It's all about photo apps.

Review: iDarkroom

What does it do?

iDarkRoom is a photo app which allows you to apply a range of different effects to your photos. We’ve written about iDarkRoom before, in our post about becoming a better mobile photographer due to its easy to apply cross processing and vignetting effects, but what else does it have to offer?

Pros

• iDarkRoom has a very simple and intuitive UI, with all of the editing options along the bottom and everything else you need along the top.
• There are 20 different colour filters which are all very different - I’ve come across far too many apps recently which have near identical filters! Some of them include CrossProcess, B&W and Vivid.

• You can chose different kinds of paper for your image from Wallpaper to Cardboard as well as different textures.
• I love the fact you can add various light effects, such as LightLeak down the edge of the photo and Bokeh effects, which do look natural on the right photo.
• There’s a random dice option which creates a lot of really good mixes which you can then select and edit yourself.

• There are some good vignetting and border options, with just the right amount of choice.
• iDarkRoom supports sharing to Facebook, Twitter, email and the camera roll.
• You can toggle between different resolutions in Settings which means you can produce really high quality images at the end of the process.

Cons

• There aren’t any options to make your own changes to the filters or the effects, such as altering their intensity. For those looking for a quick and easy-to-use app this is probably a plus point, but for users who already have a lot of photo apps already, it may be a little frustrating.
• The ability to share to a photo storing service, like Flickr or Picasa would be a valuable addition considering iDarkRoom allows you to create such good looking and high resolution images.

Do you need it?

When it comes to basic yet high quality photo editing with just enough choice, iDarkRoom really does tick all of the boxes for me and may even become my simple app of choice over the likes of CameraBag.

Granted some people might be put off by the fact you can’t tweak the filters or effects, but it may lose its appeal if it tried to make things more confusing and would come up against fierce competition from apps that already allow you to make your own changes.

Sample photos

REVIEW: FOTOLR FX CAMERA-LIVE

What does it do?

Iphoneographers will be familiar with films and other special effects that can be applied to make their photos look even more appealing. There are many apps in the market that offer this function, but Fotolr FX Camera-Live does it a little differently. This app allows you to apply the effects before you snap a photo, which means you can have a real-time preview of what the effects will look like with the image you are capturing.

Pros

• Its unique function lets you create images that best accommodate the effect. Which means instead of choosing a filter that fits your image, you can now experiment with different images that looks best with your chosen effect.
• Customization is encouraged as you can browse a collection of lens and film and pick your favourites to appear on the main panel. Borders are also available.

                 

• Lens like “Mirror”, “Twirl” and “Circle Splash” are a few examples of groovy effects that can be quite fun to play around with.
• Functions like zoom, flash, anti-shake, timer, and grid are also available to help you take better pictures.

• This app makes sharing convenient by letting you do so directly to networks such as Facebook, Tumblr, Weibo, and a few others.

Cons

• Some people may find that having so many options makes this app confusing to use.
• Personally, I find the UI a bit too crowded, which at the same time makes the capture screen appear quite small. 
• Photos taken are not of high quality.

Do you need it?

I would say give it a try, especially now when its being offered for free for a limited time. Some users may appreciate its multi-functions, whilst others may find it a bit too complicated. Personally, I’d say that the effect-while-shooting function makes it a fun app to experiment with, but it’s likely that I will revert to using simpler apps after a while.

Sample photos

Review: PhotoForge2

What does it do?

PhotoForge2 is a pretty comprehensive photo editing tool which comes as an update to the previously popular PhotoForge. On the app store the developers boast that it can do just about as much as any desktop application and I’d have to agree.

Pros

• During the whole editing process you’re working with a full resolution photo, so you can zoom in and see what the changes look like pixel by pixel as opposed to viewing them on a tiny preview image.
• There are countless editing options available including curves, levels, brightness/contrast and vibrancy as well as many, many more. There are then a range of filters including lomo, gothic and sepia. There’s also a separate section for frames, vignetting, cropping and resizing as well as a dedicated button for creating and manipulating layers. Overall, a lot of choice!

• There’s a really handy undo feature which allows you to take as many steps back as you’d like with a preview of each stage.
• There are several in-app purchases available, including Pop! Cam, which allows you to combine and customise different films and lenses.
• There are plenty of sharing and sending options, including Twitter, Facebook and Picasa. You can also tag and share your location too, as the app has built-in GPS functionality.

• Projects you’re working on are automatically saved, which is ideal if you get a phone call in the middle of editing an image.
• Making changes to the photo can take some time, but the progress bar which runs along the top of the screen makes it easier to deal with.

