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42A

Picnik is a great photo editing tool

Or it is until April 19

After that owners Google are shutting it down. Until then you get to use the paid-for premium version of the site for free.
We cover using Picnik on pages 430-434 of the paper edition of MMJ, and here on the companion website.
The tuition in this masterclass replaces that section of the course.
Google has an alternative to Picnik, within the suite of apps that now makes up Google+. It’s called Creative Kit and it is based closely on Picnik.

We cover how to use Creative Kit here.

If you’d rather find an alternative, you’ll find some suggestions for other good photo-editing applications as well.

Five free alternatives to Creative Kit

We'll take a look at:

• Photoshop Express

• Pixlr Express

• Fotoflexer

• Free Online Photo Editor, and

• Pixenate

If you have a favourite photo editing app, let us know via any of the contact buttons on this site.

Next: How to use Google Creative Kit

Up-coming tuition at MMJ (update)

Masterclass 41: Top 3 essential web-clipping apps for journalists

We take a look at three incredibly useful clipping apps - each of which is the best in its field for one key function. There's Evernote, a great research-gathering tool for news reporters; Zotero, perfect for more academic research and article composition; and Cuttings Me, an elegant way to put your best material together in a showcase of your talents.

Find out more...

Masterclass  42: How to use Google Creative Kit for photo-editing, plus some alternative apps to check out

When Google announced it would close Picnik, the popular photo-edtiting software company it bought a while back, there was outrage. Infact, what Google has done is bring Picnik into the Google+ fold, giving the good old Picnik functionality a re-skin.

We'll look at how to use it - hence updating the coverage of Picnik in the print veriosn of MMJ, and in the equivalent part of the ebook and online versions of the project.

We'll also take a look at three or four alternatives to Creative Kit/Picnik

Going live: February 4

Masterclass 43: Focus on print - plus: win your own print run

Print may be under pressure, but it's still core to what many journalists do. We'll take a look at the future of print, and at an interesting new venture called Make My Newspaper.

Make My Newspaper lets you create your own tabloid online, design it, add content and buy a short print run. It could be the answer for  journalism courses where creating a print product is an important learning tool and demonstration of competence. And it might work for hyperlocals that want a print presence.

We will offer two free print runs of 100, 20-page papers to lucky UK-based journalism courses, hyperlocals or start-ups.

Going live: February 11

Masterclass 44: Flash website building for non-coders

Flash websites are great for situations in which you want to make a visual impact, and where photography is important.

We'll look at a way to create a really professional one without knowing the first thing about coding.

Going live: February 18

Masterclass 45: Wordpress

Two levels of tuition in Wordpress. 

We’ll kick off by getting a basic site up and running. 

Then we'll look at using customised themes to create a really impressive Wordpress publishing platform.

March 10

Masterclass 46 - 49: How to choose a specialism, Series 2

We looked here at eight popular journalistic specialisms. Now we feature a second series, including:

• Technology
• Music
• Education

March 24 - May 5

Masterclass 50: Brand Journalism

What it is, and why it could be the future for many journalists

May 19