Photo editing software can be expensive and programs like Photoshop often aren’t covered by your scholarship or grant. If you do manage to afford it, you have to download the program to your computer which can take up valuable space and RAM, especially if you have an older computer.

FotoFlexer

FotoFlexer is a very advanced online image editor that allows you to do pretty much anything you want with your photos. Whether it’s retouching, distorting, adding muscle, lowering weight, drawing on the photo or whatever, FotoFlexer can do it. Best of all, it’s 100% free and like all of the photo editors on this list; can be used right from your browser.

PickNick

PikNick is another cool online photo editing tool with lots of options. The browser allows you to change the language to English or Spanish so you can work with whatever is more comfortable for you.  Features full photo editing tools including re-touching, blemish remove, scale and resizing. However; PicNick will be merging with Google +.

LunaPic

LunaPic is a free online photo editor with touch up, liquidize, paint and animation effects. You can upload photos from your computer or straight from the web (whatever you like). The editor is completely free and even allows you to create, add effects to and edit collages.

iPiccy

The name might sound funny but iPiccy is a fun, free and easy to use photo editor. The app allows you to upload, edit, add effects, paint, add stains and change color to photos straight from your browser. Ipiccy is also free and does not require registration (no passwords or usernames required.)

DrPic

Dr.Pic is not only a free online photo editor, but it also hosts your images for you. This means you can save your images and store them online. The app also allows you to crop, change color, fix red eye, resize, blur, add frames and much more.

Web Designer Job Outlook & Salary
The starting salary for the average web designer is around $46,000 per year and with a little bit of experience and additional training a web designer can earn as much as $143,447 per year. The average payment for a web designer is usually between $50,000 and $80,000 per year respectively.
In most cases, web designers who work for large companies in big cities will receive the highest pay while freelancing web designers and designers working in small or rural communities will earn the least.
Web design is a constantly expanding field because of the growing popularity of the World Wide Web, the internet and its use by large corporations for sales, marketing and advertising.  Web design careers are expected to grow by around 12% by 2018 which is a faster than average growth and will include new jobs opening up, higher salary and different fields of work opening up.

1. Gain Work Experience

Gaining work experience is probably one of the most important reasons to take an internship. Work experience allows you to figure out what you need to know to continue and succeed in your career and will allow you to learn hands on work that you would otherwise learn after you graduate. This puts you ahead of anyone who chose not to take an internship!

2. Learn What It’s Like

Studying as an Intern will allow you to get a good feel for what your job will be like after graduation. This will be either encouragement for you to finish your major so that you can start working more quickly or might give you enough time to switch majors if you find out you absolutely hate the job…  Think about it, wouldn’t it be nice to know what your job will be like now instead of having to wait until you finish studying? An Internship makes this possible!

3. Enhance Your Resume

You’ve probably noticed it before; most job advertisements contain a “Work Experience Required” clause.  This makes it difficult to gain work experience without already having it which in the long run can make it difficult to actually find a job. Taking an internship will allow you to place the work done during your internship in your resume and can therefore be used to find a job! While you will not gain a great deal of work experience from the average internship, sticking to the internship period of 3-6 months will show a potential employer that you are ready to work and dedicated to doing your job even if you are not being paid for it (Internees are not paid).

4. Practice in the Real World

While studying online is easier and can usually be cheaper, you don’t always get a great deal of real world practice. Working at an internship allows you to put your thoughts and ideas into practice in the real world. This means you can see what works and what doesn’t!!  Most of all, you will be able to test your art and see if it works!

5. Meet New People

The biggest disadvantage of studying for your art degree online is that you have a limited chance of making connections that could lead to future jobs. Working at an internship allows you to make these connections and if you impress enough people, even guarantee yourself a high paying job after graduation. Working hard on your internship can lead to very good things after you graduate which is one of the single most stimulating factors towards working on an internship!

