Tag: Photoshop Express

Top Free Apps For Your Photography Needs Pt.2

The second part in our free photography apps series of specials — the first part is here. After all, who said you have to pay to enjoy your photography on iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad? Sometimes taking and processing photos is fun also because it’s free.

Super 8

To celebrate the upcoming J.J. Abrams’s movie, Super 8, Paramount conveniently released a video processing app and  gave it away for free.

Pros: Several filters and options to take and process videos, sleek interface, in-app manual.
Cons: Not very appealing if you don’t like being forced to watch promotional material.

Photoshop Express

Adobe Photoshop is currently one of the most popular — if not THE most popular — photo editing and retouching tool in the world. Adobe brought its long expertise to mobile platforms with their Photoshop Express, top free downloaded photography app in many countries.

Pros: A little of everything, from shooting to fine tuning to adding borders and effects to sharing.
Cons: Not much flexibility for some of the features included. From Adobe, one would expect something more.

Tiny Planet Photos

See your average photos in a new light by turning them into stereographic images. Or, to say it in a simpler way, turn your photos into cute little planets. That’s what Tiny Planet Photos does.

Pros: Nice effects. If used with the right images and/or in combination with other apps, it can offer very interesting effects and truly creative, astonishing results.
Cons: Limited possibilities as a stand-alone app.

Flickr

The official app to the most famous photo management and sharing service out there.

Pros: Share your photos easily, get in touch with your contacts, explore other people’s photos.
Cons: Not as manageable as the web application; some photo apps already offer basic Flickr photo sharing.

Gorillacam

From the makers of Gorillapod. Gorillacam is a great app for those willing to take photos in the most straightforward manner. Within the same app, make use of a collection of digital tools that are often available only by using more apps at the same time.

Pros: Many helpful tools to easily take better photos: timer, anti-shake, grid, full-screen shutter button, burst mode, etc.
Cons: Developers announced they will not be releasing further updates.

And this was part 2 of our special. Hopefully, it helped some of you to discover a few new apps. If you have personal favorites that you would like to bring to our attention, feel free to comment here.

Photoshop Express 2.0

Adobe’s Photoshop Express was updated to version 2.0. Some interesting new features, including in-app purchases, were added with this last update. Here is what’s new:

  • New camera workflow for rapid in-app photo-taking;
  • In-App purchase of Adobe Camera Pack: reduce noise, self timer, and auto review;
  • Retina Display support;
  • Multi-tasking support.

The in-app purchase: Adobe Camera Pack (£2.39||$3.99||€2.99)

  • Reduce Noise: the Reduce Noise feature smooths out flaws to improve photos;
  • Self Timer: set a camera timer to 3 or 10 seconds of interval before the photo is snapped;
  • Auto Review: the feature allows a quick look at pictures before the action passes you by.

Photoshop Express: OK As Long As You Don’t Expect THE Photoshop

Photoshop Express by Adobe got an update yesterday. For those who were already using this app before, there aren’t substantial differences in the new version. For the others, this could be a good starting point to spend a few words about it.

Where do you start writing about anything with the Photoshop label on it without making comparisons with THE Photoshop? It’s almost impossible. There is a risk that I will end writing something totally superfluous. Does it even make sense to review Photoshop Express? I guess not. But as there shouldn’t be a precise reason to talk about an app instead of another, bear with me, for even if it’s pointless in this case I’ll make an exception.

Main Features

  • Crop, flip and rotate;
  • Adjust exposure, tint, saturation, contrast;
  • Soft focus, sketch and sharpen;
  • Seven effects;
  • Eight borders;
  • Share on Facebook, TwitPic or Photoshop.com (requires Photoshop.com account).

Appotography Opinion

PS Express will probably displease those that associate the name Photoshop with a very sophisticated tool of graphics editing. The Express version for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad has little in common with the full-fledged software by Adobe.

Photoshop Express by Adobe for iPhone

You can use the camera or photos in your camera roll. You can immediately upload or you can choose to edit the pictures, by cropping, rotating or fixing their orientation, by altering color properties, by applying filters, effects and frames. However, there is actually very little you can do with Photoshop Express, apart from very basic adjustments to your photo.

The effects, for instance, are few, very generic and not customizable. The frames are also not that varied and most have that conventional comic border look that not anybody will find appealing. You can adjust parameters like exposure, tint and contrast by swiping your finger on the screen, but personally I don’t find the app’s way of handling the whole process very user-friendly overall. For example, if you want to apply one of the filters, you have to imagine a fullscreen slider; if you raise your finger from the screen’s surface, the app will remember the value of the filter applied  in relation to the position your finger reached on the screen; if you want to make a slight adjustment without starting over, you have to reposition your finger more or less as it was before. Even for quick adjustments, this is not the most user-friendly approach, in my opinion. But again, even if there are other apps doing the same in a more satisfactory way, many will object that differently from them Photoshop Express is free thus one shouldn’t really complain.

The bottom line is: it’s true it’s Photoshop and it’s free, but from the photo editing colossus we honestly could have expected something more. If you want the closest thing to the actual Photoshop on the iPhone, this is not the right choice for you. Maybe in combination with other apps or for very basic and quick editing, Photoshop Express still has some use.

Overall

Name: Photoshop Express
Developer: Adobe Systems
Compatibility: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. iOS 4.2 or later.
Price: free!
Vote: 3/5

Adobe Photoshop Express - Adobe Systems Incorporated