Picnik is the new kid on the block, and they’re the best so far. It is also Flash based, it is the fastest of the bunch and the user interface is the most intuitive. Once you are done editing, you can transfer your photos directly to Flickr. Picnik has replaced Ajax-based PXN8 as our favorite online photo editing tool.

Fauxto is a Flash-based Photoshop look-alike. It is the only layer-based online tool that we know of, and is by far the best of the bunch. But if all you are looking for is photo editing, and you aren’t familiar with Photoshop, Fauxto will frustrate you with its complexity. And if you are already familiar with Photoshop, chances are you have a copy already. Fauxto is lovely to look at and it is a really nice example of Flash in action, but I’m not sure who their target market is.

Picture2life is an Ajax based photo editor. It’s focused on grabbing and editing images that are already online. The tool selection is average, and the user interface is poor. There are some bugs on the site. Photos can be transferred to Flickr, 23 and Imageshack after editing.

Preloadr is a Flickr-specific tool that uses the Flickr API, even for account sign-in. The service includes basic cropping, sharpening, color correction and other tools to enhance images. The fact that Preloadr is designed specifically to work with Flickr may not be an advantage - some of the other services are just as good or better and also offer Flickr integration.

PXN8 is the best of the Ajax based editors (and the best overall until Picnik launched) and has a great user interface with the main features highlighted on large icons. The basic “enhance” feature does a very good job of fixing the obvious problems with pictures. Edited photos can be transferred to Flickr or Webshots’ AllYouCanUpload service.

Snipshot, previously called Pixoh, is another very-good Ajax-based editing tool that stands out because of its above average design and the fact that they have an API into their service. We prefer the features and UI of PXN8, but just barely.

This is a premier online photo editor with a stylish and attractive interface and thousands of one-click effects and photo editing options. This site features fun and easy options such as cool and funky frames for images, all the way to more advanced editing such as hue and brightness adjustments. The thing that truly makes this site standout is the integration with sites where it's popular to share images, from Blogger and Facebook to Windows Live Spaces. With the site's ProfilR editing tool, you can create profile pictures in one click for 30 different social networking sites. This online photo editor is just plain cool.

The site looks a little retro, and it definitely won't win too many design awards. But Phixr gets bonus points for its simplicity of use. Uploading a picture is easy, and the photo editing interface is ideal even for beginners. You can mouse over each photo editing icon on the left for explanations like, "Convert this photo to sepia-tone, making it look old." The cool extra is the ability to click a button below your edited photo to automatically upload it to your account at a variety of sites like Flickr, Webshots and Livejournal.

GOAT

There are no fancy bells and whistles and you won't get dazzled by the web site's design. Sometimes simplicity is best if all you just want a quickie way to resize a picture right in your browser. You simply browse to find your image, choose a percentage of its current size or a pixel length, get an option to convert it to black and white, and submit. Your resized image appears at the bottom of the page for you to right-click and save. If all you need to do is resize (and that is such a common task with digital images), this is the ideal site to do it quickly and easily.