The Art Institute of Pittsburgh  is a well-established school of the arts located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school is for profit and focuses on teaching career driven courses to students in order to help them succeed outside of the classroom.  This review covers school courses, teaching methods, tuition and student success.
Courses at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh

The online division of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh offers a variety of courses including Bachelor degrees in advertising, culinary management, fashion & retail management, game art & design, graphic design, hotel & restaurant management, interior design, media arts & animation, photography and web design & interactive media. The school offers associate degrees in graphic design, kitchen and bath design, photography and web design and interactive media as well as a variety of certificate and diploma programs.
Cost of Tuition
This review of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh covers the cost of tuition. The average cost of attending a course at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh is $84,000 for a bachelor degree, $43,000 for an associate degree and $15,000 – $20,000 for a diploma or certificate. Overall, the prices are a great deal higher than they should be, although, course prices do cover the cost of most textbooks, students can also expect to receive computers at a greatly discounted price. However, students should expect to pay for laboratory and material use as well as software and technology fees of $50-$75 per semester. The Art Institute of Pittsburgh is definitely not cheap.
Teaching Methods
The Art Institute of Pittsburgh online covers their tuition with mostly online and digital media such as online textbooks and materials. This makes it easier for students to acquire the information they need for their courses. The institute also pairs students to teachers at about a 1/40 ratio which means there is about one acting professor per student. This rate is extremely low and will put students at a slightly disadvantaged study rate.
Accreditation
The Art Institute of Pittsburgh is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and the Accrediting Council of Independent Colleges and Schools as well as the American Culinary Association and the Council for Interior Decorating Accreditation.
The School
While the Art Institute of Pittsburgh has produced notable alumni such as Frank Kelly Freas, J. Miller and Martha Rial; their current classes do not quite hold up to the former quality of the school. Today, many former students say that the college is a waste of money and nothing but a ‘diploma mill.’  However, despite these claims, it should be noted that the Art Institute of Pittsburgh retains its accreditation and therefore holds up to the minimum standards required for higher education. The Art Institute of Pittsburgh is not one of the best schools online, however; it is a fully accredited school where you can earn your degree.

As a student studying for an art and design career, painting makes a great hobby. Not only does it help you to learn more about your chosen major, but you can have fun while doing. However; actually fitting painting into your busy schedule can be a bit of a hassle. Here are a few painting while you study tips that will get you started painting; even if you are living in a dorm!

Also, depending upon which types of paints you are using, your painting will need different amounts of time to dry, time before you apply top coats and etc. which will give you different working times.

1. 1.       Paint With Oils

Oils are great for any student who loves to paint because most of the time you will find yourself having to wait hours or even days before you can add another layer of paint. This is great because it means that you have the perfect study interlude that won’t even interrupt your painting. Spend free time studying and when the paint is ready for another coat, go back and paint! This might sound really simple and in fact it is. However; if you are used to painting with acrylics, try to remember that the end results with oil will be different.

1. 2.       Add Details in Five Minute Study Breaks

Studying for long periods of time isn’t good. Try taking five minutes of break every thirty minutes. This will rest your eyes and give you five minutes to dab a bit more paint onto your painting. While this isn’t the fastest way of painting in the world, it’s a great way to catch up on adding time consuming, tiny details that could even become annoying if you did them all at once. There you go; two benefits in just one easy tip. If you want to paint for longer, you can try setting up twenty minutes of painting at the end of every chapter or whatever you like. Just remember that you have to work your full study schedule into this so that you don’t end up falling behind!

1. 3.       Set Aside An Hour To Paint In The Morning

The morning is the best time to paint, not only because it gives your painting more time to dry over the course of the day but because you can relax, drink a cup of coffee and paint while you wake up. That means when you finally get around to studying, you will be more awake and more relaxed and will therefore learn better. See, there are benefits to having an art hobby after all!

