Kindof an odd request, but does anyone know of a site online that offers easy online image editing for people not too familiar with it?

Here's the deal, I've got a message board on my site. Say that I've got some people visiting it that aren't that great at image editing and they want a cool avatar of their own. I have it set up so they can upload their own avatars, but they have to be under 60x60 pixels. I want to be able to let those people know a place where they can easily edit and resize their graphics so they are uploadable. That way I don't have to make them download an image editor that they may find hard to use.

Is there any such site?

*edit*
Also, is there a good site that offers animated gifs? I found one that acts like it has a lot, but doesn't really.

Not knowing anything about your web site, I'd probably set something up so that the image would automatically get resized as it was being uploaded, before it gets put in your database or whatever. Take a look at NetPBM, for example.

If you could put up Gallery (the software used on riocar.org for the photo gallery) it does have some options for automaticially resizing photos down if they are above a certain size. Could work, but the problem will probably be allowing users to anonymously upload (as far as Gallery is concerned since it wouldn't share the user database with the message board).

I have Gallery installed on my site. I don't think I want to do that though. Maybe I'll just make instructions to do it with generic programs. Is there a very simple, free program that can do simple resizing and croping?

You want Irfanview.
http://downloads-zdnet.com.com/3000-2192-8209428.html

The steps are:
File, Open
Image, Resize/Resample
Uncheck 'Preserve aspect ratio'
Type you width/height in pixels
Click OK.
File, Save As...

Done.

-Zeke

You wouldn't exactly want to do it that way. That would give you horizontally or vertically squished pictures. You have to crop to a square first, then resize either side to 60 pixels while using "preserve aspect ratio". But that's only if you wanted a square picture. I just said it had to be a maximum of 60x60. The images could be 47x60 or 60x53 for all I care.

But while I like irfanview, it's not what I'm looking for for my members. I'm looking for the "my first image editor" type program. The kind with big playschool buttons

Thank you, I know that turning off aspect ratio deforms the pictures. Sorry for trying to help.

-Z


ps: Try http://www.hasbropreschool.com/playskool/

(Sorry, end of hard day with not enough caffeine)

Hey hey, don't take it personal. I just wasn't sure why someone would want to deform the images like that. I didn't mean to sound patronizing or anything. Sorry about that.

No problem. I just read that at irritation:30 o'clock. Sorry for the snippy response. I know it wasn't personal.

Best,
-Zeke