July- Time to explore- PhotoFunia

I was looking at a blog that I bookmarked a long time ago called Techno Constructivist by Carl Anderson, a teacher from Minnesota. Way back in January 2010 he made a post with a list of sites that were, at the time, safe for kids to use. The sites had no age restriction, required no accounts and could be used freely without violating COPA. So I started perusing the list and, as I would expect, have found that some of the sites have changed. We all have seen sites that start free and end up with those special subscriptions that have all the cool stuff.

Well here is one on the list that I like, PhotoFunia. This is a free online photo editing site. No account needed to play, but they do have a statement about the site is intended for over the age of 13. There are so many options of how you can use your picture. I decided to use one called Big Painting.

Now tell me that isn't cool! I could play for hours on this site transforming my image to all sorts of things. There are tabs for Effects, Labs and Filters. All have a variety of fun effects. Of course I had to do another. Here is the same pic but with the Lego effect.

So much fun! There is also an app for your smartphone.This site would give your students many options to explore. Again, remember the age 13 clause. As an art teacher, this site would give an opportunity to discuss how each technique gives the picture a different feeling. The lighting, intensity of the colors, illusion of texture would all be points to discuss. Go check out PhotoFunia and have some fun with your photos.