PicMonkey LLC
Type of businessPrivate
Type of site
Image editing service
Available inEnglish
Founded2012 in Seattle, Washington
HeadquartersSeattle, Washington,
United States
Key peopleFrits Habermann CEO[1]
Jonathan Sposato
Brian Terry
Justin Huff
Charlie Whiton
Lisa Conquergood
IndustryInternet, computer software
URLwww.picmonkey.com
AdvertisingYes
RegistrationYes
LaunchedMarch 1, 2012 (2012-03-01)
Current statusActive

PicMonkey is an online photo editing and design service that can be accessed from a web browser, or through a mobile app. The company behind the service is headquartered in downtown Seattle, Washington.

Features

PicMonkey offers graphic design and photo editing tools, as well as design templates for wedding invitations, announcements, thank you cards, business cards, etc. While free users can access most of the tools and features on the site, a membership is needed for the full design and photo editing workflow, which includes saving, sharing to social accounts like Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, and Twitter, and access to PicMonkey's integrated cloud storage option. PicMonkey has been redeveloped and its old version can no longer be accessed due to Adobe Flash sunsetting.[2]

As of 2023, on the PicMonkey website and mobile app, the key features are: Photo editor, Design tools, Touch up, Facebook design, Instagram design, Youtube design, Templates, Graphics, and Branding. These added features to photos and graphic designs can easily be downloaded and shared/exported out to others.[3]

PicMonkey has an open API for developers to integrate its tools directly into a website. Some current API partners include Facebook,[4] Ipernity,[5] and SmugMug.[6] PicMonkey's affiliate partner is ShareaSale.

History

PicMonkey was founded by former Picnik employees Brian Terry, Justin Huff, Charlie Whiton, and Lisa Conquergood, with financial support from former Picnik CEO Jonathan Sposato.[7] Picnik was a popular online photo editor that had been acquired by Google in 2010, but was shut down in January 2012.[8] Terry, Huff, Sposato and others saw this as an opportunity to create a new company, PicMonkey, which was founded in April 2012[7] with the stated aim of creating a “fast and lightweight” photo editing experience.[9]

PicMonkey was recognized as a Top 100 Website in 2013 by PC Magazine,[10] listed as hosting one of the Best April Fools’ Pranks of 2014 by TIME Magazine,[11] and recognized as one of the most affordable online services for startups.[12]

By February 2014, PicMonkey had become profitable, and had grown to over 13 million unique monthly users.[13] In July 2015, the company received a $41 million investment from the growth equity firm Spectrum Equity.[14]

On September 2, 2015, Frits Habermann joined PicMonkey as Chief Technology Officer. Habermann had formerly worked as vice president of core technologies at Adobe, and as the CTO of PopCap Games.[15] In 2017, Habermann was appointed as the new PicMonkey CEO. Former CEO Jonathan Sposato continued on the PicMonkey board of directors as the chairman.

In 2018, PicMonkey did away with the Adobe Flash Player plug-in for web browsers.[16] In 2019, the service launched a collaborative image editing feature.[17] In 2020, PicMonkey began supporting video editing.[18]

On September 7, 2021, PicMonkey was acquired by Shutterstock in a $110M cash deal.[19] This has resulted in the stock photo options, which was originally provided by PicMonkey, now being shifted and provided by Shuttershock.[20]

References

  1. ↑ "Tech Moves: REI CIO named CTO at Lululemon; PicMonkey CEO hands reins to new leader; and more". GeekWire. 15 May 2017.
  2. ↑ "Guide to Switching from Old to New PicMonkey". PicMonkey. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  3. ↑ "Create with PicMonkey's easy yet powerful photo editing and graphic design software". PicMonkey. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  4. ↑ "PicMonkey Facebook App"
  5. ↑ "Touch up your photos with PicMonkey / Retouchez vos photos avec PicMonkey". ipernity. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
  6. ↑ "Eye-Gasmic Photo Editing with PicMonkey" 20 April 2012
  7. 1 2 "From Picnik to PicMonkey: How these entrepreneurs rebuilt one of Seattle's hottest startups". GeekWire. 2014-02-20. Retrieved 2017-08-16.
  8. ↑ "The Picnik is over: Google plans to shutter popular photo editing service, other products". GeekWire. 2012-01-20. Retrieved 2017-08-16.
  9. ↑ "With Picnik set to shut down, former Picnik engineers scratch itch with PicMonkey". GeekWire. 2012-04-17. Retrieved 2017-08-16.
  10. ↑ "The Top 100 Websites of 2013" PC Magazine 2 January 2014.
  11. ↑ "The Best April Fools' Pranks of 2014" TIME Magazine 1 April 2014.
  12. ↑ "Affordable online services for startups" 1 April 2014.
  13. ↑ "From Picnik to PicMonkey: How these entrepreneurs rebuilt one of Seattle's hottest startups". GeekWire. 2014-02-20. Retrieved 2017-08-22.
  14. ↑ "Photo editing startup PicMonkey lands $41M from Bay Area-based Spectrum Equity". GeekWire. 2015-07-30. Retrieved 2017-08-22.
  15. ↑ "PicMonkey appoints Adobe InDesign co-founder as VP and chief technical officer". GeekWire. 2015-09-17. Retrieved 2017-08-22.
  16. ↑ "Online photo editor dumps Flash, makes the leap to web tech". cnet.com. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  17. ↑ "PicMonkey Launches Real-Time Collaboration Features, Empowers People to Create Together". businesswire.com. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  18. ↑ "10 Best GIF Editors & Makers to Edit Animated GIFs and Images". founderjar.com. Retrieved 2021-07-22.
  19. ↑ "Shutterstock pays $110M to acquire PicMonkey, a photo editing and graphic design software maker". GeekWire. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  20. ↑ Soper, Taylor (2021-09-08). "Shutterstock pays $110M to acquire PicMonkey, a photo editing and graphic design software maker". GeekWire. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
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