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TNW issues cautionary tale about using the iPhone as your only camera
When a couple in San Francisco got married a few weeks ago, they entrusted the task to photographers Kim Thomas and Cole Rise. The photographers shot the event entirely using the iPhone 4S at the couple's request. Thomas then used Instagram filters and posted the gorgeous images to the service, where Instagram picked up on it and told the rest of the world. The Next Web's Matthew Panzarino wrote a piece today in response to Instagram's blog post, saying that while an iPhone is an excellent camera for on-the-go opportunities, don't have it be the only camera you go to for special occasions. He rightfully makes the point that there are just some deficiencies the iPhone will never overcome when it comes to color gamut, light sensitivity and depth of focus. Thomas herself admitted that she took a tripod in case San Francisco City Hall, where the wedding took place, was poorly lit. The images she shot were gorgeous. Like Panzarino, I take a DSLR and my iPhone when I have a chance to plan where I'm going to shoot. I was lucky enough to go watch filming of BBC's Doctor Who in New York City in April. The DSLR captured shots from a distance that I couldn't get with my iPhone. By shooting in RAW mode, I was later able to go into Aperture and get decent photos of the actors recording a scene in Central Park. But one of the takes had Matt Smith, the current Doctor, running through the crowd, and I happened to be just a couple feet away from him. That I managed to capture on my iPhone 4S thanks to HDR mode. It's my favorite picture from the day, but it's still obvious that it's an image shot with an iPhone. The iPhone 4S is an amazing camera, and it's now my go-to camera if I need a point-and-shoot. At my day job, reporters are equipped with iPhones, and the images they shoot now with those iPhones are far better than the point-and-shoot cameras they used to have. TIME and Sports Illustrated have had photo spreads where all the images were shot via mobile phone (usually the iPhone) and then processed through Instagram. But like Panzarino, if there's a special occasion, I want my regular camera as well. If you do use your iPhone as your sole camera, don't take the photos just using Instagram filters. If you do, make sure the option to save the original photo is on in Instagram. It should be on by default, but check just in case. Otherwise use the regular camera to get a shot, then run it through Instagram. That way, if you don't like the end result, you haven't lost the entire image. Shooting with the original camera also lets you do some post-processing on the image before you apply the Instagram filter, which can lead to some better photos overall. Invest in good processing software for either your Mac or your iPhone/iPad. My favorite iOS app for this is Snapseed ($4.99), which is far easier to use than the iOS version of iPhoto. On the Mac, I use either Photoshop or Aperture to handle post-processing.
IRL: Canon EOS 7D, Snapseed for iOS and Panasonic's Lumix DMC-TS4 rugged camera
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. And we're back! Most of us Engadgeteers are freshly returned from a staff retreat to the countryside, and for whatever reason, we're in the mood to gab about cameras. This week, Steve explains his love for Canon's 7D, Darren makes a case for Snapseed and Dana takes Panasonic's rugged TS4 shooter into the Puerto Rican rain forest.
Photo trips with the iPhone 4S and iOS photo apps; past and present
It was about 14 months ago that I took a jaunt to Northern Arizona for a landscape photography trip. I hit Canyon de Chelly, a dramatic area of seldom visited beauty, and the iconic Monument Valley that straddles the Utah and Arizona borders. On that trip I had my trusty DSLR, a Canon 5D, and for fun I took some shots with the iPhone 4. I've repeated the trip, only this time with my iPhone 4S. What a difference a year makes! I still did the majority of my shooting with my Canon, but for a quick grab and a share with friends and family you can't beat the iPhone 4S photo system. In general, I still use Pro HDR. It supports the full resolution of the iPhone, is faster at rendering than previous versions, and still delivers an excellent image under high contrast situations. We now also have iPhoto for iOS, which I found invaluable for editing, but also for creating journals (iCloud users only) of photos that can be shared directly from the iPhone. We also have Snapseed from NIK software, that gives you a measure of control when editing on the iPhone that is both simple and powerful. I also used a free app called Magic Hour to predict the best lighting for photography. The only challenge is connectivity. I didn't see any wireless access in and around Monument Valley. There might be W-iFi in the hotel rooms there, but I didn't see any wireless networks come up. Even phone reception was spotty, and sometimes I saw the AT&T EDGE Network and sometimes not. At Canyon de Chelly near Chinle, Arizona things are a bit better. The town has cell service, and generally I could get on the EDGE network, although uploading photos is slow. The two major hotels in Chinle -- a Best Western and a Holiday Inn -- both have free wireless, so I was able to get some images