photo-effects
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iColorama for iOS can artistically enhance your photos
iColorama is a photo-colorizing app on steroids. It has a vast array of features, from basic editing like saturation, cropping and editing, to all kinds of color and distortion effects. The app comes in two versions, one for iPad (US$2.99) and one for iPhone ($1.99). I did most of my exploring on the iPhone version. Although there are tutorials available, the app is straightforward. Load or take a photo, then get to work. Options scroll across the top of the screen, and when you select a process, you will see more options and presets at the lower right. If you don't like the presets, there are all sorts of manual settings. Photo editing can be subtle or pushed to the limit. Every user will find something that they like. You can make infinite changes and tapping on a new effect will wipe the old one until you hit the "apply" button. Then you can send your creation out via the usual social networks, email or save it to the camera roll. I've seen a lot of filtering and editing tools, but I have to say iColorama has some of the most varied and powerful effects I've encountered in an app. These effects aren't for every photo, and it is easy to go overboard, but what is overboard for one person is subtle for another. iColorama operated smoothly with no glitches. It's a handy tool to have in your photo-editing folder. The apps require iOS 5.1 or greater. The iPhone version is optimized for the iPhone 5.
Review: Picamerge for iOS creates double exposures with filter effects
Picamerge (U.S. $0.99 on sale) is a rather unique photo app for iOS that is designed solely to create double exposures to make some unique looking images. Gee, in the old days when we had double exposures with a film camera, it was usually by accident! Picamerge lets you use photos from your camera roll and albums, or you can take pictures using the apps built-in camera functionality. When you have your double image, a slider bar across the bottom lets you adjust the blend, and filters along the bottom of the screen let you try some preset unique looks. The filters vary the transparency of the images, and can add some color effects if desired. Getting a worthwhile double exposure can take some planning, and it's not the kind of effect you will use very often, but it's great to have when you want it. I can foresee creating some very nice holiday photo cards with a snow effect or candle overlay. Once your image creation is completed, your masterpiece can be saved back to your iOS device or shared via Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. Picamerge is just one of those little apps that are worth having when you need them. It is very simple to use, and whether the effect works or not is up to you, and not the app. Picamerge requires iOS 7.0 or greater. It's universal so iPads, iPod touches, and of course iPhones are welcome. The app is optimized for the iPhone 5.
Daily iPad App: Gradients is a free iOS photo editor that is worth a look
I'm always on the lookout for free photo apps that do a good job, and Gradients for the iPad or iPhone (free, universal) fits the bill. The app lets you add gradients to existing photos with almost infinite variations and control. I often create gradients in Photoshop, especially to tone down the sky in landscapes. It's nice to have a lightweight utility to handle that simple task. There are 46 filter styles available, and each one is customizable in parameters like opacity and tilt. You can turn photos into black-and-white images. You can even create a custom gradient and save it for future use. Unlike so many photo apps, Gradients doesn't throw in-app purchases at you. Everything is included. When your editing is done, you can save your photo, or share it via Twitter or Facebook. %Gallery-187386% Editing is easy, and as you make changes on the Gradients control panel you can see a thumbnail of your image. The only thing I found lacking is any kind of undo feature. You can tap on a new filter and the old one will go away, but there is no way to return to your starting point without reloading the image. Gradients is a universal app and optimized for the iPhone 5. It requires iOS 6 or later.
Cut Me In for iOS cuts you into the picture
Cut Me In is a new iOS app that simulates the Photoshop lasso tool and the eraser tool. You can choose a background from those provided or use something that is already on your camera roll. Bring up a picture, then use your finger to trace around an object and the image will be dropped in front the background photo. Chances are you won't be perfectly accurate with your selection, so there are different erasers you can use to clean up unwanted pixels. You can adjust the location, zoom, pan or rotation of the image. Your finished image can be shared on Facebook, Twitter or emailed to a friend. There are 40 backgrounds such as Paris, the Taj Mahal and desert scenes, as well as bad weather and historic landmarks. If those aren't enough, there are links to some public domain images or you can spend US$0.99 for some humorous backgrounds. As of now, you're limited to one insert, but a future update will add the ability to use multiple images. The only criticism I have is that when you are doing fine erasing, your finger covers the spot you are trying to work with. It might be better to let you click on the edge of the image while the eraser is offset from where you want it to be. With a little practice, it's easy to use the current tools; and there is a handy undo feature, which you are sure to use as you become proficient. Cut Me In is a great little app for free, and if you enjoy manipulating photos while away from your computer, it's certainly worth the download. The app is not universal, but it can run on an iPad. It requires iOS 4.0 or later. %Gallery-168407%
Flare 1.4 adds Retina support, Twitter sharing, more
Yesterday we saw an update to Realmac Software's Analog Mac photo effects app; today the news is from Iconfactory, and the app being updated is Flare (currently discounted to US$9.99). Like Analog, Flare (see TUAW review here) provides a way to add and adjust pre-loaded visual effects. Flare comes with quite a few more effects than Analog -- a total of 31 -- and allows quite a bit more in terms of control and the addition of effects. What's new in Flare 1.4? There's now support for Retina displays, there's new high-resolution editing and the user interface has changed. Like many apps updated for OS X Mountain Lion, Flare 1.4 adds a significant number of sharing services including "upload to Twitter." There's a new "Save to Aperture" feature as well. As we noted with the Analog update yesterday, the app supports the external editor mode in Aperture and iPhoto, and adds Lightroom as well. Several bug fixes have also been incorporated. For existing users, it's available immediately from the Updates tab of the Mac App Store.
