Having the ability to take a good photo is one thing, being able to present it in an interesting way is a whole other thing, especially when you have lots of pictures that you want to display. This is where Mixel for iPhone comes in.
If you recognise the name then you may have used Mixel when it was available as a social collaging app on the iPad. However, as that app died, this app has cropped up and is already flying high in the App Store charts.
The social aspect of Mixel is still there, in fact you can’t even create a collage without first signing in either with your Facebook or Twitter account, if you don’t have either of those then you can stop right here!
Once you have signed in you can select to follow or invite your friends and choose other users to users to follow too. This provides an Instagram style photo stream of Mixels that the people that you follow have created. This adds additional functionality to your Mixels as you can add to your friends Mixels.
The first thing you’ll want to do is create your own Mixel, this is easy to do, click the large plus in the middle of the task bar and you’ll be ready to start getting creative. Your first job is to select some pictures. If you’ve linked your Facebook and Instagram accounts you’ll be able to select pictures that you’ve posted to both of them as well as from your camera roll and photo stream if you have one.
Once you’ve selected your pictures they will be automatically imported into a collage and at that point you may decide that you are finished. However, if you want to you can start tweaking the design by shuffling the placement, zooming and moving the individual pictures.
You can also choose between 6 different styles. These styles controls the borders and and overall theme of the collection and can add a whole new perspective to your work. The results can be pretty impressive too regardless of whether you decide to just go with the default selections or micro-manage each individual picture.
Completing your Mixel will post it to your Mixel timeline so that your followers can view your creativity, once there you can choose to share it via Twitter, Instagram, Facebook as well as your Photo Stream.
Mixel’s from people that you follow can be expanded on. If you all go to the same event or place, or just a shared theme of pictures you can extend someone else Mixel by adding to the existing one. This is especially fun if you have a bunch of friends all using Mixel.
For style and ease of use Mixel rates highly as do the results. The reliance on social media integration and the fact that you have to post your work to your Mixel timeline to complete your work seems a little over the top.
That being said if you don’t mind the social media integration then Mixel for iPhone is a great way to add a new perspective to your pictures and is Free.
[rating: 3.5/5]
The iPad was introduced by Apple as not only a consumption device but also a creation device and there are many apps that certainly provide that functionality. However none do it with quite the ease and impressive results that Echograph for iPad achieves.
Echograph is part photograph, part video and it gives you the ability to manually control which part of the image is still and which stays in motion by simply touching the screen with your finger.
Each new project starts with a video, you can capture this using the iPad camera or use one that is already on your camera roll, this means that while Echograph is not a universal app you can still use movies captured on your iPhone by transferring it to your iPad.
After grabbing your video you are limited to using a maximum 4 second snippet and so your next task is to confirm which 4 second section you wish to use. Again this is very easy and is completed using 2 slider controls along the bottom of the screen.
Next up you need to select a still image from the video that will act as the canvas for your creation, again this is easily completed by using the slider control.
Finally you are ready to animate the areas of the picture you wish to have motion. This is down by simply rubbing your finger across the screen to bring that portion of the image to life. You can control the size of your brush by pinch the screen so that you can be as accurate or as broad as you like.
The image that you are working with will dictate how much brushing you’ll need to do but with the brush size control it’s never going to take too long. However having multiple brush shapes or the ability to draw and cut sections out of the image would provide greater accuracy.
The resulting image then has to be produced and you can do this either in high or low definition depending on the quality of the results you require. You can then share your results via Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr, or submit it to Echograph, (registration is required).
You can view both your results, and those picked by the Echograph staff and some pretty impressive results can be seen here to enjoy and inspire.
At $3.99 it’s not the cheapest photography app in the App Store but with impressive results it’s certainly worth it if you enjoy getting creative with your photography and animation.
[rating: 4/5]What we like
What to know
When Facebook purchased Instagram for $1 billion recently the questions were about why and how much and it was easily argued that it was about the user base rather than the technology.
That’s not to say that Instagram isn’t a great app, it is, but there are better apps out there and Wood Camera for iPhone is certainly one of them, do read on though and I’ll tell you why.
Lenses are one of the main things users of camera apps like to use and Wood Camera has 23 of these, they’re your standard lenses but something that is unique about them is the ability to take pictures with the filter enabled. This can save you a lot of time if you have a lot of pictures that you want to take and add lens effects too.
Applying filters is just one of many adjustments that you can make to your pictures with 17 different textures, 12 frames and my favorite features of the vignettes which enables you to highlight specific areas of the photographs.
All of these features come with the ability to apply how big the effect is via a slider which puts you in control of how your photographs looks. Applying all of these features is easy to do with all the options available along the bottom of the screen.
You can also easily take a quick full screen view of your creation via a switch at the top of the screen and from a technical perspective Wood Camera will import your iPhone 4S pictures at the full 8 mega-pixel resolution to ensure that your pictures can look as best as possible.
Of course it’s no good creating this these pieces of art if you can’t share them with the world and there are no shortage of options there either. All of the major social networks are there from Twitter and Facebook to Flickr and even Instagram as well as to your camera roll or via email.
One final nice option is the ability to have Wood Camera launch to the photo taking screen meaning that it can be a true replacement to the stock camera application.
So if you are one of those people who wasn’t happy when Instagram were brought by Facebook or are just looking for a great camera / picture editing app then Wood Camera for iPhone could be just the app for you and is available for $1.99 from Apple’s App Store.
[rating: 5/5]What we like
What to know
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DerManDar Panorama Review: I’m a big fan of panoramic photographs, there is something so engaging in the results that they can provide, especially with outdoor views of beautiful scenery. This has always been available via third party apps, or now via unlocking of the hidden panorama feature in iOS 5, and now there is a new app to the party in the form of DerManDar Panorama {$1.99}.
The DerManDar Panorama app is a partner application of of the DerManDar website and the app allows to both take panoramic photo’s and enables you to directly upload your results to the DerManDar website or view the pictures that others have uploaded.
The great thing about this app though is how simple it is to take panoramic photographs. Launching the app takes you directly into picture mode so it’s quick to take pictures. From there it instructs you to hold your device vertically and when you have done that the start button becomes available.
From that point on it’s a simple task of rotating your phone to bring the two onscreen markers together, each time that they do a new picture will be taken and this is repeated until you’ve completed a complete 360 or you click the finish button.
Once you’ve finished the process the pictures are instantly converted to a panoramic photo and if you’ve completed a full 360 set of pictures they will be stitched together to produce a picture that you can spin around in both directions.
The onscreen marker does a great job of showing you your progress and whether you are still holding the phone at the right angle and both of these factors are key in producing great panoramic shots.
Once the picture has been taken you can either choose to save to your device or discard it and start again. Any picture that you save to your device can then be shared via Facebook, Twitter, Email and to your Picture Roll. The best results though are if you upload the picture to the DerManDer website which will allow you to share it with the world and provide a full 360 rotation of the picture.
Not only is this app a lot of fun and produce great results but it would be great for real estate agents who would be able to provide great 360 degree shots of the rooms in a house.