out. The only downside of the visit was that I just missed Johnny Depp who was there filming the new Lone Ranger movie. I was also testing Place Tagger, an app that puts GPS data on your DSLR images by syncing your location to photos taken at the same time. Of course the iPhone automatically embeds that info when you are using the iPhone camera. I'll have a complete review of Place Tagger soon. I was also surprised at the number of iPhones being used by tourists. I don't really consider the iPhone 4S camera my primary photo gear, but for lots of people it is. I saw far more iPhones taking snaps than I saw Android devices or other cameras or camera phones. And like me, people were sending those images back via the web, or using Photo Stream to have them when they get home. Perhaps the biggest surprise was that the iPhone seemed to outnumber point-and-shoot cameras, at least in the places I was taking pictures. I have to say I'm impressed with how much heavy photographic lifting the iPhone 4S can do for photographers. It's becoming more and more mainstream, and with supporting editing apps, services like the iPhoto Journal feature, and of course with maps and specific travel guides, the iPhone is a one-device solution for a lot of casual photographers. Check the gallery for some iPhone 4S photos, and feel free to share any similar experiences you've had in the comments. Note that the images have been reduced in size and resolution for our publishing system. %Gallery-156386%
Snapseed photo editor for iOS free today only
Snapseed is one of my very favorite photo editors for the iPhone and iPad. It's normally US$4.99, but thanks to a New Year's Eve special it's absolutely free today. Snapseed includes the usual filters and cropping and straightening tools, but also adds frames and selective adjustments. It's just the app to bring some of your holiday pictures to life. So run, don't walk to the app store, and pick up Snapseed. I thought it was well worth the 5 dollar toll, but at a price of "free" it is a complete no-brainer.
TUAW Best of 2011: Vote for your favorite iPad photo app
The nominations are in, and the poll is ready to go! The TUAW Best of 2011 awards are all about you -- the readers -- and what you think is the cream of the crop of Apple or third-party products and software. To vote, select one entry from the top nominations made by readers. We'll be announcing the winner in just a few days. Vote early and often! TUAW is asking for your votes for the best iPad photo of 2011. We didn't get too many nominations in this category: first, many more readers use their iPhones for photography than they do their iPads, and second, TUAW readers might be getting a bit tired of Best of 2011 posts. Worry not! We're getting close to the end of the TUAW Best of 2011 series with just a few more categories to go. However, we didn't really get enough nominees for iPad video apps to make it a valid category for voting, so photography apps are all you get to vote for. The nominees are: Master Your DSLR Camera (US$9.99), an iPad-based tutorial to move you beyond using your DSLR as an expensive point-and-shoot. Snapseed ($4.99), an excellent iPad-based photo post-processing app. The app also works on the iPhone, but the UI on the iPad app benefits from the extra space. flickr hd ($4.99, on sale for $0.99) is a wonderful way to browse your flickr photos on the iPad. Halftone ($0.99), makes a halftoned comic or postcard out of any of your photos. The app now lets you send physical postcards via Sincerely.com, and just keeps getting better. You have a couple of days to vote, and the winners will be announced on January 2, 2012. Let the voting begin! %Poll-72399%
Nominate your favorite iPad photo and video apps for TUAW's Best of 2011
During December and January, The Unofficial Apple Weblog is soliciting your nominations and votes for the best products for Mac, iPhone/iPod touch, and iPad. We'll start with nominations in a category, and then tally your votes for the top-nominated products a few days later. The winner in each category receives the highly-coveted title of TUAW Best of 2011. After a Christmas Day respite in the TUAW Best of 2011 nomination process, we're back in business. In the next category for the TUAW Best of 2011 awards, we want to know what you consider your favorite iPad photo and/or video app. While the iPad 2 isn't the best mobile camera unless you want to look and feel like a complete dork holding it up to shoot photos or capture video, it is a wonderful device for editing your images. Snapseed (US$4.99) is a relatively new photo editing app that won the iPad App of the Year award in its category in Apple's App Store Rewind 2011 awards. For iPad video editing, Apple's own iMovie ($4.99) is an extremely popular and easy to use app. Pocket Pixels has had a winner for several years with Color Splash for iPad ($1.99), while the Master Your DSLR Camera app ($9.99) uses a multimedia approach to teach you how to make the most of your Digital SLR camera. Serious photographers may want to get a Newsstand subscription to Popular Photography magazine (free for the app, most issues $2.99). It's up to you to tell TUAW about your favorite iPad photo and video apps. Leave your nomination in the comments below. Voting will start soon! Nominations close at 11:59 PM ET on December 28, 2011.
