Having an office job is tough. There are lots of documents flying in from different channels, plenty of deadlines and not enough time to do everything with good results. Task management is key and so is the reduction of wasted time.
So where do we waste time?
One of the most time intensive things in work is choosing the right set of tools and preparing your actual toolkit. Each profession has its own workflow, and each person’s workflow has a thousand variations. It’s up to each one of us to do the research and find what works and that can sometimes take hours.
The other big time wasting activity revolves around those small and boring tasks that are much better off automated. Here we’re specifically talking about editing or making changes to existing content. Picking the right tools for the job could potentially save you hours so it shouldn’t come down to a coin-flip.
To save you the hustle, we tracked down some of the best and split them into 4 categories — image, code, video, and PDF editing. Each category has a tool that is a perfect match and does a great job at supporting your regular work.
Code Editing
One of the most reputable code editing tools for developers is the cross-platform Sublime Text. It is a fan favorite when it comes to usefulness and efficiency. The tool is packed with powerful features, plug-ins, add-ons and commands. Once you start using it, you will quickly notice the slick, user-friendly interface and the, almost unmatched, performance speed.
It supports multiple documents, so you can work on different projects at once, without any lack or delay. You can quickly switch between projects and documents, select entire lines to create changes, customize shortcuts and just generally manipulate files better than ever.
If you are lacking focus then its Distraction Free Mode is a perfect thing to help you out. It will present a full-screen on your desktop, only with your text window in the center. You can spot any elements, tabs or panels and figure out your next moves.
Sublime Text is available for Windows, Mac and Linux. You can try the software for free, and use it for some time, but a full license will cost you $70. If you ask the majority of developers, I think they’d say it’s worth it.
Video Editing
AVS Video Editor is one of the first choices for people who have little to no experience in video editing or video production as it simple to use.
The software offers various features such as cutting, splitting, merging or rotating your videos. It has lots of integrated visual effects so making your final product stand out will be pretty easy. You can choose from around 300 video effects and transitions. Coupled with the possibility to insert your own audio, text comments or subtitles, this video editor has got you covered all the way.
It supports all important (input and output) video formats such as AVI, MP4, DVD, WMV, VOB, MOV and others. One neat feature is the ability to share your videos directly on social media networks, including Facebook, Twitter and Google+.
With AVS you can also create visually stunning presentations: capture moments and turn them into slides, complete with images, background music and voice overs.
Even though it’s not particularly famous tool it truly does a great job, which comes with a price. The license starts from $39 for 1 year period and goes up to $59 for a lifetime, unlimited access subscription.
Image Editing
Let’s face it, Photoshop is really expensive. However, we found a free, online alternative which does a pretty decent job as well.
User-friendly and easily accessible, Fotor is an online photo editing tool for everyone. With features as “collage” and “edit”, it is a perfect photo editing solution, already used by millions.
To put it simply, Fotor is an app that lets you edit existing pics, make a collage or design something new. Each feature has its own interface, fully equipped with features such as crop, resize, rotate and similar. Besides this, it has many other unique styles and features available. But the thing that makes it really special is the sheer amount of different filters that can make any photo attractive and special.
You can make basic edits to any image pretty quickly and then export it to JPG and PNG formats, with fully controllable image quality along the way.
With all these features, Fotor is a true work savior for those times when you need to edit an image but you just don’t feel like busting out $600 for professional image editing software.
PDF Editing
If you need to edit your PDF and you have no time to convert it to an editable format, there is a quick fix in the form of PDF editing software. With Able2Extract 10 PDF editing tool, you will be able to make fast changes to your PDF content in no time.
Using Able2Extract you can add and remove text lines, or whole text blocks, customize PDF content and change the entire visual look of your document. Split, merge and extract an individual or all pages and combine multiple PDFs into one large document. All this in seconds.
Besides PDF editing, Able2Extract can create a secure PDF from any file and even convert PDF documents to more than 12 editable formats such as Word, Excel, CSV, AutoCAD, and much more.
The software is available as a 7-day free trial. After that, the pricing starts from $99.95 for the standard, single-user license, and $129.95 for the professional version. Able2Extract is available for Windows, Mac OS and Linux users.
Conclusion
So, there you have it.
These tools will increase your work productivity when you need to make any fast text, image or video edits. Now you are safe, knowing that you have a reliable tool upon your sleeve and ready to step-in when needed.
What do you think? Did we miss any important tool that you are using? Let us know about your favorite productivity tools in the comments!
