Pu – Page 45 – Appotography

VintageScene Review

To this moment, there aren’t great apps around allowing you to add layers to transform your pictures into something different and more complex. I have seen many iPhone users resorting to Photoshop — not the app, the actual PS — to beautify photos they had taken on the iPhone.

VintageScene will not ultimately turn your photo into a genuinely looking old photo, as the developer’s slogan says, but it will add some functionality that to this moment is still not fully developed by other iPhone apps.

Main Features

Full resolution available;
16 default presets;
63 different textures available;
Possibility to save custom presets;
Possibility to share the photos via email.

Appotography Opinion

VintageScene is a good addition for those looking to add predetermined effects to their photos, with just a little possibility of adjustment. You can play around with just a few parameters, like intensity of texture vs intensity of photo, vignetting, and so on. The available textures grant a certain degree of variety, but are sort of repetitive when added to more photos. It would have been more useful, though this is not the VintageScene app’s intent, to have the chance to add your own textures to the ones in the app’s library. As I said, to this moment there are no decent apps to effectively add layer styles and to make use of multiple exposures on the iPhone. They all have some sort of deficiency. For this reason, VintageScene has kind of limited range of action, but it’s still good if you are using it, for example, with other apps that let you adjust more photo editing parameters. The hi-res rendering is also very slow.

Here are some of the default presets applied to the same picture:

VintageScene iPhone

VintageScene works both with camera roll and with photos taken directly with the built-in camera.

Overall

Name: VintageScene
Developer: JixiPix Software
Compatibility: iPhone, iPod Touch. iOS 4.0 or later.
Price: £1.19||$1.99||€1.59
Vote: 4/5

TiltShift Generator: Create Fake Miniature Scenes on your iPhone

Tilt-shift refers to the use in photography of tilting for selective focus to recreate a miniature picture. Although the original term refers to in-camera technique, the same effect is often simulated with digital postprocessing. The tilt-shift style has lately enjoyed greater popularity with the large diffusion of digital photography that is frequently associated with digital postprocessing of the photos. Mobile photographers, Apple iPhone ones in particular, won’t have difficulties finding tools helping them to generate the fake miniature feel of actual tilt-shift photography directly on their phone with the best approximation possible for a simulation.

Main Features

Full resolution available;
Radial and linear blur;
Contrast and saturation adjustment;
Vignetting adjustment;
Possibility to share the photos via Twitter and email.

Appotography Opinion

Originally released as a free web service and AIR app, TiltShift Generator is one of the available applications that helps the user to accomplish the fake miniature look, and it’s probably the best so far. The user can take a photo or load a previously taken picture from the camera roll. Selecting the appropriate degree and type of blur and adjusting parameters as brightness, contrast and saturation is very easy. The vignetting adds the final touch to the effectiveness of the illusion. An in-app tutorial will also provide some useful tips to obtain better fake miniature photos. Art & Mobile once again delivers an app that lets the iPhone photographer achieve the desired result in the easiest and most practical way possible.

A Fake Miniature Photo Created with TiltShift Generator for iPhone

Overall

Name: TiltShift Generator
Developer: Art & Mobile
Compatibility: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. iOS 3.0 or later.
Price: £0.59||$0.99||€0.79
Vote: 5/5

ShakeItPhoto: For The Greatest Fake Polaroid Fans

Everybody likes instant photography, especially on the iPhone. Most apps that promise to the user the same experience of an actual instant camera are as a matter of fact big letdowns.

ShakeItPhoto, a very basic replacement to the default iPhone camera, differently from other similar apps, gets very close to what it promises.

Main Features

Up to a resolution of 1016 x 1040 pixels;
Shake to speed up development.

Appotography Opinion

ShakeItPhoto is a very nice and simple app that will make die-hard fans of the original Polaroid camera happy. In fact, much more than the official app, ShakeItPhoto gets close to delivering the feel of Polaroid instant photography, from the truthfulness of the filters to the shaking motion required to develop the photos faster to the effects reproducing real instant cameras’ sounds. The success of this app depends mainly on the fact ShakeItPhoto stays true to what it promises. First of all, it is very easy to use as it doesn’t offer any additional gadget or special feature to its basic function which is to take a photo – or change an existing one – adding to it a Polaroid-like filter and border. This means it will be excellent for iPhone camera users that usually prefer straightforward tools rather than gimmicky ones with gazillions of confusing variables, but it will also be a decent expansion for those who often like to use more than one app to edit their photos.

ShakeItPhoto conveniently works both with photos taken on the spot and and with the camera roll. There’s space for improvements on higher resolution.