DerManDar Panorama is available in the App Store now for $1.99 and comes highly recommended for everyone with an iPhone.
What we like:
What to know:
ICanSeeThem – change your friends into Monsters Review: As far as photo apps go I Can See Them {Free} for iPhone is pretty good especially at this time of year where Halloween is just around the corner and people start to think spooky thoughts on how they can scare themselves and the friends.
Well, ICST (iCanSeeThem) does just that while keeping you and your friends front and center as it converts photographs of people into spooky, gross and stomach churning movie posters focussing on the horror genre.
There are four factors that can effect the end result of you picture, 6 masks, 12 colors, 7 effects and 6 frames meaning that the is a potential of over 2,500 creepy combinations and you can either use an existing picture from your photo stream or take a brand new picture with the inbuilt camera. Unfortunately however there is no front facing camera option so taking a picture of yourself in the app is not easy.
Applying the effects is easy to do, whether that be by selecting each effect individually or by tapping through the randomized options the images come thick and fast in their haunting glory.
Some of the effects are better than others but they are always accurately placed across the face especially if the phone is clear and the face is facing forward as instructed by the application.
iCanSeeThem may not have that much life after Halloween but while we’re here it’s pretty good fun.
What we like:
What to know:
Shuttervox Review: The app allows you to take pictures without having to touch of any the camera controls. Instead it will listen to your voice command and take the picture when you say. Perfect for when you need both hands to steady your device.
Shuttervox is set up so that when you say the word ‘Cheese’ it will take the picture. To set it up at first all you need to do is tap the little headphones in the centre of the screen. When you do this it then tells you it is loading the speech engine ready and a red button will show. When this button goes green and it says ‘Listening for keyword’ you are ready to take the pictures.
You postion your device ready for taking the photo and simple say ‘cheese’ when you are ready to take the shot. Shuttervox then listens for the command, if it hears a word but doesn’t recognize it will tell you and listen out for the word again.
When the app finally recognizes your keyword it will then take the picture. Once that happens you can add a title and then share either via Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, send via email or just copy to the camera roll. Then you just start the process again with your next picture.
I found that the app didn’t recognize the keyword a lot of the time. Whether this is down to the tone of your voice I am not sure. I had to make sure I said the word in a certain way before it would take the picture and even then I had to say it four or five times before it did. If this happened when I was out and about in public, I may start to feel a little frustrated!
There are currently two versions available. The lite version just has the one keyword available and the paid version lets you have up to four different keywords. Which is handy if you really don’t like shouting ‘cheese’ out all the time!
Pros
Cons
Photogram brought to you by TimesLines Inc. lets you send photos from your iPhone via email, Twitter or Facebook with a unique twist. Send a selection of photos, add a theme, type a message and send it!
Gone are the days of needing to send a postcard to show your family and friends how much fun you are having during holidays. Sending the Photogram is easy. Once you have taken your pictures you can add up to four in each Photogram. Add them from your library or take a picture within the app. Next choose a theme to go with your photos. You can have a simple background with just one colour but if you really want to spice your Photogram up you can choose a theme with pictures and something related to your photos. For example, there are baby themes for boys and girls, birthday themes, themes for picnics and many other events you might encounter.
Once you are happy with your photos and the theme you have chosen you can start writing your message to the recipient. If you want to see how the theme is going to look – click on preview and it will show you what it looks like. Then add the email address, Facebook or Twitter details and you are ready to go! Tap send and your family or friend will receive your lovely Photogram.
The photos can be moved and cropped. So you can take the picture and then decide which part of it you want to use. There many themes to choose from and all are designed by independent artists. A good selection are available free within the app but you can also buy more should you wish via an in-app purchase.
You can also set up groups of selected friends and family so that the next time you are ready to send a Photogram it is simple and very easy to do rather than each time adding them one by one.
Photogram is perfect for adding a personal touch to your photos you want to share with your friends. With the easy to use interface it is ideal for any age to use.
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Since the launch of the the photo sharing iPhone app Instagram there seems to have been a huge growth in photography apps. With so many options available it’s really easy to edit a photo, add a filter and make it look beautiful and professional. With this in mind here are some of the best photography and video apps I personally use and ones that I feel are worth having on your iPhone.
Camera+ I thought I would start with this one as this is one app that most people have. Camera+ lets you create a picture that can look truly beautiful. You can adjust the focus and exposure, use the flashlight, set a timer, crop the image and set a scene mode like in a real digital camera. If you need help to line up your shot there is also a grid to guide you. There is a huge range of effects and filters to enhance your picture. After you have finished up you can add borders and save or share to Twitter and Facebook. There is even an undo button if you delete a picture before you saved it and want to get it back.
Dynamic Light This photography app is one that you won’t use all the time but when you do it creates some great effects. It takes your picture and gives it a realistic HDR look. The best kind of photos to use with this app are ones with lots of sky and big clouds. The app then adds loads of texture and colour to it and transforms it into an amazing picture. You can also change the colour and tone from a selection available. It is all done by one dial on screen and you simple move it left or right depending how much of an effect you want to use.
Noir Photo This is a fairly new app and one I am still trying out on some of my pictures. The app turns your picture into a black and white image with light shining on a selected part of you photo. You can then add a hint of colour for example sepia, silver, blue-gray and use touch and pinch controls to adjust the brightness and exposure. Easy to use straight from the camera roll and saves with the tap of a button.
Diptic A great app for putting together multiple photos into one place. There are 19 layouts to choose from which are divided into sections of 2, 3 or 4. You choose the one you want to use and then simply tap to add an image. You can change the border colours and width and if you want to adjust the dimensions of these dividers there is an in-app purchase for that. Each photo can be indivdually edited. It can be rotated or you can zoom in or mirror it. Then there is the normal brightness, colour and contrast adjustments.
TiltShift Generator A great app for adding that miniature effect. It is also ideal if you want to blur out parts of the photo and draw attention to one part of it. It offers a radial or linear blur, vignetting control and you adjust the contrast and saturation. Very simple to upload photos or take within the app and you can then save to your camera roll.
Hipstamatic A fun app to give your pictures that plastic toy camera effect. This is an app with a great user interface and fun sounds to go with it. Choose different lenses, flashes and films each offering different effects. The app gives a very unique look to your pictures and can make an ordinary photograph look very professional.
Swankolab Another great app with an amazing UI and sound effects. This will take you back to the days of having a darkroom. Use chemicals and a formula book to alter your photos to a unique look. There is even a developing tray to watch them transform! There is no limit to the effects you can create with this app as you can choose which colour chemicals and effects you add or simply follow the formula book.
Adobe Photoshop Express One of the first photography apps I used for my photos and again is probably one app you will already have. Great for improving and editing your image. Choose from filters, different colours, borders and basics like crop and rotate. A great app to start you off if you are new to editing your photographs.
Iris Photo Suite A full photo suite of effects and filters. You have a choice of 27 filters ranging from cross-process, retro to split tone and blueprint. You are sure to find a filter you will want to use. Then there are 27 different textures to apply to your picture. Great for adding a unique look. Within the app there is also the option to layer to combine multiple captures.