1. 4.       Reward Study with A Painting Session

You guessed it. You’ve worked hard, finished what you were supposed to study and now it’s time to reward yourself with a painting session before you move on to the next subject. Work out how much free time you can afford to take for painting and then paint until you have to study again (or you get hungry, tired or thirsty; those things matter to).  If you aren’t confident in your abilities of remembering the time to start work again, try setting a timer to go off. Because you will remember the timer, you will probably also be prepared and ready to stop when the timer actually goes off.

1. 5.       Use Easels

This might sound like a silly tip but it can save you a lot of time. An easel will keep your painting accessible and in a position to facilitate drying. It will also prevent you from having to put away and take out your painting every time you have to work on it. This means that whenever you want to paint, all you have to do is walk over to your easel!

If you have an art degree or are looking into getting one than you should be interested in learning about art and design careers . Believe it or not, your art degree can actually be put to several practical, and money making jobs that will keep you interested and learning about art!

Art Teacher

If you are interested in teaching careers as well as art than being an art teacher could be the perfect job for you. Not only do you earn the normal teachers’ salary of around $40,000 per year but you get teachers retirement and other benefits that are not applicable to folks employed at more mundane jobs. Not only that, but you get the pleasure of spreading your knowledge on to new, young minds!

Curator

A curator is the person who runs and manages a museum. Depending upon the museum you are running this can be quite a prestigious job. However; often, curating will have very little that is artistic and creative to do other than setting up exhibits. If you love antiquities, don’t mind dealing with hoards of screaming children and have an art degree than you should consider it. Curators earn between $30,000 and $70,000 per year!

Art Director

An art director is faced with the task of directing, organizing and creating images for use in consumer marketing OR can be in charge of holding, creating and managing art galas for the sale of works by artists. Each type of this field works in the same but slightly different methods by using advertisement, management, concepts and procedures to produce a good result for their business or client. Art directors earn a median salary of $55,000 per year.

Film Editor

If you are fond of movies or just like editing than being a film editor could be great. A film editor’s job is to take raw film and cut, clip and paste it together to create a visually appealing and fast moving image that runs smoothly together. Film editors mostly are required to have a strong knowledge of popular film editing software, techniques and the ability to decide what should go where as well as to change colors to be more visually appealing.

Archeologist

The job of an archeologist might sound like a thing of the past but believe it or not, archeologists are still at it and hard at work.  Archeologists find, excavate and investigate parts of art and history, and usually end up digging them up. Archeologists should have a Master degree and will earn a median of $70,000 per year!

Wondering how to become an art teacher? If you are interested in teaching art than you are required to have a few basic principles and qualifications. Here are the answers to a few basic questions you might have about how to become an art teacher.

Will I Need a Degree to Become an Art Teacher?

Yes, in fact, you will need a degree. Being an art teacher will generally require a minimum of an Associate degree in fine art though, some larger schools will require that you have a bachelor or even master degree before hiring you to teach art at their school. Degrees that you can earn to become an art teacher include art history, photography, painting, graphic design, or any other art and design degree.

What Other Qualifications Do I Need To Become an Art Teacher?

Being an art teacher means that you are required to have basic personality and social skills so that you get along well with the children or adults you aim to teach. If you do not have a personality that meshes well with others then you might find more satisfaction studying art or working in one of many art careers.  Teachers of any kind must be patient, understanding and willing to go over a method or idea multiple times until a student understands it. Also, in many cases, individual states will require you to pass a state teachers exam and probably run a background check as well. This is to ensure them and the parents of the children you are teaching that you are qualified, reliable and safe around their children!

What is an Art Teacher’s Salary?

An art teacher’s salary can vary greatly from school to school however; the median salary is about $55,000 per year.  Wages can range as low as $30,000 per year and as high as $70,000 per year. If you are starting out teaching with a low degree, expect to earn the minimum but be aware that your salary will grow as you gain work experience and possibly education experience as well!

What Age Group Can I Teach As An Art Teacher?

