- Swap Photoshop for PhotoPEA
Not only do these tools exist, I’ve been getting friends and family up and running on them for a while now. Family who may not like to have applications installed on their computers. Friends who have been paying subscriptions for years, for just the occasional use of Photoshop (other photo editing software is of course available).
Just this week, and the impetus for this very article, I told a close friend about one of these cloud based options. Jeff is a musician and uses Photoshop to create his album covers and video thumbnails. But not much else. And yet, that $22/month subscription fee was there every month on his credit card invoice. Right next to all of the plugins he subscribes to for his music applications, like Logic. It all adds up!
I refused to let him off the phone before he went over to his iMac, ran Safari, and typed in PhotoPEA.com. A few moments later, I could hear his jaw dropping over the phone. “Lance” he started, “What is this, it looks just like Photoshop?”
The homepage for Photopea.com, offering just a small inkling of what lays behind.
Photopea’s New Project dialog with the most popular sizes, and premade templates.
As we dove deeper into Photopea, we could see the “New Project” interface with all of our most used formats. And when we actually open a project, Photoshop users are instantly at home. Even more so than we would be when using GIMP or Krita. Photopea offers the same basic functionality, including our most familiar keyboard commands for tool selections. Strike the M key and the Rectangle Select tool becomes active. Strike C and we are ready to Crop. Then V, and we are back at the main Move tool. Add the Shift key to these, and we start selecting the sub-tools (alternatively available with a long-click and hold, just like in PS).
- Swap After Effects for Pikimov
Clément Cordier is a developer based in France, who has created what amounts to a cloud-based version of After Effects (AE), the loved timeline based video compositor from Adobe. A video compositor is what editors use when more creative detail is needed, and beyond the abilities of a regular video editor.
Pikimov: Video Compositor
Pikimov.com offers the very same timeline based compositing control as AE does. This is actually very rare, as most industry compositors are nodal based. Which is often a more difficult transition for those accustomed to the more straightforward timeline paradigm. That alone puts Pikimov in its own class of accessibility and ease of use.
Video editing on the cloud
When it comes to straight-up video editing, some might think processing all of those gigabytes would be beyond a cloud based application. But remember, the cloud is downloading the app to our “client” computers. Then it is still our computers that do the heavy-lifting. So none of our content never actually leaves our own computer. At least in most cases. So the more powerful our own computer, the more efficiently the programs will run.
- The Bottom Line
Despite claims to the contrary, production tools do NOT need to cost an arm and a leg. And in many cases, they don’t need to cost anything at all. They can simply be called up, when needed, from any computer – with any OS – that you happen to be on.
FAQs:
Q: What are the limitations of using cloud-based production tools?
A: While cloud-based production tools may not have the same level of customization as traditional software, they can still deliver high-quality results. The main limitations are often related to the processing power of the cloud, which may not be as fast as a powerful computer.
Q: Are cloud-based production tools secure?
A: Cloud-based production tools use the same level of security as traditional software. They encrypt your data and ensure that it is only accessible by authorized users.
Q: Can I use cloud-based production tools offline?
A: Most cloud-based production tools require an internet connection to function. However, some tools allow you to download a local copy of your work and edit offline, with the option to upload it later.