Photoshake A fun app to play around with your images. This works in a similar way to the Diptic app. It is used to combine multiple photographs together. There are 6 themes, Single photo, mulitphoto, Instantphoto, Gridphoto, widephoto and wallpaper. You can take a photo within the app or from your camera roll. Tap all the ones you want to add, give it a little shake and it then adds them to the chosen grid. Then you can change the borders and colours and add text should you wish. You can also add balloon comments and stickers. Supports most social networks giving you the option to upload them and share with friends.
Picture Show Another app that uses the toy camera effects. This one is very flexible and you can mix and match each one. There are 45 styles and lots of frames to choose from. You can add light leaks to your picture and different noise effects. There is the basic cropping and rotating and changing of colour. There is also a lens kit to give your picture a single, quad, Vertical quad or multi-exposure. It is very easy to use and adjust and once you have a completed image simply save or share via your social network.
FX Photo Studio comes with lots of effects and filters to adjust your pictures. Filters like tiltshift, vintage, lomo,paint, blur and textures. There is the usual crop and rotate and you can add more than one effect to a picture. Each filter is sorted into set catergories for easy browsing. You can take within the app or use from your camera roll. It is very easy to use, once you have applied the filter you can adjust the edges and contrast to your desired range. There are lots of unusual filters within this app so it is definitely ideal if you want to have a picture with a different look.
Colour Splash – This app basically turns your picture into black and white. You then decide which chosen area of the photo you would like colour showing through and ‘paint’ the colour back. It draws the attention to a part of a photo and you can make some great photos with it. You use your finger as the brush to paint the colour back on. You can zoom in for delicate small areas so you don’t go over into another colour. It is all touch and zoom controls and easy to use.
Phototreats – Compared to others this app only offers a few filters and effects. I have kept it though because the ones it does have are not similar to the others. The filters give extra light and colour, even a snowy effect which I am sure you may have seen around christmas time. There are additional packs you can buy in-app and you can see what they look like before you make any purhase.
PocketBooth A fun app to use giving you the feel of using an old style photobooth. You can use either front or back facing camera and it offers several effects to add to the picture, black and white, sepia, antique and 1975. You can also use the flash if need be. It is also Airprint enabled and you can easily save to your camera roll. Just press the big button at the bottom and the app starts snapping the pictures one by one then you just wait for them to develop and appear.
Incredibooth This is very similar to Pocketbooth but just with a different user interface. Offers four different filters to adjust your picture. You can also share the pictures seperately or all in one strip. Again you just press the button and wait for the pictures to be taken. All the fun of a real photobooth!
Plastic Bullet Camera This is definitely not an app to be used very often. It gives an aquired random look and not one you would want to use all the time. Take a photo or upload from your camera roll. Then tap the adjust button and your image will appear several times with random effects added. You keep tapping until you find one you like. When you do you simply tap and save it. It can turn a plain and simple photo into an interesting and beautiful picture.
Pocket Labeler Once you have uploaded or taken a picture you can then add captions and design borders or a wallpaper. All the labels you type with text can be moved around your picture and scaled to the right size. There is a good choice of colours to match your designs. Great if you want to add sayings, jokes or just a birthday wish!
Labelbox – Another labelling app but this one again offers something a little different to the other one. Add your picture and then add a label from a range of colours and materials. Touch to move the text and fit it where ever you choose. There are 9 different styles to choose from and more if you wish to buy in-app. You can then save or share your image.
Happysnapper This is yet another app to have a little fun with. It enables you to add stickers to your photos and add text on them if you like. Not an app you would use all the time but worth having in your folder. Simply pick a sticker, write a message and pop it where you want. You can save to camera roll or share on your with your friends.
iDarkroom This is another app that offers great filters but also has some effects that others don’t offer. There are 20 filters to choose from with the option of using one of the eleven paper effects as well. There is a good range of light effects including the popular bokeh. Then it also offers noise, frames and vignette effects.
Photo Mess This is an app to create lots of photos on one screenshot but not in the same way the Diptic app does. You can scatter your photos where ever you want on screen and alter the size of it as well. You can adjust the borders and background colours. You can add as many pictures as you can fit into it. Great for showing all your pictures in one place.
HalfCamera Fun for doing the half frame camera effect. Take up to 12 pictures on a realistic film roll. Choose two that you like near each other and add them together. You can also create text inbetween them if you like. There are also 11 effects you can use to adjust your picture.
Lo Mob This app offers lo-fi adjustments to your picture. Simply take a picture and it will show you a huge range of filters and what your picture will look like with that effect. It offers 39 filters altogether and you can edit the colours, blur and vignetting. It also offers several frames that others don’t. Just some of the filters in the app are photocards, vintage 35mm slides,classic square vintage and old emulsions.
iMovie I think a lot of people will have this already but it is worth a mention. Great for editing your videos and adding music and text. Create amazing slideshows with your photos or do a mix of both. Great for any budding movie maker!
Silent Film Director This is a fun video editing app and one I have really enjoyed using. It helps you in creating silent movie clips. There are a range of styles to use, 20’s, 60’s, 70’s, Black & White, sepia and vintage. Then there are some fun sound tracks you can add or simply upload from your device. You can adjust the speed of the video to make it that little bit funnier and is one app that is sure to bring a few laughs.
iMajicam Another video editing app offering fun filters. There are 36 altogether. There is a mix ranging from magnify, water, kaleido, black and white, old film and sketch. All easy to use, just start your camera and you can see what it will look like. Quite a few of the filters can be adjusted as well.
8mm Vintage Camera An app to make your videos look old and retro. It uses different films and lenses and lets you choose from 25 different looks. Effects like light leaks, frames, scratches and great retro colours. There are 5 lenses and 5 films. You can have the sound on or do a silent movie it is up to you! Great for turning your clips into something a little different.
So there you have it, my huge iPhone photography app collection. Do you use any of these or have a personal favorite not listed? Let us know in the comments below.
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[rating: 4/5]
HalfCamera from B1VisualEffects brings back all the fun of the half frame camera. A camera that uses a film format at half the exposure and in the case of this app the format is 18×24.
Within the app [$.99, App Store] you can take pictures, add filters, text and frame your image. When all the tweaking is done you can then save to your camera roll or upload to Twitter and Facebook.
When first launching the app it is not very clear what you need to do and what button does what. So at first you need to have play around with it and figure each button out. The place where all the action happens is the DP Center. Here you can change and edit your images. To start with you can use a picture you have just taken or upload one from your camera roll. To do this simply tap on the blank space and the option pops up.
When you have your images in place if you want to add a filter tap the chosen image. It will then give you the option to add one. You are shown 11 filters to choose from and again you just tap the one you like and it changes your image straight away. The filters are a good assortment of tones and colours and there is bound to be one you are looking for. You can use these filters before or after taking a picture.
The two images you have are split with a gap inbetween them. In this gap you can add any text if you you want. When you are in the DP Center tap the Text editor at the top right hand side. You then have a selected area to type your chosen information. Once all that is done you can preview it to see if you are happy with it.
