LunaPic
Price: Free
LunaPic is a free on-line only software program. A fellow Art League member told me about it and I am so happy that she did. You upload an image file (not too big), preferably in jpg format. You apply a filter to it, adjust the strength of the filter, apply the filter, and then download the result to your computer. There is no online storage. There are also no limits on how many images you can work on, although it is one at a time.
The tabs in LunaPic are:
- Upload
- File
- Edit
- Adjust
- Draw
- Borders
- Filters
- Effects
- Art
- Animation
Website for LunaPic: click here
The photo manipulations that I have mainly used are those found under the Effects tab and the Art tab.
- Effects: The effects that I have used frequently under this tab are Engraving, DreamFx, and Skeletor.
- Engraving results in a black and white picture with the effect of a pen-and-ink or wood block result with fine lines.
- DreamFx brightens the image and gives star-bursts highlights.
- Skeletor creates an abstract black and white image using bones and skulls.
- Art: The filters under this tab are numerous and absolutely fun to play with. One of my favorites is called Paper Folding. Others that I frequently use include Wave, Nouveau. Sadness, Smoke, Escher, Kandinsky, and Floating. Some of these filters work better on different images. For example, Paper Folding is my favorite for woods, rocks, and paths, but it does not do well (in my opinion) on animals for example.
A few things to point out:
- You sometimes have to go through the upload process twice. Why, I don't know but it is what it is.
- Try not to load too big a file (over 10 megabytes). Also, the level of the effect is different depending on the pixels. A lower pixel image will result in a less detailed image than a higher pixel image (think 4,000 to 6,000 pixels). Not a bad thing depending on what you are aiming for.
- One last item to mention is that a filter like Engraving will result in a relatively low pixel image. So, when I use this filter and download it, I will pull it into Topaz Gigapixel to increase the pixels before doing anything else with the image.
Before and After Images using various LunaPic Filters
Before and After using the Engraving filter.
Before and After using the Paper Folding filter.
Before and After using the Sadness filter.
Before and After using Nouveau filter.