Image Spark

I thought I'd tell you about a fantastic website called Image Spark.  I have been using it for several months and I find it an invaluable tool when I'm creating.  It's basically an image library which allows you to upload and store thousands of images, as you find them, in one place.  Creating an account with Image Spark is currently free and each account gives you 1GB of space plus two mood boards.

Image Spark homepage.

The mood board feature is my favourite - in fact it's how I found Image Spark in the first place.  I was hunting high and low all over the internet for any sort of software or website that resembled some kind of virtual, interactive pinboard.  I wanted somewhere I could stick images, make notes and bring together ideas and inspiration thus eliminating the need to print, saving paper and ink in the process.













My mood board which became my inspiration for the Sirona Gown.  The speech bubble notes are not a feature of Image Spark, they are 'Float Notes' - a Firefox addon.

You can tag images as you go, these are from my 'ethereal' album.

Good things:

• It's simple and sleek, ideal for use by designers and creative individuals.
• It's free!!!!!!!
• 1 GB upload space for images -  I currently have just over one hundred images which is only using 1% of that allowance so there is plenty of space for an archive of thousands of images
• You can keep your image library private - this was a big bonus for me, my own little space to play around in.

Not so good things:

•  It works best through Firefox, which, if it's not your current browser of choice could be a nuisance.
• Currently allows only two mood boards - however Image Spark is still a work in progress and that might change in the future.

It's such a handy tool and if you love hoarding beautiful images as much as I do then you will love it too!