The camera adds the pictures you take to a film roll just like you would expect in the classic cameras. You can take any two of the pictures that are near each other and make them into a HalfCamera image. If you want to see all these pictures at once then choose the film binder option in the DP Center and it shows up on screen in the film roll style. So it looks just like the real thing!
When taking a photograph you look through a 18×24 viewfinder and you can use either the front or rear facing camera. There is also an option to have the flash on or off. The film roll fits 12 pictures in and everytime you take an image there is a counter that counts down so you know how many images you have available to take. The camera also has some good sound effects and gives you the sense that you are actually using a real classic camera.
What makes this photography app different than many of the others is the ability to link two photographs together. The filters and effects have been done many times before but this is not quite as common. There is so much you can do with it. There is the fun side where you could stick together two pictures like the developers have shown in their screen shots. With the head of one animal and the back end of another. Or you can do like I have in mine the same picture with different looks. It is a good app if you are wanting to combine two pictures together and also add a few words and effects with it.
Pros
Cons
$0.99
Category: Photography
Updated: May 03, 2011
Current Version: 1.1
1.1
Size: 10.7 MB
Language: English
Seller: B1VISUALEFFECTS Co.,Ltd
© B1Visualeffects
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 4.0 or later.
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If you enjoy taking panoramic photographs then Photosynth for iPhone and iPad 2 from Microsoft is a great app for you to checkout. It not only allows you to capture panoramas but also share them on Facebook, Photosynth.net, and Bing Maps.
The user interface is fairly simple. To create a new panorama you just take photos in proper sequence by moving your device up, down, left and right. The app features three capture modes which include Auto capture, Manual capture, and Can’t capture. Photosynth uses advanced image tracking to automatically capture new images as you move your device. Sometimes, the app will prompt you to take the photo manually if it can’t take the image automatically. Finally, if both methods fail you’ll get ‘can’t capture’ warning and in that case you just aim the device at the last image and then repeat the process.
Once you are happy with the shots you’ve taken just tap ‘done’ and then the app will stitch your photos together into a beautiful panorama that you just created on your iPhone. While testing the app we found that the final result didn’t always have perfect ‘stitches’ one could easily make out that the photos were not aligned perfectly. Obviously, the results will vary for each user as the more stable your hand is while taking the images the more perfectly aligned panorama you’ll get.
The app automatically stores the panoramas on your devices’ photo library and within the app itself. One of our first experiences with panorama on iPhone was with Pangea VR, which is a great utility to view interactive panoramas. With Photosynth now you can create your own 360° photos. The app is available for free from the App Store. Give it a try and let us know what you think.
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The camera app is nothing short of basic, it takes pictures, it takes movies but other than that you are limited with what you can do. That’s where Camera Genius comes in as it takes the basic functions of the iPhone’s camera and adds some of the bells and whistles that can help take you photography and movie making to another level.
A couple of the key features that leaped off the app for me were the timer and burst mode which as you would expect enable you to take a timed photograph or will take 3 pictures in quick succession for those times when the action is quicker than your finger!
It’s these “additional” features that make Camera Genius so easy to use and yet the standard features such as zoom, flash on/off and switching between front and back cameras are still right there on the screen so while you gain features you don’t lose any.
These extra features are all accessible at the bottom of the screen via a pop-up menu so can be easily accessed and hidden while taken pictures. There are also a plethora of settings for you to toggle on and off such as showing the time and location on the picture and sharing options which include Facebook, Picasa, Twitpic, Twitvid and Youtube built into the application.
If you want to take even better pictures there is also a decent sized manual with suggestions on how to take better pictures and ways to be inspired to take new pictures.
The app is currently on sale at just $0.99 and it’s a great addition to any iPhone to help you make the most out of your iPhone’s camera.
$0.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Photography
Updated: Jan 17, 2011
Current Version: 3.0.2
3.0.2
Size: 13.9 MB
Languages: English, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Romanian, Russian, Spanish
Seller: JEFF MCMORRIS
© CodeGoo 2009
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch (4th generation). Requires iOS 4.0 or later.
No doubt some of you will be taking your iPhone with you to the odd party this weekend. Whether it be New Years celebrations tonight, or after parties through the long weekend. And if you’re taking pictures in unfamiliar locations it might be handy to have an app or two for removing Red Eye or Graininess from shots.
We’re checking out Perfect Photo from MacPhun LLC to see if it might fit the billÉ Based on our experience with their Photo Studio app, that we reviewed here a little while ago, we know the UI will be nice and the filters good. So this should be a lock.
As I mentioned when I reviewed Photo Studio, iPhone photo apps are probably the most popular genre of apps. And I have to admit that since upgrading to an iPhone 4 as my day to day phone I am finding the much improved camera (over that in my long suffering iPhone 2G) is an essential tool in my daily life.
Quite often though the photos we take quickly to catch a moment in time are sometimes a bit grainy in low light situations, have some blurring, and even Red Eye now that the iPhone 4 sports a flash. It would only be polite if we tidy up our friend’s appearance before we splash them all over Twitter or Flickr direct from a bar or family gathering this holiday season!
Enter Perfect Photo 2.0 for the iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad.
The user interface and colour scheme of Perfect Photo matches that of Photo Studio, which is nice if you like a cohesive set of tools on your smart phone, and of course also makes learning to use it a doddle if you have already used an app which works in very much the same way.
Unlike Photo Studio, which is strongly geared towards augmenting your snaps with effects like sepia tone hues or X-ray fun, Perfect Photo uses the same app environment to post-process photos with filters more designed to repair or enhance the basic quality of the image you have managed to snap.
“Effects” in Perfect Photo include simple things like cropping, rotations and alignment. Also staple things like colour balance, brightness / contrast correction and exposure control. On top of those filters there are more complex functions you can use like those to reduce of increase shadows, Graininess, the sharpness of images. Finally you have a range of filters that allow you to “Spot Heal” areas of an image or remove things like “Red Eye”.
There’s not as many options on the filter list to choose from as there is in Photo Studio. But that is kind of the point. This app is about managing and post-processing images so that they are good photos, and not about turning your photos into arty or other worldly concept shots. So it’s a very different tool.
The user interface is smooth to respond, every option sliding a page one way or another to bring in more functionality. And on the most part it all flows and makes sense. There are even nicely presented help screens to guide you through import options and the like.
For some reason however, even on my iPhone 4, there was the occasional delay between pressing any button, and the interface responding. This made me double hit options, or hit the wrong options when I was incorrectly reacting to what I thought the interface would do, only to have it stutter. Why do I labour this point? Well, because in an app so polished it really stands out as a glaring flaw. But it’s not a deal breaker. Just surprising.
All the functionality you expect is there. You can redo and undo effects, and if you want to you can choose a random effect to apply to your image. Although I suspect the latter feature is there more because it’s part of this suite of apps interface framework. Because none of the effects are the kind I’d want to apply randomly to a picture – rather I’d employ them to correct something that is wrong with a photo I have taken – or to enhance something in the image I want to bring out.
