Apple has introduced a dedicated API for the photos app called “PhotoKit”. Adding filters or editing photos has become increasingly popular practice. iPhone camera is the most popular mobile camera in the world so providing a new API to make editing photos easier is a great benefit for users.
The photography category in the App Store is filled with image editing apps and perhaps most users own more than just one. iOS 8 will allow developers to offer native user interface within the Photos app to embed third-party filters and editing tools.
With a tap of the Action button, you can do things like assign a photo to a contact or print a document. iOS 8 allows developers to extend those capabilities. For instance, a developer could make it possible to watermark documents, add something to a wish list, or translate text to a different language.Apple
Slidely is a video postcards app that allows you to select up-to 15 videos and photos, select a theme, music theme and create a video postcard for you. The developers shared a sneak peek of the upcoming update for iOS 8 with us.
The video shows launching the Photos app selecting few photos and videos and then creating a video postcard without ever leaving the app. This makes the entire workflow so easy that we expect people to become more creative with their photos on Instagram, Twitter and Vine.
Prior to iOS 8 if one had to apply any third-party edits, it would require importing photos into the third-party app, applying edits and then exporting it. The best part about extensions is that it does not require you to download any extra app from the App Store. If you download an app from the App Store supports extensions it will be automatically available for you to use.
iOS 8 will be available for download on September 17 just two days before iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus go on sale. The update brings many more enhancements that include all new Messages app, iCloud Drive, custom keyboards, Health app, continuity and much more.
What do you think about the demo video shared by Slidely? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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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
A morning does not start off well without my daughter starting the day with 20 minutes of Mickey Mouse Club House so when I received Minnie Bow Maker to review I knew that I had the perfect person to help me review it.
The premise of Minnie Bow Maker was ideal too, my daughter already enjoys building cookies, cupcakes, popsicle and many other items on her iPod touch so making bows should be just what mouse ordered!
The first thing to be noted is that Minnie Bow Maker is much more than just a bow making app, it’s also a storybook, fashion show and photography app and they all compliment each other beautifully.
Beautiful is how the app looks too, the full Disney polish has been applied to this app with high quality graphics, all the appropriate voice acting and music that children know and love. They will feel perfectly at home in Minnie Bow Maker and that’s even before they’ve started!
The first of three options is Story Mode where you can join either Daisy, Millie and Melody or Cuckoo-Loca along with Minnie and help design a bow for the disney characters. You can read along with the sub-titles or just listened to the voice acted dialog as you have to make a bow for the different characters for a special event.
The story mode doesn’t take long to play though but it’s a nice compliment to the main bow making part of the game and it also lends itself to the Big Bow Show part of the game as its the creations that you’ve created during story mode that can be viewed during the Bow Show.
Making the bows themselves is a three step process, first you choose your material, then the color and then a pattern before finally choosing the style of bow that you wish to make. At that point you get to drag the material to the bow making machine before turning the handle to see your creation drop out.
You then get a chance to select who should wear your bow, you can choose Minnie of course and place the bow atop her head which is cute, however it’s more fun to add the bow to a photo of someone by either selecting a picture from your camera roll or by taking a picture. You can then resize and position the bow to display on the picture. Both options allow you to output the results to either your camera roll or out via email for all to see!
The only downside to the app, although only noticed by me and not my children, was the sluggishness of the app which was running on my iPhone 4S.
If you’ve got a young daughter who’s into her cartoon Disney characters then she’ll certainly enjoy this, although even though it’s a universal app the $3.99 price tag puts it on the expensive side compared to other iOS apps that could entertain your children.
[rating: 4/5]What we like
What to know
Facebook, one of the world’s leading social media websites has moved ahead with plans to solidify their efforts in the editing and distribution of photos by purchasing photography app, Instagram.
Instagram, a popular iPhone app, recently added to Android as well was introduced in 2010 for iPhone, and has since grown to include over 30 million registered accounts.
Facebook announced on Monday that they are buying out the company for $1 billion USD and will be bringing the 13 employees over to Facebook to help the social network with other image and photography solutions.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the new acquisition in one of his blog posts, noting that Facebook will be “keeping and building on Instagram’s strengths and features rather than just trying to integrate everything into Facebook.”
We believe these are different experiences that complement each other. But in order to do this well, we need to be mindful about keeping and building on Instagram’s strengths and features rather than just trying to integrate everything into Facebook.