Cons

• The UI could certainly be simpler, some aspects of the app seem very intuitive, but others just seem a little clumsy and take a while to get used to.
• As PhotoForge2 is such a comprehensive app, it would have been good to see a few more options in the built-in camera, but that’s something very few developers have made the most of yet.
• The filters aren’t very good quality compared to other apps on the market, but then again the focus of PhotoForge2 is very much on making your own edits instead of relying on a filter to do it for you.

Do you need it?

Overall PhotoForge2 is a brilliant application crammed full of many of the most popular and useful editing options. The UI is a little confusing, but once you’re used to how it works, little additions like the tick and cross buttons for each option and the extremely handy undo tool make editing your photos just as easy as using a desktop app. 

PhotoForge2 is a very popular iPad application and I can see why as editing would be even easier (and presumably the results better) if you weren’t working with such a small mobile screen.

Sample photos

iOS 5 Photography Features (Part 2 of 2): Photos App, iCloud and Twitter Integration

Earlier we discussed the enhancements to the native Camera application within iOS5, this post will cover updates to the Photos application, iCloud features of note for mobile photographers and the addition of system-wide Twitter integration.

New Photos Features

1. Auto Enhance. Now you can press one button and the iPhone will automatically try to auto-correct color and exposure within your shot.  Very often, the auto-adjustment is satisfactory enough to proceed with sharing.  If your image needs further fine tuning, there are always great third-party applications that allow for tighter image control.

 

2. Red-Eye Removal.  If you us iPhoto on the Mac, then you are familiar with Apple’s simple and effective red-eye removal capabilities.  Red eye removal is easier and more intuitive on a touch screen.  You can tap now directly on your subject’s eyes and the phone will automatically detect the red and perform auto-correction. 

3. Intuitive Photo Cropping.  The pinch-to-zoom and two-finger rotation allow you to both crop your image and straighten simultaneously.  I believe this is one of those features in a few years we will be wondering why we ever did it differently. 

Other Features for Photography Lovers

1. Twitter integration throughout the iOS including the Camera roll and the Photos application.  Many times we want to quickly share a moment with our online friends. The tight integration of Twitter into iOS 5 allows you to share photos directly to twitter without leaving the Camera or Photos applications. 

2. iCloud Photo Stream service.  Apple now gives their iOS customers 5 Gigabytes (GB) of free online storage with their iCloud service, but in addition to that, they allow iCloud users to keep the last 1000 pictures they have taken online within a dynamic photo stream. The best part is that your 1000 image Photo Stream does not count towards your 5GB free disk space.

All of the images taken with your phone are are synced and stored on your home computer, while only the most recent 1000 images will remain in sync with all of your other iOS devices.  I will definitely be switching to an untethered workflow in the near future utilizing the larger screen of the iPad for easier image manipulation. 

Conclusion: It seems like the changes to the Camera and Photos applications, the iCloud Photo Stream sync and system-wide Twitter integration shows that Apple is paying attention to the increased use of iPhones for mobile photography.  iOS 5 is slated for release this fall, and we photographers are waiting with baited breath.

Read Part 1 Here

Review: CameraSharp

What does it do?

CameraSharp, created by screensmudge, is a simple, no-frills photo application which purely focuses on making your built-in iPhone camera take much much better photos.

Pros

• CameraSharp has a simple UI, with Auto Focus and Auto Exposure locking feature in the top left along with Flash options, a sliding zoom level at the bottom and then two types of settings menus at the bottom.

• The anti-shake functionality allows you to take photos that are free from blur, and although it won’t completely stop blurring if you’re running or moving very quickly, it does take a much steadier photo than the standard iPhone camera.
• The app has a Sound feature, which means it takes a picture if there’s noise in front of the shutter. I wasn’t convinced this would work, but I was really surprised how precise it was in the end.
• In order to activate CameraSharp’s Tactile Timer, you simply put two fingers on the screen and rotate around. Again, I thought this was a bit of a gimmick but in actual fact it was super easy and intuitive to use and most importantly actually took the picture after the right amount of time.

• There are many other handy little additions, such as a rule of thirds grid and a level bubble and everything you’d expect from an app, such as digital zoom and front camera support. 
• You can view your photos from the camera roll and email them without leaving the app, which is a nice touch.

Cons

• There isn’t any social integration, which is a bit of a shame. The iPhone 4 is now the most used device on Flickr, so it’d really make sense for a good quality camera replacement app like CameraSharp to have Flickr integration at the very least.
• Although filters and fancy effects wouldn’t work with an app like CameraSharp, it may be useful to include some simple post-editing tools, such as cropping. I imagine many fans of CameraSharp wouldn’t think that was necessary, but for me it’d be a welcome addition as it’d stop me having to rely on other apps once I’ve taken my photos with CameraSharp.

Do you need it?

CameraSharp isn’t an all-singing and all-dancing app like many we see on the market at the moment. However, it does deliver on its promises to give you more control over your camera, which yields better results in the long run.

