We have been working on a real bunch of new features in the last weeks, a part of which we have now released to the public. The news are:

• A new tool to create color gradients. It is found in the “Geometric shapes” tool, which now has a “gradients” tab. You can choose from a zillions of options, like colors, shape, position, length and more. The angle and the length are specified by clicking into the middle thumbnail, clicking and thereby drawing a yellow line (as depicted in the image below). The angle of the line will be the angle of the gradient, its length will be the length of the gradient. This tool is mainly for creating backgrounds for other photos (which can later be put into the background with the “Collage” tool), but gradients can also be a nice decoration inside photos:
  

  The gradient tool window

  

  A gradient sample

  

  Another sample

  

  Yet another one

• The “Collage” tool, which is for mixing photos into one another, has been enhanced. In the past, it could make a selectable color transparent. However, the results were kind of “harsh”, because the tool didn’t soften the edges. Now, the tool can anti-alias (soften) the edges, and more: The option of also making similar colors to the selected one transparent is more flexible. You can set a criterion for what is considered “similar” based on hue, lightness, color components, etc. In the example below, we mixed one of Phixr’s sample images into another, making some green color tone transparent, and thereby essentially eliminating the background of the flower.
  

  "Collage" sample

• Speaking of color: The color picker has a new feature, too. You can now not only select a color from the color spectrum, but also one from the photo. The little “injection needle” to the right switches between the spectrum and a thumbnail of the photo.

That’s all for now, more coming up. Stay tuned… and happy phixing!

Phixr Photo Editor