* PicMonkey affiliate links used in this post. See full note below.
PicMonkey (my favorite photo editing site) recently launched their new Royale subscription service. Translation: because the site was new, they offered full access to the service for free--that's no longer the case. Reading through comments on their blog post announcing the launch, I'm thinking there seems to be a lot of confusion about it. Here are a few thoughts to get you started in processing this change.
1 | We all knew Royale was coming.
When I first started using PicMonkey there were several explanations that many of the features I was using would soon be part of a paid service. I knew anything with a crown symbol would not be free once Royale launched. Initially I told myself to just use the features that would always be free so I wouldn't be sad when it was gone. Then, I told myself to quit being a cheapy and see if I liked the paid features. Turns out: I do. Many of the edits I love about PicMonkey are in part of Royale.2 | Lots of PicMonkey is still free.
Basic edits, a variety of fonts and overlays and editing effects are all still available for free with no account required.3 | The PicMonkey team is a pretty cool bunch.
They're listening to people's feedback--on pricing options, features, whatever. If you have something constructive to say to them--say it! They'll listen. They're also a company that needs to make good choices for the company. So ultimately pricing and everything is up to them.4 | There are other photo editing options.
This sounds a little anti-PicMonkey, but it's true. There are lots of other photo editing options. (I highlighted a few of the free ones >> here.) PicMonkey is my favorite. And even Ribbet (it's basically Picnic with a new name) is currently free, but will also eventually change premium features to cost.See PicMonkey tutorials here.
*Note: PicMonkey affiliate links used in this post. I fell in love with PicMonkey before this post, and am now a proud affiliate, which means any purchases made through my links could earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. If you find my tutorials helpful and fall in love with the Royale options too, please consider making the upgrade through the PicMonkey links on my blog. I then donate with love 30% of all proceeds. Thank you for your support.