The final photos are of a good quality and saved in high resolution, which means it’s definitely one for more serious shots, or just to get a good photo which you can then edit elsewhere. 

However, although CameraSharp may be useful for now, it’ll be interesting to see how camera replacement apps like CameraSharp and Camera+ fare once iOS 5 is released in the fall of this year.

REVIEW: PHOTOTOASTER: IS IT WHAT’S FOR BREAKFAST?

What does it do?

PhotoToaster from East Coast Pixels, Inc. is a useful appliance for your photography kitchen.  The application combines the ease of use of a “pick from a preset” application (quick toasting) with full manual control of your photos (gourmet toasting to perfection).

Pros

• The interface is attractive and uncluttered.  The limited number of buttons make it possible to learn the app quickly. 

     

• You can get very good results with the built-in presets. You can slide the inner wheel to select either Basic, Deluxe or Supreme preset categories. 
• You get a great preview of the preset at the bottom of the screen, it is like seeing your toast before it pops! Swipe left and right to make your selection.

• The application is universal so it runs on the iPhone or the iPad. Sometimes it is nice to edit with the larger screen of the iPad. 
• When you want more control of your toasted image, you can click on the sliders icon to bring up sliders that allow you additional control of things like saturation, brightness, softness, etc.

        

• The home menu acts as a launch page. Here you can: load images from your camera roll, launch the camera, even browse your facebook photo albums.

     

• Most applications just allow you to upload to facebook, but PhotoToaster also allows you to download and edit photos from your facebook albums as well!

          

Cons

• The button icons can be misleading.  The lighting icon makes me believe that only brightness and contrast are available, but you can also find temperature controls and other light effects such as “Add flash” and “floodlight.”
• The crop tool works more like a mask.  There are three preset shapes for you to select and your only option is to zoom your image within the predefined shapes.

     

• The navigation and “apply changes” buttons do not follow conventional placement.  You usually see the main action  button on the right and the home/back buttons on the left.

         

• The preset selection wheel in the lower left hand corner of the application is difficult to use.
  

Do you need it?

PhotoToaster combines the simplicity of a “pick from a preset” with the manual control found in more advanced editors.  And with minimal effort, this application can make great images.  It is very promising for the first version of the product.  At $.99 in the App Store, PhotoToaster has found its place as a useful appliance in my photography kitchen.

Sample photos

App Shoot-Out: ShakeItPhoto Vs. InstantCam

Vs.

What do they do?

Both ShakeItPhoto and InstantCam apps have been designed to create authentic Polaroid-style photos using your mobile. There are few editing options, just the ability to take instant photos, mirroring the simplicity of the traditional Polaroid experience.

InstantCam is officially licensed by Polaroid, so when it was released back in 2010, photo-lovers everywhere had high hopes for an app which had the brand’s seal of approval. However, it was criticised by the mobile community and for many didn’t live up to expectations. Now, after a number of tweaks and updates, it seems to have improved and is slowly working its way back into the ranks of good instant camera style applications.

ShakeItPhoto has long been a popular instant camera application and although it’s not free, it’s often considered the ultimate Polaroid-style photo app - despite InstantCam being directly endorsed by the brand.

User Interface

Winner: Tie

InstantCam has a choice of four cameras, you then either take an image or select one from your camera roll. You can then scale and crop the photo down before you turn it into a Polaroid and select which effect you’d like including B&W, Vintage and Colorize before waiting for the photo to develop.

ShakeItPhoto doesn’t have the option to change cameras and effects so feels a lot simpler than InstantCam, but obviously it’s due to the lack of choice. Simply take a photo or pick one from your camera roll and it’ll be made into a Polaroid. 

For those who want the simplicity of Polaroid, then ShakeItPhoto would win, but for those who like more choice over how their final image will look, the more detailed user interface of InstantCam is a necessary addition.

Speed

Winner: InstantCam

Both apps try to recreate the Polaroid experience, you can shake your mobile in order to get the photos to develop quicker, you hear a whirring noise and with InstantCam you can even blow on the device to get your final photo!

ShakeItPhoto has a faster processing option, which brings it up to speed with InstantCam, but InstantCam generally seems to be ready a little bit quicker. Whether that’s a good thing or doesn’t really reflect the way Polaroid cameras really work will be a matter of personal preference.

Results

Winner: ShakeItPhoto

InstantCam arguably produces photos that look more like genuine Polaroids, with a bright white border and the ability to annotate your results. However, I much prefer the more faded look of the ShakeItPhoto images, with a slightly yellowed border and generally better quality images inside.

ShakeItPhoto

There have been many issues with InstantCam not saving in the resolution that it promises on certain devices. I didn’t seem to run into any problems, but beware of the resolution bugs that other reviewers have been mentioning.

