Photoshop has a viable free adversary in Aviary, the no cost alternative to pricey Adobe software (thanks to Laughing Squid for the awesome photo).
I know a lot of web designers and bloggers who cringe when they learn how expensive Photoshop is to buy — even if they qualify for student licenses. The fact is that most bloggers and design mavens can get by with the free web tools like aviary and picnik (purchased by Google).
Rather than get into a moral argument over whether it is ethical or not to drive attack an existing product with a subsidized free service, let’s just check out the benefits of aviary over photoshop:
Photoshop = Wicked Expensive
Paying for software is a good thing because it incentives developers to build better products, and there’s nothing wrong with charging the max for what your service is worth. But if you want to design killer photos and images for your blog, try aviary — whether you want to build an advertisement or a cool blog post picture, the service rocks.
Photoshop Style Effects + Online Editing
Another cool part of aviary is the ‘cloud’ appeal.
In other words, you don’t have to dedicate a huge amount of space on your hard drive since the application rests on an aviary server (this might not sound like a big deal, but graphics intensive programs like photoshop can make your computer drag). And now for something completely different…
Here is one of the most convincing — and horrifying — arguments for ditching photoshop in favor of aviary:
Alright, I’m feeling a little sick to my stomach after watching that fast forward guide. Check out the software for yourself and try to build a more flattering image, then share it with me so my eyeballs stop burning, please. Make sure to enjoy a beer or two with all the money you save, too!