Aviary

Aviary is a set of free online editing tools for images, vectors, audio and video. Compared to other online editing tools for images particularly, Aviary seems to be by far one of the most comprehensive. The full Aviary suite includes Phoenix for image editing, Myna as an audio editor, Raven for vector editing, and Peacock for visual effects, with several other in development specialized editors. 

What I found so striking about the suite was the accessibility and collaboration.

The site is full of tutorials and forums about the best way to use the tools. The video tutorials are instructive and the dialogue is easy to understand. By giving users a large arsenal of support and guidance, they encourage users to play with their tools in a way a paid suite like Adobe does not.

The collaborative nature of the tools is also important; Aviary is able to read files from one tool to another. Meaning, if I'm working on a photo manipulation in Phoenix, and I want to add a vector I can open the file in Raven, then move it into Peacock for texture manipulation, then back to Phoenix if desired, without having to change file extensions like other editing software.

The other collaborative feature of Aviary is the ability to add and remove elements from other people's works to create or add to your own. In the gallery of work, oftentimes you have access to the artists layers, allowing you to pick and choose the element you would like to use and manipulate in your own piece.

A possible drawback for Aviary is the need for Internet connectivity. If someone was to have poor internet connectivity you could run the risk of lag and poor performance. Also, Aviary does not auto-save your document, meaning if your Internet slows or you accidentally exit your browser you'll have to start over.

Overall, I'm really impressed with the accessibility and versatility of Aviary as a suite of tools, and the effort put in by the creators to make it easy to learn.

(Images from left to right by Redstar and Bisowski, respectively)