All the effects are governed by a global set of parameters which describe the size of image you want to work on. So if you are just producing email thumbnails, or a cool avatar you can downsize larger images. But conversely you can also thrash away on full size HD images with complex effects, and the app makes it very clear that your iPhone or iPod is not a Cray Supercomputer, and some processing may take a while. It’s very clear when processing is going on, and even on high quality pictures I didn’t have a problem with the processing time at all. It’s fairly quick for a smartphone.
Ultimately you can send a processed image just about anywhere, by any service. You know the drill. And the app will walk you through it. You can also import images to the app via iTunes, or even take shots from within the app.
At $0.99 Perfect Photo 2.0 is a quality product, that the developers know will be popular, and have priced very reasonably. And they can afford to because it will sell in large numbers.
If you already have one of MacPhun’s photo apps then you know they do what they say on the box. And if you don’t then we can recommend them as being well worth the money, professionally produced and very complete. The developers also continually strive to improve their apps after release as is borne out by this being a v2.0 app already, and being significantly improved over the original.
If you are out and about snapping shots this weekend, or anytime in 2011 this is an app worth having on your iOS device.
$0.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Utilities
Updated: Nov 30, 2010
Current Version: 2.0.0
2.0.0 (iOS 4.0 Tested)
11.9 MB
Language: English
Seller: macphun.com, LLC
© 2009-2010 MacPhun LLC
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later
When one normally envisages photoshop style effects and the workflow associated with them it generally revolves around the entire image, or a selection we have made with a simple rectangle or “lasso” tool.
TouchUp for iPad lets us use our fingers to paint effects on, or off of our images and photos, as well as layer further effects over one another. So how did we find the concept in every day use?
TouchUp is a well presented app. The people at RogueSheep have a relatively short history in apps. But then so do most software houses. In that time they have managed to put out apps of a definitive quality. TouchUp for iPad is no exception. RogueSheep have also won few awards. So we should be in good hands.
The main desktop of the app is rather hokey for my tastes, but works well. You can tap little photos of effects areas, or work areas, or your gallery to manipulate your workflow and import and export images.
The workspace when editing an image is clean and tidy, and best of all makes sense.
When you are done editing there are all the usual options for Twitter, Facebook or email to share your work. You can also import images from flikr to work on initially, as well as from your own photo library.
One of the things I really like about the app is that you can very easily recreate those trendy black and white shots with key objects colorized. In one of their tutorial videos on their web site RogueSheep illustrate this by painting color back into a street shot that has been made black and white, so that the traffic lights end up being the only coloured object in the picture.
But your creativity can go much further than that. Base effects included in TouchUp are as follows : Black and White, Sepia, Blur, Contrast, Brightness, Temperature, Saturation, Tint, Hue Shift, Color Paint Brush, Tint Paint Brush. And as I’ve already said you can layer and combine those.
It needn’t end there either, as Rogue Sheep offer more effects online as downloadable options. For cash, of course! But some of those are quite nifty. Like Dodge and Burn for $1.99.
How you combine and use those effects is up to you. And at any point you can go back and forth between the various layers of effects you have painted on your image, and tweak settings.
All the menus are easy to understand iPad OS popups that allow you to scroll though options, expand settings areas and twiddle widgets to get just the hue, brightness or strength you want to give an effect.
One niggle I had was that there are no controls for cropping or rotating your images. So you may need to use another app to get your photo prepared for TouchUp. By version 4.0, which is where TouchUp for iPad is right now, I would have expected that option to be in there. Perhaps in version 5.0?
Right now TouchUp is $2.99. And at that price I’d say it is money well spent.
$2.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Photography
Updated: Oct 30, 2010
Current Version: 4
4
24.3 MB
Language: English
Seller: RogueSheep
© 2010 RogueSheep Incorporated
Rated 4+
Requirements:Compatible with iPad. Requires iOS 3.2 or later
iPhone photo apps are probably the most popular genre of apps, if my social circle on Twitter is anything to go by. And I have to admit that since upgrading to an iPhone 4 as my day to day phone I am finding the much improved camera (over that in my long suffering iPhone 2G) is an essential tool in my daily life. I can actually take photos of documents (which people can read), and small intricate things I want to email to someone quickly for an opinion. But I can also take some rather nice HDR photos of moments in everyday life I come across, confident in the knowledge that the iPhone’s camera will almost always capture the detail I want.
But the photos I take, overall, are still a little bit flat. I don’t have a snap on lens with filters for my iPhone 4, although I know a girl who does. And often times it’s not so easy, when capturing quick shots of things that take your fancy, to get the lighting right, or catch the mood you wanted. So what we need is some post processing…
Enter FX Photo Studio 3.0 for the iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad…
FX Photo Studio 3.0 (which is a bit of a mouthful so I’ll just call it Photo Studio from now on) has been around for a while, and has been updated frequently. It boasts the “most high quality photo effects and filters on the App Store”. I don’t dispute it! And the app is certainly well put together.
Here is some of their own blurb about the kind of effects in the app..
FX Photo Studio 3.0 features three new categories: Groovy Lo-Fi (with effects simulating analog photos from 70s, 80s, and 90s), Grunge (such effects as Grunge Rays, Stencil Graffiti, etc.), SFX (such effects as X-ray and Night Vision Cam); old categories have also been updated with new effects. Three more categories – Color Lenses, Color Strokes, and Hollywood FX – are available as in-aps and include 33 more effects, raising a total amount to 204 high quality effects and filters.
There’s a lot to choose from, and even the downloadable content, which they don’t bug you about in the app (unless you ask) looks good too. These guys have been doing this for a while, relatively, and it shows.
The splash screen is really pretty, and I loved the little reflection of a view from the front camera on my iPhone 4, in a lens in the centre of a flower of multi-colour petals. I could have played with that for a while, all by itself, if I didn’t have to check the rest of the app out!
The user interface is smooth to respond, every option sliding a page one way or another to bring in more functionality. And on the most part it all flows and makes sense. For some reason, even on my iPhone 4, there was the occasional delay between pressing any button, and the interface responding. This made me double hit options, or hit the wrong options when I was incorrectly reacting to what I thought the interface would do, only to have it stutter. Why do I labour this point? Well, because in an app so polished it really stands out as a glaring flaw. But it’s not a deal breaker. Just surprising.
The choice of colour, style of the informational popups, and scrolling of menus of filters and effects are all superb. Taking a photo, or pulling one in from your photo library is seamless and easy to do. And the whole time with the constant theme throughout, even down to camera control options, you feel like you are in a stylish, cohesive pro app. And that helps make you feel creative. I found the entire experience in this app more fulfilling (and less frustrating) than in Apple’s own iMovie for iPhone, to give you some comparison.
Choosing effects is made easy with lots of options. You can just roll a dice, almost literally, by hitting a dice button to pass your image through a random filter. Or you can scroll through a very smooth and responsive (I knew they could do it – so why not elsewhere in the app?) illustrated column of effects, with a brief description and a sample image for each. Or you can step through each effect one by one. It is also possible to layer effects, so once you’ve processed an image, you can overlay another effect, and another, and so on.
I didn’t find any undo options. But this is not a huge issue, as you are working on an independent copy from your original image. But undoing the last effect would be a nice feature, even though I acknowledge you also have previews to make decisions based on.