TUAW Best of 2011: Vote for the best iPhone photo and video apps
The nominations are in, and the poll is ready to go! The TUAW Best of 2011 awards are all about you -- the readers -- and what you think is the cream of the crop of Apple or third-party products and software. To vote, select one entry from the top nominations made by readers. We'll be announcing the winner in just a few days. Vote early and often! TUAW is asking for your votes for the best iPhone photography and video apps of 2011. The iPhone is one of the best point-and-shoot cameras possible. That's not because it has stellar lenses, great low-light capabilities, or high shutter speeds -- because it doesn't -- but because it's always with you. Developers have stepped up to the plate with some of the most innovative apps for iPhone, all in the photography and video app categories. In the photo app category, readers nominated FX Photo Studio (US$0.99), the ever-popular Camera+ (currently on sale for $0.99), social networking / camera app Instagram (free), new photo editor Snapseed ($4.99), and panorama powerhouse 360 Panorama ($0.99). For video apps, we have iVideoCamera ($0.99), Filmic Pro ($0.99), Silent Film Director ($1.99), Apple's own iMovie ($4.99), and the fun TiltShift Video ($1.99). As with the Mac video and photo apps, I've broken out the voting into two polls. Please feel free to vote for one video app and one photo app, and we'll announce the winners in a few days. And now, let the voting begin! %Poll-72151% %Poll-72157%
Daily iPad app: Snapseed
It's an app with a funny name, but a lot of power. Snapseed, from Nik Software, is a powerful photo editor for the iPad. You can enhance color and exposure of any photo with a single click, or just tweak your photo using a variety of powerful tools that can transform a mundane photo into something compelling. The app also lets you crop, straighten and rotate an image, or even take new photos from within the app. Perhaps the most powerful tool in Snapseed is the ability to selectively filter an image. This comes from Nik's innovative U Point technology, which was perfected on Photoshop plug-ins that are used by the pros. It's impressive to see that same function being brought into an iOS app. I tried Snapseed on a variety of photos. The tools have an interesting user interface designed specifically for a touch screen. Slide your finger up and down and to reveal a list of tools. After you select an effect, slide left or right to decrease or increase the effect. After a bit of use, the operation becomes a reflex. In addition to the tools mentioned, Snapseed lets you create frames for your images, and can produce a very striking black-and-white image or emulate some old color film styles. There is a useful sharpening tool that does't just devolve into noise as so many others do. There is also a tilt-shift function and a very useful compare button to show you before and after images before you commit to your changes. Completed images can be shared via email, Facebook, Flickr or Twitter. I've just scratched the surface of what you can do with Snapseed. At US$4.99 it is not the cheapest photo editor on offer, but I think it is clearly among the most powerful. Snapseed is universal, so when you buy it you'll get the iPhone version as well. The app requires iOS 4.2 or later and is a 26 MB download. Check the gallery for some samples I created as I used the app. Highly recommended by me, and now Apple, as Snapseed has been named iPad app of the year. %Gallery-141299%
iOS app updates for June 23
The following iOS apps received updates in the App Store: 360 Panorama Version 4.0.1 was released with the following changes: A restoration of classic mode Smoother capture and improved quality Snapseed for iPad Version 1.1 was released with the following changes: Support for RAW images transferred with the Camera Connection kit. Preserves EXIF data on saving UPAD Version 1.8 was released with the following changes: Upload PDF files created in UPAD to Dropbox and Google Docs Ruler mode added for shape drawing File password enabled Lose It! Version 3.6.2 was released with the following changes: Improved serving sizes Improved usability of the Food Updates screen Hundreds of new foods added, including some that were inadvertently dropped Various other bug fixes List Omni Lists Version 2.6 was released with the following changes: Context-sensitive help The ability to import and export CSV files Dropbox integration Airprint support Consolidation of settings and functions Faster restore from backup
