4 apps and websites that might just come in clutch

Over the years, I’ve done a fair bit of adventuring around the internet and have uncovered some of its hidden gems. I figured I would share some of them with you all and not hoard them to myself. Out of the four web tools, I guarantee that one will definitely help you out when you’re in a pinch. I can’t give you back your time if I’m wrong of course, so you’re just going to have to just take my word for it.

Capture an image of what’s on the screen

Tool: Snipping tool

I’ll start off with something that a lot of people may know. A snipping tool is a tool built into every Window’s computer (*sad Macbook noises*) that allows users to save an image of whatever is on the screen. The difference between the snipping tool vs taking a screenshot is that the snipping tool allows you to capture exactly what you want to select on the screen. You simply hold and stretch the cursor over the part of the screen you want to save. The part you intended to save will turn from grayscale to full colour so you know what you are selecting. You are also able to capture the entire screen if you like. This has helped me out more times than I can count and I’m sure it will help you out too. To find it, just press the Windows button on your keyboard and search “snip” in the search bar. Select the app and click “New” to get snipping!

Make white backgrounds disappear 

The tool: Lunapic

Ok, here’s the situation: you’re creating a presentation and you need some good pictures to add to it. You find a couple of nice ones and even some memes. But there is one image you know would be perfect. The only problem is that it has a white background around it. This wouldn’t be a problem if the background of your presentation was white. But it's not. The picture sticks out like a fruit loop in a bowl of cheerios. Now enter Lunapic, a photo editing website that takes those images and removes the white background, saving your presentation!

Now, there are many ways to remove the white background from an image. But I always recommend Lunapic because it is super simple and straightforward! People with no experience with image modification will have no problems using it. It’s as easy as going to the website and uploading your image. Lunapic removes the background automatically and even gives you the option to remove parts of the background manually if it doesn’t look right.

Lunapic also offers a bunch of other picture editing services such as adding borders and adjusting colour.  And did I mention it was also free? No signup, login or downloads!

Try Lunapic

Create a quick collage or thumbnail

The tool: Microsoft PowerPoint 

Bet you weren’t expecting this one. I’d like to believe that everyone reading this has used PowerPoint or Google Slides at least once before. These are both great tools for creating engaging presentations and lectures. But can they be used for anything else? Absolutely!

This idea dawned on me a while back when I wanted to create a thumbnail for a YouTube video but did not own Photoshop or even know how to use it. I realized that you could actually create a collage of multiple images on a PowerPoint slide and then save the slide as an image. PowerPoint offers a small, but useful selection of filters and image modifications that can be applied to your slide.  

I’ve made a short video showing how to get started. Obviously, the quality of the image and the edit won’t be as professional as Photoshop, but it’s quick, super easy and will get the job done in almost any situation!

Turn your favourite image into a poster 

The tool: Rasterbator

I first used this website back in high school to make some giant basketball memes and hang them around the school (don’t ask). Rasterbator takes any image and turns it into a poster. It adjusts the size of the image so you are able to print it out on your standard letter printing paper, and put together the different parts like a puzzle. When I was in my first year, I wanted to buy a giant calendar from the bookstore but they were all sold out. I remembered this website and used it to make monthly calendars and I’ve been using it ever since. I love that all my dates are large and visible from anywhere in my room. And even with my toddler-like handwriting, I still have enough room to fit everything in the squares. Is it a waste of paper? I mean…yeah it kind of is. But is it worth it? I’d say so. What I try to do is print on GOOS (good on one side) paper so that way every piece of paper you use has been fully used.

 Try Rasterbator

Throughout your post-secondary education or even life after, I guarantee that at least one of these tools will come out on top for you when you need it the most with a Kawhi Leonard type of performance. I am 99.9% sure that you learned something new from reading this. If you truly did know everything, you might just have to help me make part two.