Some effects relay on your image being a certain orientation, and the tools are there to manipulate that too. Although when a picture is landscape, and when it is not is not clear in iOS, or this app. But that is not Photo Studios fault! And you soon figure it out. Do any of you guys or girls out there find yourself fighting with auto-rotate on images, when going between landscape and portrait on the device? Or is it just me?
You can also crop and resize images, and so forth.
All the effects are governed by a global set of parameters which describe the size of image you want to work on. So if you are just producing email thumbnails, or a cool avatar you can downsize larger images. But conversely you can also thrash away on full size HD images with complex effects, and the app makes it very clear that your iPhone or iPod is not a Cray Supercomputer, and some processing may take a while. It’s very clear when processing is going on, and even on high quality pictures I didn’t have a problem with the processing time at all. It’s fairly quick for a smartphone.
The range of effects is diverse, and they are all of good quality. Some are a bit kitsch, so Facebook people will like those, and others are quite arty. But they are all customisable real time on a copy of the image you are working on. So the level of the effect can be varied, as well as other parameters which are effect specific. You can see the changes previewed in real time, as I mentioned before. After that you commit the image to be processed and wait short while.
Ultimately you can send the image just about anywhere, by any service. You know the drill. And the app will walk you through it.
At around $2.00, depending on your exchange rate, Photo Studio 3.0 is a quality product, that the developers know will be popular, and have priced very reasonably. And they can afford to because it will sell in large numbers.
If you want to sepia tone your iPhone shots, add fire or rain, a skull, love hearts, or simply affect the hue and tone to enhance a sunset in a panorama, Photo Studio can do all that.
If you are an iPhone Camera enthusiast FX Photo Studio is a must have app.
$2.99 (View in iTunes)
Category: Photography
Updated: Nov 09, 2010
Current Version: 3.0.0
3.0.0 (iOS 4.0 Tested)
34.6 MB
Language: English
Seller: macphun.com, LLC
© 2009-2010 MacPhun LLC
Rated 4+
Requirements:Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later
The iPhone 4’s new front facing camera brings with it a slew of new possibilities in photography applications. While there is no doubt that its main usage will be for chatting applications (such as FaceTime), many apps have been popping up that are using the front facing camera as a photobooth. iLookFunny for iPhone is one such app with a lot of potential but not enough execution.
iLookFunny is a very simple app. Its sole purpose is to add elements to a photo taken by the phone. There are currently twelve different elements such as funny glasses, red nose, devil horns, etc… The user taps the screen once to bring up the list of elements and, once chosen, the element appears as an overlay on top of the phone. You can resize the elements by pinching them (in a linear way only – the elements maintain their proportions) in and out. The app allows you to simply align the elements with the current camera view and press the big button on the bottom of the screen to take the picture. Sharing options include sharing the photo on Facebook and saving it to the photo library.
While the concept is great, this app is lacks in key areas. There are only 12 elements that can be selected from which provides for a very limited amount of usage. Also, the elements can not be combined. That means that the user can not combine the funny glasses with the devil horns. That means that at most, a user can take 12 pictures and experienced the entire app in one sitting. When put through the “Zafrani Girls App Usability Meter” (essentially a gauge of how long an app is useful for when used by my daughters), the app did not pass the 10 minute mark. Increasing the number of elements and giving the ability to use multiple elements at the same time would definitely help. While minor, another execution mistake, in my opinion, is the addition of a watermark on all saved pictures.
All in all, while the app is limited as far as the amount of time used, my daughters were able to take neat and cute pictures with this app. They just wished that they had more elements to choose from. The developers’ website mentions that they will be submitting an update that will increase the number of elements to 24 which will definitely be better than the 12 that it is currently shipping with.
Price: $0.99 (App Store)
Category: Photography
Released: Jul 14, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.0
1.0 (iOS 4.0 Tested)
Size: 3.5 MB
Language: English
Seller: Riptide Games, Inc.
© Riptide Games, Inc.
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone. Requires iOS 3.1 or later.
iCard [rating: 4/5]
iCard created by Wondershare is a great new app that lets you create postcards with your own photos. It only take a few simple steps and you can be in touch with your friends and family at the tap of a button.
There are nine templates to choose from to start with. All range in different styles and colors. Some have pictures around them others have patterns, each one is different. Once you have the template set out you need to decide on a picture. You can take one within the app or from your library you then just insert it into the template.
There is also an option to put into the template your location and a picture of your location where you are. Great if you are thousands of miles across the world from the person you are sending it to! If you do make any errors whilst deciding on your photos you can clear the template and start again.
Once you are happy with the template and the photo then you just need to put in your text. The postcard is set out with your chosen photo at the top then any text at the bottom. You tap on the button that shows a speech bubble and write your text in the box area. You can change your font style and size as well. Within this section there is also an option to add a face with an expression. These mood faces range from scared, angry to happy or if you wish you can have none at all.
Once you have designed your postcard then you tap the send button, from there you have to decide how you want to send it. There are several choices email, twitter, facebook your library or just copy it to paste else where. Then you hit send and the person you send it to will receive a beautiful postcard personally designed by you!
The app is very easy to use, all the buttons help you along the way with the options underneath. The templates are lovely to look at, theres a great choice in colors and pictures. It would be nice as a future update to see more options for the templates, because there are only nine and it would be quite easy to use all the styles very quickly.
iCard is definitely a great app for sending personalized postcard to your special ones. We live in a world now where more and more people communicate electronically.This is another great option to consider instead of sending simple text messages via a mobile phone and one that I am sure would be greatly appreciated.
Pros
Cons
Price: $0.99 (iTunes Store)
Category: Photography
Released: May 13, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.2.1
Size: 3.2 MB
Languages: English, Chinese
Seller: wondershare
© 2010 Wondershare Software Co., Ltd. All rights reserved
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.1.3 or later.
PixelMagic [rating: 3.5/5]
A Great Mobile Photo Editing Application!
PixelMagic is a professional photo editing application for the iPad which enables you to edit and manipulate your photo’s using the large screen of your iPad.
The irony of this is the fact that the iPad itself doesn’t have a camera so you’ll have to get any pictures you want to edit there manually. Once you have done that though you will be able to take advantage of the multiple options to get your pictures looking as good as possible. The changes can be as simple as a little bit of red eye reduction to the complexities cropping, rotating, filters and more.
You select the picture you wish to edit from your Photo Albums but while you are working on your photo’s you can also save them directly in the app itself to it’s ‘shelf’.
Once the picture is loaded accessing the picture editing options is all done via the toolbar placed along the bottom of the screen. Clicking any of the options brings up a pop-up menu of the available options. Applying any of the filters brings up an additional slider that you can drag back and fourth to see the desired affect applied to the whole image. The effect is applied instantaneously and you can then either re-adjust the level of the filter or use the undo button to revert back to your prior setting. Some options can’t be undone but as long as you haven’t saved your changes you can easily reload the photo from your shelf with just a couple of taps.