Overall

Name: ShakeItPhoto
Developer: Banana Camera Co.
Compatibility: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. iOS 2.2.1 or later.
Price: £0.59||$0.99||€0.79
Vote: 4/5

PictureShow: Lotsa Fun For iPhone Photograpers!

There are so many toy camera apps around that it has become a really tough job for developers to come up with anything still able to draw iPhone users’ attention. Some toy cameras in the App Store are nothing more than mere replicas of more popular apps, just with an interface slightly different.

PictureShow has features that despite obvious similarities with other apps still make a difference in the crowded panorama of toy cameras apps. Let’s take a closer look to see why.

Main Features

Full resolution available;
28 photo styles (HolgaGraphy, LomoGraphy, Noir, Retro, Instant, PopArt, etc.);
Rich collection of frames, noise textures and light effects;
Vignetting on/off;
Color correction;
Brightness and contrast adjustment;
Built-in editor to add text to the photos;
Autosaving on/off;
Possibility to share the photos via Flickr, Twitter, Facebook, Blogger and email.

Appotography Opinion

We had, and are having, so much fun with PictureShow. Graf’s app made us feel the refreshing novelty of our first period of iPhone photographing, when exploration of various techniques offered constantly new amusement. Despite its reproduction of filters that are abundantly used in other apps, Picture Show grants originally designed results, successfully combining a clean interface with a variety of possibilities. In fact, you have quite a few choices in the filters department, and mixing the effects to obtain unexpected outcomes sometimes is really endearing. It’s possible to scroll among effects and examine the various results and in case of mistakes it’s possible to reset and start over. The only thing I don’t like in PictureShow – and in other apps as well – is having borders with the app’s name stamped over them, which gives a bit the feeling of using a free app.

Here are versions of the same photos obtained with the randomizer button, which offers a nice additional touch and might really come in handy in moments of shortage of ideas.

Picture Show iPhone

PictureShow works both with photos taken on the spot and and with those stored in the camera roll.

Overall

Name: PictureShow
Developer: Graf
Compatibility: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. iOS 3.1 or later.
Price: £0.59||$0.99||€0.79
Vote: 5/5

Film Lab: A Great Film Simulator For Your iPhone Photography

Some of you have probably tried RetroCamera in its free or paid version at some point and thought, “what a nice app, too bad they didn’t provide higher resolution”. Yes, too bad.

Film Lab, an application by the same developer of RetroCamera, partly solves the issues with the previous app, as it does provide hi-res saving. It doesn’t provide other features included in the RetroCamera app though, like textures and borders, but it offers more variety in the film simulation area.

Main Features

Up to a resolution of 3200 pixels;
Film simulation: 350+ filters available;
Color operation: 18 operations available (multiply, invert, screen, overlay, etc.);
Restores previous session;
Tooltip on/off;
Brightness and contrast adjustment;
Hue and saturation adjustment;
Blur and sharpness regulation;
Undo/redo.

Appotography Opinion

Film Lab is one of our favorite photography apps. Not only it features a wide collection of filters, but also one of the best. We are particularly pleased with sepia and black and white film simulation offered by Film Lab. Your photos won’t look like it happens with many other apps simply as color images converted in black and white, they will actually retain the feel of photos shot in black and white film. Since the list of available filters to choose from is so long, they are conveniently arranged by style and color (vintage, sepia, etc.) or by brand (AGFA, Ilford, Kodak, Daguerreotype, etc.). It is also possible to create a list of favorite or recently used filters for quicker use. The interface is quite clear and easy to figure out, and if you make mistakes or change your mind while editing your picture, you can always undo. Film Lab works both with the camera and with photos stored in the camera roll.

Film Lab iPhone

Here are just a few examples of what you can do. We are choosing filters at random to show the different effects. To obtain more original results, you can filter your photos as many times as you like.

Film Lab iPhone

In Appotography opinion, Film Lab is a must have app for iPhone photography lovers.

Overall

Name: Film Lab
Developer: CLBITZ Ubiquitous Communications Inc.
Compatibility: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. iOS 3.1.3 or later.
Price: £0.59||$0.99||€0.79
Vote: 5/5

CameraBag: A Bag Of Filters To Spice Your Photos Up In A Cinch

The name CameraBag suggests the notion of an app that is like a magic bag with several different cameras in it. Simulating the look of some famous vintage cameras, like Holga and Lomo, CameraBag for iPhone is a promise of photographic enjoyment for many to have always in their pocket.

Features

Full resolution available;
Thirteen filters to choose from: Helga, Colorcross, Lolo, Plastic, Magazine, Instant, Silver, Mono, 1962, 1974, Cinema, Infrared, Fisheye;
Borders on/off;
Cropping on/off;
Possibility to share the photos via email.

