Hi, first post here.

Does anyone know of any free, easy-to-use software that can be used for enhancing pictures, with filters... etc
Specifically, I'm looking for something with filters to improve skin blemishes, whiten teeth, increase the depth of field, add lightening to make pics appear like they have been taken at sunrise/sunset... etc
The more functions and filters, and the easier to apply they are, the better.

I am aware of GIMP (but I am really bad at using it for anything other than the most basic functions).
I have also used pho.to (can't post the link here), which is great, but a bit limited.

Any suggestions?

Plain Rob

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My blog: http://www.plainrob.com

Photoshop, there's a free/limited version I think.

Instagram is on trend right now for photo stuff.

At the end of the day though, why do this? If you ever meet her do you really want her first thought to be "This guy looks so much worse in real life"?

I have to agree that doing a lot of the things you are talking about could have the reverse effect... if you Photoshop too much you will give a false impression of who you are. Never lie about your physical appearance on your dating profile -- if you are 5'11", chances are you are really 5'9"so go with that. Better to set low expectations and deliver more.

I digress:

The BEST, EASIEST, and MOST EFFECTIVE thing you could do for your online profile pictures is so simple.... all you need to do is wear a red shirt or stand in front of a red background. With that alone your profile views will go up 20-40%.

Second, rotate pictures often. Third, change your "headline" often. Fourth, change your profile description being vague but verbose every couple months. Fifth, change your username a couple times a year -- Match offers this and so does OKCupid if you pay.

Simply put up a pic where you're with women - preferably having fun / laughing.

Pre Selection ~

I'm going to disagree with you guys, because it's a simple 'foot in the door' technique:
Girls tend to discriminate heavily on the sole basis of your profile pictures. It's the first thing they look at, and they will often not look at the rest of your profile if they do not like what they see.
OkCupid provide their metrics on their blog, and the evidence is overwhelming: better quality pictures attract more answers.

Once you get a girl to invest in you though, by replying to your messages, the dynamics of the interaction change. And the more she invests, the less important your looks become.

I like the red shirt idea though... do you have any concrete evidence for the statistics you provide?

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My blog: http://www.plainrob.com

The site doesn't let me post links yet... so you have to unchop this by removing the spaces... but there has been a lot of studies done on this topic... here is just one related article... I had INCREDIBLE success when I changed my profile pic to one where I am wearing red.

http:// news. discovery. com/human/women-are-more-attracted-to-men-wearing-red.html