There are 5 pre-set effects to choose from too which you can instantly apply to the whole picture. From Black and White and Sepia to Matte and Vignette, with these effects you can make instant changes. The crop option allows you to flip, rotate and crop your photo while the brush options allows you to apply details to large areas or specific parts of the photo with a significant range of options.
PixelMagic doesn’t have the extensive options as it’s desktop equivalents or allow the level of detail that can be easily picked out using a mouse and keyboard. However, as a mobile editing suite PixelMagic offers plenty of options at only $4.
The Good
The Not So Good
Price: $3.99 (iTunes Store Preview)
Updated: Apr 08, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.1
Size: 3.5 MB
Seller: Stefan Piesche
© 2010, BlackLizard
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPad. Requires iPhone OS 3.2 or later.
Don’t get me wrong, I like to take a picture as much as the next person, as long as the next person is someone who is not too bothered about it! But after just a few moments looking through Rick Sammon’s 24/7 Photo Buffet I was already inspired to go out and try something a little more creative with my simple digital camera.
Before I go any further I need to make it clear that this is not an iPhone app that works in conjunction with your iPhone’s camera, and therefore this app works for both the iPhone and the iPod touch as it’s a training aid full of tips, tricks and advice from Rick Sammon who has over 30 years of experience as professional photographer.
The app has been put together very well and professionally and it’s something that a lot of other developers could learn from. The menu’s are clearly laid out and it’s easy to navigate and find everything that’s available too you. There are articles, movies and plenty of photographic examples of Rick’s work which also means that this app is beautiful to look at as well as learn from.
Rick Sammon’s 24/7 Photo Buffet is split into 5 main areas but one of the best things I liked about this app is the personal introduction by Rick himself via video. It not only provides an overview of the app but it also inspires you to delve further not only into the app but also photography itself.
The 5 areas can be accessed quickly by the 5 buttons across the bottom of the screen. The first option is ‘Seeing’ which covers 17 topics where Rick discusses how to visualize your picture before taking them. After many arguments with my father regarding whether or not pictures should be taken in portrait or landscape mode I very much enjoyed the article where that is discussed. While each article is concise there is a lot of good information and many inspiring pictures.
The ‘Making’ section covers some of the technical aspects of photography while the ‘Editing’ section talks about how to edit your photo’s digitally. Both of these areas are beautifully laid out offering many ideas, tips and recommendations all with samples including before after shots.
The ‘Tips’ section has multiple bite-sized tit-bits of advice and perfect for when you want tips on a specific type of picture. This area also includes a Homework section which encourages the user to take specific photos. The ‘Help’ section provides a search function and direct access to the dozen video’s that are included in the application.
There is a lot of information packed into this small app and because it’s on your iPhone/iPod Touch it’s always on hand. Because of the simple navigation menu as well it’s something that you can easily jump in and out of.
If you’re about to start taking up photography or just want to add a little p-zazz to your existing photo’s then Rick Sammon’s 24/7 Photo Buffet will be a great place to start. If the more content that is promised in future updates comes to fruition then it will make this app even more value for money than it already is.
The Good
The Not So Good
Price: $4.99 (iTunes Store Preview)
Updated Feb 08, 2010
Reviewed Version: 1.1
Size: 135 MB
Languages: English
Seller: David Wilson
© 2010 Rick Sammon and Dave Wilson
Rated 4+
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone and iPod touch. Requires iPhone OS 3.0 or later.
Christmas Lifecards is the latest app from Vivid Apps, developers of the popular Lifecards app for iPhone/iPod touch.
Design your own imaginative Christmas Greeting cards with Christmas Lifecards.
You start by picking one of the more than 50 templates. Then you may insert up-to four of your own photos, add titles and text, apply photo filters, and insert speech balloons. When you are done, you can email the resulting card, or share it with Facebook, Flickr, or Twitter.
While you design your card, you can zoom in on specific regions to preview and edit them in detail. Christmas Lifecards enables to pan and zoom freely.
* Photos can be freely rotated and scaled to fit perfectly with the place holders.
* Fonts, alignment, and color of text can be fully controlled.
* Speech balloons can be inserted and rotated. You can use this to insert text boxes
* The end-result can be emailed in low and high resolution.
* Lifecards automagically adapts to your device’s orientation. To edit a card in landscape or portrait simply rotate the screen, and Lifecards follows.
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Screenshots
Photo Philter Phun [rating: 3/5]
With the new iPhone 3GS and it’s upgraded 3 mega-pixel camera, not to mention the auto focus feature it’s little surprise that more and more people will be using their iPhone as their main camera and with more pictures you are going to want to do more things with them and this is where Photo Philter Phun aims to help out.
PPP (Photo Philter Phun) lets you apply 20 different filters to any photo you’ve taken on your phone or for that matter transferred to your phone from your PC, downloaded from Facebook, Twitter, Safari or any other place you can imagine, if it’s on your iPhone you can apply the filter. The fact that you can apply the filters using any picture means that PPP can also be used with the iPod touch.
Applying a filter is easy, select a picture, choose the filter and preview. Applying the filter can take anything from a second to 5 seconds and the more filters your apply the longer it will take. As easy as it is to apply the filters you can also easily undo the changes using the Revert button so playing around and testing is pretty easy. You can only apply a filter to the whole picture rather than specific areas but as simple as it is that doesn’t really matter.
Depending on the picture the filters that you apply can range from the sublime to the ridiculous and some are definitely better than others with my favorites including the Oil Painting Effect, Negative Image and Sharpen Image, the last of which doesn’t add any fancy effect but can certainly right many wrongs on photo’s that are a little too fuzzy for their own good.
Once you are happy with your creativity you have a few options of what you can do, save the updated image to your camera roll, upload to Twitter or publish to Facebook all of which can be done at the click of a button.
At 99c you can’t really go wrong with this app and while there are other apps that will allow detailed editing of your pictures this is a quick and easy way apply a range of cool effects.
The Good
The Not So Good
Reviewed By: Craig Willis
]]> https://touchreviews.net/photo-philter-phun-quick-easy-app-apply-image-filters/feed/ 4FunBooth is a smart little app that allows you add creative touch to photo’s of your family and friends. There are already a few apps that do the similar tasks but what makes FunBooth stand out is it’s ability to auto-detect the face within the photo and add a variety of props to the face.
While FunBooth will work with small pictures, the face recognition works much better with a single forward facing head shot filling the screen as much as possible. Of course for iPhone users it’s quite simple to get a portrait shot of someone using the inbuilt camera and this is all very easy as you can simply select the picture you want to use from your photo albums and camera roll.
Fun Booth iPhone
With the picture selected the first of a plethora of accessories is placed onto the person face and if the photo your using is clear & large the the automatic placement of these items is frequently spot on. The accessories include masks, glasses, mustaches, beards, horns, hats, axes, knifes and many more.
If on the rare occasion the item is not placed perfectly you can move and resize it using the touch screen until you have a perfect fit. Once you are happy with your work you can share your picture via Twitter, Flickr, Email or save it to one of your phone contacts. You can only have one item on the face at a time and the choice of item is purely random either by shaking your iPhone/iPod touch or tapping the rotate button.