Appotography Opinion

CameraBag is a very intuitive and simple to use app for photo editing. It works both with the camera and with photos stored in the camera roll. The ready-made filters cover a variety of effects and all the user has to do is to scroll, choose among them and save. Some effects are very well done and effectively convey the feel of vintage cameras; some others perhaps don’t work quite as well. The Infrared filter, for instance, isn’t very convincing in its results. We’re not fans of fisheye simulators either, which often look like nothing more than vaguely distorted versions of an original that’s clearly not taken with an actual fisheye lens; the CameraBag Fisheye filter is not an exception. Some weaker filters may work better in combination with others, and in general it’s possible to experiment filtering photos again and again to look at sometimes unexpected results. At any rate, the CameraBag app, for its immediateness of use and clear interface can be a good choice especially for those who don’t like to spend too much time playing with filters but still want to spice their otherwise plain photos up.

Overall

Name: CameraBag
Developer: Nevercenter Co. Ltd.
Compatibility: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. iOS 2.0 or later.
Price: £1.19||$1.99||€1.59
Vote: 3/5

SepiaCamera: A Vintage Flavor To Your Photos

SepiaCamera is a very simple filter for iPhone. Sometimes you don’t need or want anything too complicated and you’re not willing to scroll through gazillion of other filters just to add that certain sepia styling to your shots.

Features

Full resolution available;
Zoom feature;
Vignetting on/off;
Square mode on/off;
Possibility to share the photos via email, Twitter and PhotoShare.

Appotography Opinion

There are tons of filters to add a sepia tone to your iPhone photos. SepiaCamera was one of the first apps for iPhone we got and we still think it’s one of those that delivers nicer results. SepiaCamera, like the other apps by the same developer, doesn’t do anything less than what it promises: adding a nice vintage flavor to your photos. Not to mention the app is free, so it’s definitely worth a try. Sepiacamera works only with the camera and won’t let you use photos stored in your camera roll.

SepiaCamera iPhone

Overall

Name: SepiaCamera
Developer: Art & Mobile
Compatibility: iPhone. iOS 3.0 or later.
Price: free!
Vote: 3/5

InstantCam™: instant photography on the iPhone has rarely been so bad

Polaroid-imitating applications are not a novelty. There are quite a few in the App Store, some with only very basic functionalities, some with many gimmicks and features to keep everybody busy for a while. The renown instant look in all its variations is an everlasting favorite of the public and thus an inexhaustible money-making source. Even those who have never used an actual instant camera in the Polaroid brand to take a photo, know them by name and by their looks.

The Polaroid Corporation recently woke up from their torpor, ages after the App Store had reached the saturation level with instant photography apps. The original Polaroid® appeared in the app store with its own application developed by Montreal-based Penté Group. But is it really worth it? Let’s look at the app in detail.

Features

Multiple cameras: InstantCam™ offers four different camera modes, B&W, Vintage, Colorize and Digital, to recreate the looks of old and recent Polaroids
Camera and library mode: to take a picture on the spot or edit previously taken photos
Shake or blow: like with the original Polaroids, shake or blow to develop the photo
Add text: annotate photos in handwriting-looking text on the bottom border with the built-in editor
Compatibility with Polaroid Studio: create custom albums to organize the photos and share them online. Requires a Polaroid Studio account

Appotography Opinion
In theory it’s all very good, but actually the InstantCam™ app is a big letdown. And letdown is a compliment. It’s been proved more than once than big brands and companies are not necessarily equivalent to great quality. It’s usually the opposite, as big brands tend to take advantage of their name instead of worrying about substantial matters. Using the original “Polaroid Instant Camera application for iPhone” reinforced this thought even more.

InstantCam™ iPhone

Not only the quality of the photos isn’t particularly good, the effects aren’t particularly striking – hardly mediocre I’d say – , but also the final picture resolution is a mere 302 x 307 pixels. I mean, really… what were they thinking?! Yes, those we posted are not resized images; they are the actual images. Absolutely ridiculous. Also, the final image has an added white border around the Polaroid-style frame (around 8 pixels) to grant the drop shadow effect on the Polaroid frame the that is very annoying to look at and very troublesome if you have to, for example, use the photo against a background that isn’t white. Of course, you could get rid of those additional pixels importing the image in Photoshop or some equivalent photo editing program, but what would be the point?

Even paying a small amount of money for such a useless app is quite outrageous, especially with all non-original Polaroid apps out there that deliver the same and more, in a much better and effective way.

Overall

Name: InstantCam™
Developer: Penté Mobile
Compatibility: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. iOS 3.1.3 or later.
Price: £0.59||$0.99||€0.79

Vote: 1/5