That’s why we’re committed to building and growing Instagram independently. Millions of people around the world love the Instagram app and the brand associated with it, and our goal is to help spread this app and brand to even more people.
Instagram has gained lots of attention since its introduction, being named Apple’s iPhone app of the year for 2011. The company has achieved great milestones, specifically in adding new users, creating new features, and devising a simple and easy to use software to edit photos and share them. This is exactly what Facebook has been looking for, and this acquisition will likely benefit them greatly.
{via MacRumors}
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Alongside the new iPad, Apple also announced the availability of iPhoto for iPad, an app that was only available to Mac users in the past. Apple has updated all of their apps to take advantage of the new Retina Display in the new iPad, and also released updates to iMovie and GarageBand.
With iPhoto, Apple will now be offering a solution for photo organization on the iPad and editing of those photos. iPhoto for iPad offers a number of photo editing features including auto-enhancements such as straightening photos and fixing contrast. Brush palettes are also included with editing tools, ranging from red-eye removal, lighten, sharpen, soften, and darken. Images of up to 19 megapixels can be edited or viewed on iPhoto.
iPhoto, Apple’s popular photography app, has been completely reimagined for iOS to take full advantage of the Retina display and intuitive Multi-Touch gestures on iPad and iPhone. Simple gestures can be used to select and compare photos side by side and flag your best shots. iPhoto gives you full control over color, exposure and contrast, and you simply touch the parts of the image you want to change. You can enhance pictures by adding beautiful Apple-designed effects with just a tap, or apply adjustments exactly where you want them with fingertip brushes. In addition to posting photos to Facebook, Flickr and Twitter, you can beam photos between your iPhone and iPad; stream photos and slideshows to your Apple TV with AirPlay; and use iCloud to publish photo journals to the web and share your stories with friends and family in a whole new way.
iPhoto for iPad joins iMovie and GarageBand for iPad in the App Store and is be available for $4.99.
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We’ve all see wooden iPhone 4S cases before, maybe not in person but certainly in magazines and on gadget shows. They make seem great in theory but are they really practical or should they just remain a novelty item?
Well about 10 days ago I recieved a wooden iPhone 4S case from Photojojo, a company more renowned for its camera accessories than its iPhone cases, and I’ve been using it ever since.
The twist with this case that enables it to fit in with the other items sold at Photojojo is the fact that the case is modeled to look like a camera.
The case comes in two parts, the top half slides down over the top of the phone while the bottom slides up and interlocks with the top piece. It’s a snug fit and the lining on the inside of the case ensures that the case doesn’t easily slide off.
The finish is smooth and the whole case is lighter than I expected to be and if you’re worried that you may get a splinter I don’t think you have anything to worry about.
The case provides easy access to all the ports and buttons including the camera lens. The camera design on the back acts as iPhone camouflage when taking pictures making it look like, from some angle at least, like you are using an old school camera.
If you’re concerned about the environment then there is no need to be as the trees used in these cases come from sustainable forests and while at $42 it may not be the cheapest case you can get its certainly eye-catching and unique. You can purchase the case from here plus they’ll throw in a free screen protector too!
The wooden iPhone 4 / 4S camera case from Photojojo is both quirky, unique and practical in equal measure making it an easy decision to purchase if you want to stand out from the crowd, especially if you have a passion for photography.
[rating: 4/5]What we like:
What to know:
When you first launch the app to start you simply tap ‘Lets Merge’ then you can either take a snap of the persons face or choose one from your camera roll. Once you have the picture on screen and correctly lined up then tap the tick symbol and it will save it. Then you do the process again for the next image you would like to merge, going through the same process.
When that is all done you can then see on screen the merged image. From this screen you can delete, save to your camera roll, post to facebook or email it. It is worth knowing that the pictures that you take from what is on your phone already can only taken from your camera roll so if you have any other folders in the photo library you won’t be able to use those.
You can use either facing camera and when you have taken the picture you can zoom in and resize what ever part of the picture you are fitting in to the guided area. Only when you are happy with it do you then need to hit save.
Me & You Photo Merger for iPhone ($.99) is ideal for those moments sat down with all your friends and in need of a giggle. Quickly snap the faces for the willing ones and see what funny and strange images you can create. Having the Facebook integration to share with your friends is a great feature to have for those hilarious photos you make.
Pros
Cons
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.
]]> https://touchreviews.net/28-best-iphone-photography-video-editing-apps/feed/ 13Don’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.
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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