PhotoSnack

Since my first post over FlipSnack -- SnackTools's free eBook-making website -- I have been excited about trying other applications by SnackTools. My last review -- PodSnack -- was a bit of a bust. (Although I think it's neat, I don't think it can have much real value to me in the classroom. Darn.) I'm hoping this post, featuring PhotoSnack, will be better!

Put simply, PhotoSnack is a photo-slideshow-maker.  I know there are lots of photo-slideshow-makers available on the webs, but I really like that users who have signed up for any of SnackTools's other applications would have easy access to PhotoSnack. That's just one less username and password we'd have to remember, and God knows teachers have enough on their minds already! :)

Before I begin talking about all the details of this website, let me list a few ways you may be able to use PhotoSnack in your classroom:

• Attach it to your "virtual 'fridge" and play a slideshow of outstanding student work.
• Attach pictures from last year's class -- having a blast, of course -- and show it on the first day of school to let your students know what they're in for this year!
• Attach pictures of your current students working hard and/or having a ball and show it on Open House Night or on the class website.
• Upload samples of a student's work (like a mini, photo-portfolio) and show it during P/T conferences to help parents get a better grasp of what kind of work their child is producing in class.

OK, now that we have some ideas, let's dive into the logistics of PhotoSnack.

Here are some cool features:

1. You can use it for free. 
2. You can add music to the background of your slideshow, if you'd like.
3. Import photos from several different (and common) photo-hosting websites. 
4. You can download the slideshow to the computer and burn it onto a DVD (a cool goodbye present for students on the last day of school!). 
5. Add titles and captions to each photo if you want.
6. You can publish it on several different websites (think: personal website and social media websites). There's an embed code so that viewers can actually see the slideshow on your website instead of having to follow an external link to see anything.
7. It uses Flash when posted on regular websites. Still looking for information about viewing it on iPhone/iPad....
8. There are several customization options so that you can personalize the slideshow(s) in a variety of ways. 
9. The end result looks very professional! 
10. Can add up to 100 photos to each slideshow
11. Many, many people can view your slideshow for free. The way I understand it, people with a free membership can have a max of 25,000 views per day on sites external to PhotoSnack (VIP members get 50,000 views). Pretty convenient. I don't ever expect to reach that 25,000 view maximum, anyway, so I don't see this as a problem. 
12. Besides all the customization options inside the slideshow, you can decide which type of album you'd like to be featured in the show: professional photo album, product presentation, personal portfolio, real estate slideshow, or web-designer portfolio. 
13. There are several widget-options you can use to display your show(s) on your websites.

PhotoSnack allows users to upload documents in a few different formats: .jpg, .gif, and .png. No file over 10 MB may be uploaded to the slideshow.

Now that you know about all the great features, let me give you some details about the $$ involved:

• There is a free version, but, as with most websites, there are a few limitations. The free version puts a watermark on all slideshows. I didn't see an additional upload limit; it appears that the free version also has an upload limit of 100 photos, just like the paid version! Whoo-hoo!
• You can have the watermark removed from individual slideshow by purchasing points. It costs 6 points in order to do this, and the price of the points varies, based on how many you purchase at a time. (A purchase of 10 points will run you $19, a purchase of 25 points will run you $39, a purchase of 50 points will run you $49...you get the picture. There's a slight discount when you buy points in bulk.)
• If you don't want to mess with the limitations at all, you can always purchase a VIP membership for $14/month. This membership actually gives you premium access to all of SnackTools's apps, so you're getting quite a bit for your money. (Although, I'd really appreciate the ability to just buy a premium membership to ONE app, but maybe they'll implement that later!)

 Overall, I really like the ease and convenience of PhotoSnack. Like I said, there is no shortage of photo-slideshow-making websites available on the web, but I like that this one can pull photos from a variety of popular photo-hosting websites and you can access it through your SnackTools's username and password. Pretty nifty!