There’s a great free program called Pixlr that I discovered about a year ago; I used to use it quite a bit but haven’t accessed it much in several months. However, with my recent light and shutter-speed experiments I’ve been getting back into it again, since working with those photos is a different animal from my usual work.
Photo pre-Pixlr
Pixlr has an easy user interface and loads of options to add visual interest to photos. I don’t use it to make major adjustments to clarity, contrast, brightness or anything like that since I do that as a RAW file through Photo Ninja, but I love the overlays and borders available there. I use the effects option on occasion as well, but mostly it’s the overlays and borders that I use. And no, Pixlr’s not paying me to say any of this (as if). I just pulled some photos into it this weekend and realized I hadn’t shared it with readers before.
Post-Pixlr; adding a border and overlay
Generally if I edit a photo with Pixlr now, it’s because I feel it’s a little boring and needs something extra to add interest. The downside is you can’t upload TIFF or PSD files so I have to edit them in JPEG format, which I really hate to do – but to use Pixlr it has to be done.
Pre-Pixlr; it’s fine but a bit boring
Personally I like using the “efficient” editor, but there is a “playful” one you can download and even put on your phone. The efficient editor allows you to control the intensity of the effects you add as well as move them around the image, so I much prefer that version as I like to disguise the “pixlr-ness” of the overlays as much as possible when I use it.
Post-Pixlr; added several overlays and a subtle border
Anyway, it’s a cool little free editor that’s well worth a look. Just click browse, upload a JPEG, and play around for awhile. Hours of fun!
mareymercy. 
What a great tip. Since I have been so lazy, just clicking and uploading with very little manipulating, I should probably look into all this. The most I ever do is brighten or crop. And, I know I should always shoot in RAW but have been postponing it because the software I have for processing RAW is a bit confusing. I must have a half dozen digital cameras (and my old Spotmatic with its lenses and tripod – no longer in use. A dinosaur, along with a variety of old video cameras – what does one do with that stuff?) so it isn’t like I shouldn’t know better. I am just such an amateur that doing more than frame, snap and shoot has seemed presumptuous. I love what you do to your photographs – it shows such artistry and imagination that I am ashamed of myself for being such a dope. Thanks for sharing this info.
Anything I’ve learned, I learned because I was bored with where my photography was and wanted to kick things up a little. I’ve been big into photoediting since way back when, yet I still do not know how to use Photoshop so I still have plenty to learn! So far I’ve been able to get the effects I want without using PS, but at some point I will be forced to learn when the skills I do have no longer satisfy me. But I admit, the idea of NOT editing the crap out of a photo actually makes me panic! I always have to control myself a little not to go too crazy and ruin the shot.
You are so knowledgeable about photography,I could learn a lot from you!
Well, I like to play around, so when my photos start to bore me I try to find some way to make it new again 🙂
That website is very neat I just payed with two photo’s of mine
Isn’t is awesome?! I have spent hours playing around with photos in that program. I love editing and can spend so much time doing it…it’s a weakness LOL
I can see it being my new go to. I messed with my fb profile pic and did a little fun stuff to my WS pic as well LOL