Depending upon your level of education and teacher training you can teach almost any age group. However, your education requirements will differ for each group. Teaching art to kindergarten students might require no degree at all but perhaps a great deal of experience working as a teachers aid, in a daycare or etc. while teaching high school or college students might require little to no teacher training and a master degree. Decide what age group you would like to teach and educate yourself accordingly!

Learning to illustrate can be the first step to getting a job at as a magazine illustrator, making your own cartoons, beginning to illustrate books or to do more contemporary art such as Manga, animated films or even modern art. Learning to illustrate is the key to successfully starting your art career.

Illustration is the art of drawing images or pictures to fit into a scene in order to decorate, clarify or explain its content. In some cases illustration is also the art of drawing pictures instead of using words in order to tell a story (such as with Manga).

If you wish to pursue your degree than you should be interested in attending an online school, online schools allow you the freedom to study where and when you want without the hassle of living in a dorm room or attending class every day. If you are interested in taking your art to the next level and being more creative; here are five of the best online colleges that offer illustration classes!

Academy of Art University Online

The Academy of Art University Online offers an Associate, Bachelor and Master in Fine Arts, Illustration. These courses cover classical art skills, portfolio development, drawing, painting, typography and digital illustration. The Associate is a 2 year course and is the most basic with very limited training in a wide array of art skills, Bachelor expands on these skills and students portfolios are judged and criticized (for their benefit) and students are taught to use their images in the marketplace, to tell a story with images and to convey feelings and mood through their illustrations. The Master of fine Arts in Illustration offers students the chance to develop their own personal style while learning classic drawing skills, perfecting their skills and learning to market, advertise and use their work in a variety of well-paying jobs.

Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online

The Art Institute of Pittsburgh features several in depth courses in illustration however, they are not degrees. The illustration courses at Pittsburgh online are part of their other courses including illustration for game design, illustrating photography, animating illustration and etc. The school offers a wide variety of different illustration programs that will help you get started in the illustration path of your choice!

Digital Media Arts University

The Digital Media Arts University offers courses in illustration for game art, design and several others. The school is accredited and all studies can be done online. The Digital Media Arts University will teach you illustration skills that are specific to the field you wish to study in so that all of your education is beneficial to your future career.

Full Sail University             

Full Sail University Online offers illustration programs in their game art design, digital arts & design, graphic design and media design courses. These courses include associate, bachelor and master degrees and cover a wide array of study material other than illustration that is designed to help you succeed in your chosen field.

International Academy of Design & Technology Online

The International Academy of Design  &  Technology Online is based in Tampa Florida but offers classes to students worldwide. The school offers illustration programs in game art and design, design, fashion and animation!

Full sail University is a high profile art and design school that offers both offline and online college courses. This Full Sail University Review offers an in depth look at the schools teaching methods, curriculum, tuition cost and rate of graduation, etc. so that you can make a fully informed decision about attending the school.

Courses at Full Sail University

Full Sail University Online offers 23 online courses which is actually more than they offer on campus. These courses include Bachelors, Masters and Two graduate certification programs that require a Bachelor degree if you would like to take them. Courses include

• Creative Writing MFA (Master of Fine Arts)
• EBMS: Sports Management Elective Track (Master of Science)
• Entertainment Business (Master of Science)
• Education Media Design & Technology (Master of Science)
• Internet Marketing (Master of Science)
• Media Design (Master of Fine Arts)
• New Media Journalism (Master of Arts)
• Computer Animation (Bachelor of Science)
• Creative Writing for Entertainment (Bachelor of Fine Arts)
• Digital Cinematography (Bachelor of Science)
• Entertainment Business (Bachelor of Science)
• Game Art (Bachelor of Science)
• Game Design (Bachelor of Science)
• Graphic Design (Bachelor of Science)
• Internet Marketing (Bachelor of Science)
• Music Business (Bachelor of Science)
• Mobile Development (Bachelor of Science)
• Music Production (Bachelor of Science)
• Sports Marketing & Media (Bachelor of Science)
• Web Design & Development (Bachelor of Science)
• Education Media Design & Technology (Graduate Certificate)
• Internet Marketing (Graduate Certificate)

