Aviary - Online Tools for Creatives
Monday, March 17th, 2008If there’s one thing I can’t stand about using someone else’s computer, it’s that I never know how the mouse (or trackpad) is going to respond to my touch. I don’t know what the settings are or if an eighth of an inch moves the cursor to New Brunswick; call it a pet peeve.
The other thing that irks me is that I never know what software other people have on their computers. I live in creative applications, but not everyone has Adobe’s Master Collection, neither do I always have my computer with me (a 17″ MacBook Pro doesn’t always travel well).
Enter Aviary.
Aviary is a suite of creative applications that live online, allowing you to create content from whatever machine you happen to be on. Flash-based, the tools load relatively quickly and appear fairly intuitive. Aviary is in beta right now, so not all of the applications are available. In fact, only two are currently active: Phoenix (the image editor), and Peacock (the pattern generator). In the works are such tools as a 3D Modeler (Hummingbird), an audio editor (Myna), even a video editor (Starling).
I played around with Phoenix, and although it’s slightly clumsy and has limited features, I would certainly prefer it over MS Paint or even the GIMP. I’m looking forward to seeing what the folks over at Worth1000 will do with this suite of apps. The apps are free, and they are still giving out beta invites, so check it out! 
http://a.viary.com