FunBooth doesn’t do much but what it does works well, so for 99c this is a fun app especially for iPhone users where getting an appropriate picture is just a tap away.
Price: $0.99
The Good
The Not So Good
Reviewed By: Craig Willis
Fun Booth Tutorial
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One of the advantages of the iPhone is how well the camera integrates with the rest of the device. A lot of camera phones make you jump through hoops to use your pictures and then you’re limited by the onboard functionality. The iPhone makes your picture collection available to any application that wants to access it. The growth of iPhone applications means there’s an almost limitless supply of applications to work with those pictures.
iCaptions from Fide Software is one such application. Since there’s been pictures (and embarrassing pictures especially) people have enjoyed attaching funny or descriptive captions to them. iCaptions presents a simple, clean interface for importing pictures from your iPhone and attaching captions to them. After opening the application you get the fun started by selecting a picture saved to the device or taking a new one with the camera. Despair not Touch users, since you can use pictures saved to the device this app will work for you as well. You’ll just need to sync some pictures or e-mail them to
yourself.
As mentioned, the iCaptions interface is simple and clean. Five buttons along the bottom of the screen denote the five main functions of the app; Take a Picture, Select a Picture, E-mail Picture, Save Picture, and Reset. After selecting or taking a picture, tap the picture where you’d like to place the chat bubble. Tap inside of the chat bubble to bring up the keyboard and type the caption. Make a swiping motion through the bubble to move, resize, or delete the current bubble.
Overall, I really liked iCaptions. It was simple, easy to use, and executed it’s intended function well. That said, there are a couple of things I want to point out. First, the application advertises as being compatible with social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. You have to be really careful to note this integration is only in a roundabout fashion. You need to make your captioned picture, e-mail it or save it and then use a separate Twitter or Facebook application to upload the picture. A good future enhancement for the app would be to integrate this support directly.
Second, the tap to place a chat bubble function seems a bit sensitive. On a couple of occassions I ended up with an unintended chat bubble or two trying swipe the one I was working with to move or resize it. I guess the easiest thing to do would be to be careful where you start your swiping motion but there must be something in the iPhone API to distinguish between a tap and a swipe and reduce the misplaced bubbles.
All in all though, these are really minor things that don’t spoil the overall functionality of the app.
Price $1.99
The Good
The Not So Good
Reviewed By: Erin Peterson
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Vivid Apps is giving away 25 Promo Codes for Lifecards!
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Review [Update]
[rating: 5/5]
Lifecards successfully breaks the monotony of regular emails and picture messages to convey that special message!
Features:
– More than 350 templates in 20 categories with more to come.
– Up-to 4 photos per template.
– Control scale, position, and rotating of photos.
– Control alignment, color, size, and font of text.
– Complex visual engine allows free pan and zoom while manipulating card.
– Automatically adapts to landscape and portrait mode.
– Save cards to finish them later
– Automatic save and restore when you exit and reenter the application
– Change templates without changing contents
Lifecards is great way to share what your are thinking, doing or dreaming about. It has a very intuitive interface which makes creating your Lifecard very easy and an enjoyable experience.
Once you select ‘Create new card’ you are presented with various categories (Beach, Filmstrip, Winter and many more) which further have different themes. After you’ve selected your theme, you get various customization options.
Customization options include:
At this stage if you feel you are not happy with the theme you can still change it without losing your text and pictures you just added.
When you feel you’ve got what you wanted tap save (you are presented with a preview) tap save again and there you get two options, either to save for later use (re-edit later) or Export to Photo Album. After you’ve Exported to Photo Album you can exit the app and email the card you created.
The entire interface from creation to completion of the card is very well thought and implemented.
Lifecards will certainly make your friends feel jealous of your iPhone/iPod touch.
[Update] Lifecards has had many updates since we last reviewed it. The app feels very snappy and smooth now. The developer has also added sharing features which allow you to share your beautiful Lifecards via Facebook and Twitter (Touch Reviews suggested twitter) With the latest update now you can also add speech bubbles to create unique Postcards on your iPhone/iPod touch.
Touch Reviews Highly Recommends Lifecards
Price $2.99
[rating: 4.5/5]
Become comically creative with Lifestrips
Lifestrips uses Lifecards visual engine to enable you to freely pan and zoom the strip while you are creating it. Photos can be translated, rotated, and zoomed within the panels of the strips by sliding your fingers on the screen or pinching.
Features:
– Strip templates with 1 to 4 photos
– Control scale, position and rotation of photos
– Advanced visual engine allows you to freely pan and zoom the strip while you work on it.
– 8 different balloons
– Facebook upload support
– Save strip to finish it later
– Basic image filters for photos
– Automatic save and restore of strip when you exit and reenter the application
I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was for me to quickly create an impressive cartoon strip featuring some random pictures that I had on my iPod Touch. While the instructions within the app are clear, expansive and helpful, like most people I just jumped right in.
The first task is to select a template from the over 20 that are available. From a simple 1 shot frame to twin, triple and even four shot frames there are plenty of options for all requirements. For my first strip I used a simple 3 pane frame and moved onto the next step of adding the pictures to each of the frames.
Selecting pictures is simply done by clicking on the appropriate frame and selecting the picture you want from your saved pictures folder. Once selected you can zoom, rotate and reposition the picture, however, this is only the start. Clicking on the Filter option allows you to add multiple effects to the selected picture from a sepia or comic effect to sharpening or inverting the image or a combination of them all!
Once you’ve added and adjusted all your pictures you can start adding your speech and thought bubbles to the comic strip. Clicking the Add button brings up the 8 built in options for adding text to the images, and it’s so simple. After adding the bubble just double tap to enter text, or with the bubble selected change the style, font, size, text color even the outline of the bubble itself.
The great thing about this app is that not only does it have a great range of features and options to get your comic strip just as you want, it’s also really easy to use.
Once you’ve completed your masterpiece, which for me took no more than 5 minutes, you can either save the file within Lifestrips, to your photo album or directly upload it to your Facebook account. I did have a couple of issues where the text would not be saved in the bubble correctly but it’s a minor issue.
If you’ve ever wanted to create your own comic strip or simply want to add some creativity to the pictures you’ve taken on your iPhone you can’t go wrong with Lifestrips.
Price $2.99
The Good
The Not So Good
Reviewed by: @CraigWillis
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App Description
My Tag Show is the quick and fun way to view slide shows of public image feeds, your private images and private images from your friends and family. You can even find images that were taken nearby. You choose what tags to include in the search and My Tag Show will randomly find stuff from various photo sharing sites. My Tag Show will even start with a randomly suggested search to get you started.
– picasa web album feeds
– google images search
– flickr feeds
– view private picasa and flickr images
– view friends and family flickr images
– find photos nearby
– double tap image for detailed info
– see photo locations in google maps
– watch slides while listening to music
– swipe to next/prev slides
– pinch to zoom in on slides
– watch the show in landscape mode
– save images to photo album
– use it to find fun wallpaper for your phone
– email link to images
– open image page in safari
– send the images to iToony
– send images to Twinkle
Tweet “Follow @row_13 for app reviews and promo codes #iPhone. I want My Tag Show”
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