Cost of Tuition

Tuition at Full Sail University is actually somewhat high when compared to other schools; however, when considering what you receive, it is actually reasonable. Master degree courses cost about $600-$800 per credit hour (for online courses) and there is an average of 338-48 hours per semester with a total of three semesters. This means that each student will need $10,000 in tuition fees per semester or about $30,000 for the full tuition with Media Design coming in somewhere around $36,000 for full tuition. However, these fees include the cost of some study materials such as textbooks, manuals, media production and technology fees. Most online colleges charge each of these separately. It should also be noted that students will have the option of purchasing necessary software and computers from Full Sail University at a discount rate!

Teaching Methods

Full Sail University uses a variety of teaching methods for their online programs. In general each student is assigned to a classroom where they will work in teams and alone to complete projects. In most cases, one teacher will not have more than 15-30 students which means that you will get plenty of attention.

Full Sail University also provides an innovative final assignment that gives students the opportunities to create modules or samples that they can then use to find employment!

Statistics

Full Sail University has a $75 entrance fee, a $200 per degree seat reservation and rolling admissions which means that you can apply and begin study at any time of year. Full Sail University has a very relaxed acceptance rate which means that they accept almost anyone who can come up with the money to attend. Student faculty ratio is around 11:1 which means that there is around 1 professor to every 11 students! Their job placement rate after graduation is an amazing 80% which is much higher than most other schools! The school teaches about 12,500 students, many of whom study online.

5 Reasons to Study for Your Art Degree Online

Whether you are currently studying for your art degree at an on-campus college or are considering studying for your degree, you should consider attending an online college.  Distance learning institutions are a method of higher education that is rapidly growing in popularity and an estimated hundred million plus online students.

Multiple College Choices

Studying for your art degree online gives you an almost endless list of universities you can attend. If you were studying on campus you would have to select a college by how easily you could get to them, by the expense of their dorm rooms and you would also have to consider travel time between your college and your home. When you choose to study your art degree online, you can choose any school regardless of location and study it right from the comfort of your own home. Whether it be Phoenix University from Arizona or FloridaTechonline, there are no expensive dormitory or travel costs to be considered.

Cheaper Tuition

One of the most important things to consider about studying for your art degree online is that it will generally cost a great deal less than attending a normal on campus school. While on-campus education can cost anywhere from $4,000 per year for a community college and $40,000 per year for a private college, online education is usually under $20,000 per year and generally at least ¼ cheaper than attending the same school on campus.

Study Whenever

Another benefit is that you can study at your own pace. In most cases students who study for their art degree online are given a certain amount of work to complete within a week period and then are allowed to turn it in at any time during the week. This means that you can study everything in the first few days of the week, or study every day between the hours of midnight and 4 AM.  As long as you turn the work in on time you are free to study whenever you want.  Students studying for their art degree online will also have access to onlineartlibraries and will not have to travel to do research! This means you have the freedom to do whatever you like, whenever you like when you are not studying.

Work While You Study

One of the benefits of being able to study whenever you like is that if you want to or have to, you can hold down a full time job while you study your online art degree. This means that you can either provide money to feed yourself and your family or pay bills, you can earn work experience in your field or you can continue to work in order to support your lifestyle or etc. Other options include that you can care for a family member, spend a great deal of time with family or even raise children without any problems while you study. This means that studying online gives many people the ability to earn their art degree when they would otherwise be held back because of prior responsibilities.

Overall Benefits

Studying for your art degree online allows you to study whenever and wherever you like. It allows you to study from home if you like. Studying online gives you the freedom to choose your school and allows you to cut tuition costs. Much in contrary to popular belief, studying online does not even affect your ability to receive studentaid. As long as you are attending an accredited online school, you are just as eligible as a traditional college student for aid. So, what are you waiting for? Start looking for a great online art school today!