In terms of social sharing, InstantCam allows users to send their final results to Twitter and Facebook, whereas ShakeItPhoto just has the option to send to Facebook. 

Verdict

Winner: ShakeItPhoto

Both apps do produce very similar results. However, as InstantCam has been designed alongside Polaroid, you’d expect something that would blow the competition out of the water and it doesn’t. 

For me the Polaroid experience is all about simplicity, so I much prefer the no-nonsense approach of ShakeItPhoto. However, if you want the option to change your photos a little or play around with the effects of different Polaroid devices, then InstantCam is probably for you, especially considering more filters and editing options will be added in the near future.

Sample photos

ShakeItPhoto:

InstantCam:

 - ShakeItPhoto

 - InstantCam

Photo Recipe: Cheesy Rainbow

Recipe provided by duhbomb21. Click on the image to see it in full size. 

If you use this recipe, please tag your photo with #CheesyRainbow

When there is a hint of rainbow in the sky and you want to make the colours explode into life, use this simple 4 step recipe to achieve this special presentation.

Ingredients:

• A Twinkling of a rainbow (A bit of rainbow)
• Camera+
• A+ Signature Lite

Preparation:

Fresh clouds formation after the rain, the presence of a rainbow.

Cooking:

1.  Take a regular shot of the rainbow. I took it using my iphone 3gs camera
2. Using Camera+, Adjust the lighting using Clarity
3. Still using Camera+, blend the clouds with the final toppings with the vivid option to complete the look.
4. For additional flavour, you might want to put your signature on it using a+signature lite.

One fully flavoured Rainbow ready to be shared with your friends using your favourite photo sharing services such as Steply

Check out duhbomb21`s photos to see more of the photos she has cooked up.

REVIEW: PERCOLATOR

What does it do?

To percolate coffee is to filter it through a porous surface, resulting in a more robust taste. Similarly, the Percolator app processes your pictures, transforming them into dazzling art mosaics, rich in both colour and detail.

Pros

• Clean and simple UI, easy to use.

                 

• I had fun playing around with the different “Grind, Brew, Serve” filters, and watching plain looking pictures transform into stunning patterns before my eyes.
• You can zoom in on pictures to view it in closer detail.
• Beautiful high quality results, colours appear enhanced after percolation. 
• Anyone can create impressive-looking art with this app.

Cons

• No sharing options, which makes it quite inconvenient for users like myself who like to share their work on social media networks.
• Pictures take quite some time to load.
• The effect may not work equally well on different pictures, but after some experimentation you should get the hang of it. Hint: Simple images with large colour contrasts seem to work best in my experience.

Do you need it?

Percolator could be a fun addition to your collection of photography apps. Unleash your creativity and use the Percolator with other photography apps to create artistic images. Some people will love its bubbly effect, others maybe not so much. Have a look at the sample photos to judge for yourself!

Sample photos

iOS5 - How does it help iphoneography? (Part 1 of 2) : Camera

Mobile photographers rejoice! 

iOS 5, scheduled to be released this fall, includes many upgrades to the camera and improves photo editing. In part 1 of this 2 part series, we will look at the enhancements to the Camera app.

New Camera Features

1. The ability to use the “volume up” button as a shutter button.  Giving the mobile photographer access to a hardware button is wonderful.  When holding the device in landscape orientation, the placement of the iPhone’s volume up button is right where you would expect a shutter button to be placed on a traditional camera.  This should help deliver quicker and more accurate shots.   

2. Easily accessible from the lock screen of the device. By adding a camera icon to the lock screen, one press now gives us direct access to the camera application, giving mobile photographers a better chance to capture the action as it happens.  Also of note, passcode enabled devices no longer need the passcode entered in order for the person holding the phone to begin snapping shots.  The user only has access to use the Camera application and view the shots they have taken and not all of the pictures on the device.  This fosters more time savings without sacrificing security.  

3. “Pinch to Zoom” now works within Camera.  Since the very first iPhone was released, users are accustomed to performing a reverse pinch gesture to zoom in on web pages, text and images.  Now this gesture is used to zoom in on your subject, a welcome change from using the tiny slider.

4. New grid lines are available that help the photographer compose the shot.  If you are a student of photography, then the “rule of thirds” is constantly running through your mind when composing a shot.  Some photographers have a very good sense of their object’s relative placement within the frame, for those of us with poor concept of relative placement, grid lines help.

5. Auto-focus and exposure lock. How many times have you gotten that object perfectly in focus or perfectly lit, only to bump your hand or move slightly and the iPhone camera auto-adjusts for the new lighting conditions?  No more! Now, a prolonged press during tap-to-focus or auto-exposure will lock the settings for you. 

Be sure to check out Part 2 of IOS 5 Photography Features where we will discuss the new features within the Photos app, iCloud and system-wide Twitter integration.