Google acquires web image editor Picnik

Google expands its web applications portfolio by taking over the Web image editor Picnik.  With Picnik, you can edit photos in your browser.

With taking over Picnik, Google expands its photo manager Picasa already having a desktop software and a Web photo sharing service.  For the moment, there are no big changes planned to the way how Picnik works.  The service remains online and can still be used without an account.  With other takeovers, Google had repeatedly turned off the acquired services.

Picnik offers typical photo editing features, like auto-correction, hue, saturation and removing red eyes.  You can also rotate images, cut and resize them as well as sharpen them.

Picnik has around 20 employees that will continue to work on Picnik for Google, while moving to Google’s offices in Seattle.  Existing Picnik partners will still be able to make use of the service, and users can continue to export their photos to other photo websites and social networks.

Earlier, Picnik CEO and founder Jonathan Sposato had already sold his company Phatbits to Google, which later became Google Gadgets.  Darrin Massena, Picnik co-founder and CTO, once founded Darrin Spiffcode and was co-author of the real-time strategy game Warfare Incorporated.  The third team founder, Mike Harrington, once worked for Valve Software and was chief developer of Half-Life.