Apps « 360Photography

RSS

Posts Tagged ‘Apps’

The 12 Best Camera Apps in 2021 (Free and Paid)

12 Aug

The post The 12 Best Camera Apps in 2021 (Free and Paid) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Megan Kennedy.

These days, there are dozens of camera apps available, and it can be hard to select the perfect option for your photography. And although smartphone native camera apps are pretty decent nowadays, it’s always handy to have an dedicated app to expand your phone photography capabilities.

In this article, we’ll have a look at the best camera apps available for smartphones, including Android and iOS options (both free and paid).

So if you’re ready to find an outstanding app to take smartphone photos, then let’s get started.

1. Adobe Photoshop Camera (iOS and Android)

Price: Free, with in-app purchases

First up on our list of best camera apps is Adobe Photoshop Camera. While it doesn’t offer a lot of the manual settings that other camera apps possess, the Photoshop Camera app does feature a solid range of intelligent live camera filters (called Lenses) to apply to a scene. Once a Lens is selected, the AI-powered app implements the selection in real time to create beautiful effects.

The many free Lenses – along with the editing capabilities – available in Adobe Photoshop Camera offer a responsive phoneography experience, expanding your creative potential with intriguing effects like Rainy Window, Cyanotype (see the photo above), Vintage, Double Exposure, Blue Skies, Pop Color, Monochrome, and more.

If you’re looking for a fun and engaging way to experiment with phoneography effects, Adobe Photoshop Camera is worth the download.

2. Open Camera (Android)

Price: Free

Open Camera is one of the most versatile camera app options available for Android, and it’s a great open-source alternative to the built-in Android camera app. Completely free, Open Camera features a wealth of features for phoneography work.

First, Open Camera offers the core functions that many other dedicated camera apps provide. ISO, exposure, focus adjustments, white balance – it’s all there. But Open Camera also offers a plethora of other functions and customizable features, including RAW functionality, face detection, a ghost image function (which uses an image overlay to aid in alignment), burst mode, noise reduction, exposure and focus bracketing, and more.

Plus, you get an on-screen histogram, numerous grids and guides, a panorama function for both the front and back cameras, focus peaking, zebra stripes, and even the option to trigger the camera remotely by making a noise. While the interface may not be as smooth as some other photography apps, Open Camera also has a customizable GUI that enables or hides different features as per the user’s requirements.

3. Camera+ 2 (iOS)

Price: $ 7.99 USD

Camera+ 2 is an improved version of its popular predecessor, Camera+, and both have a reputation as two of the best iPhone camera apps on the market today. With features like exposure, ISO, and white balance adjustments, along with an image stabilizer, focus lock, and RAW shooting and editing, Camera+ 2 is a great app to have on hand for iOS phone photography.

Camera+ 2 also features a clipping indicator, focus peaking, hands-free control with Siri shortcuts and Apple Watch remote trigger compatibility, and smile detection. An improved long exposure functionality enables exposures of up to 30 seconds and even displays a preview of the scene as the exposure is captured.

In addition, a Monuments mode utilizes AI technology to track objects moving through a series of frames and erases them from the final image. If you’re trying to capture an image free of moving vehicles or people, Monuments mode may make all the difference.

4. Darkr (iOS)

Price: Free, with in-app purchases

Ever wished you could cram a darkroom-like process into your iPhone? Darkr is an app that allows iOS users to capture and edit images exclusively in black and white, while using simulated film cameras and a darkroom-inspired process.

The Darkr app has a number of intriguing features; first, basic JPEG shooting is performed with a fixed 35mm camera interface (though you can also import existing shots from your camera roll). And there are two other camera simulations (medium and large format) available for purchase.

Darkr offers a distinctive editing format, too. In Darkroom mode, the app renders images as negatives. Then, once a negative is chosen, the user is presented with a simulated test strip interface to select a desired exposure. You have the option to dodge and burn, while selecting various film types, editing layers, and applying tones are all available with in-app purchases.

5. Adobe Lightroom (iOS and Android)

Price: Free, with in-app purchases

Marketed as a powerful post-production tool, the Adobe Lightroom mobile app is an expansive editing application that comes with a handy camera function. While the base app is free, you will need an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription to unlock several key features – including selective adjustments, a healing brush, a geometry tool, batch editing, and RAW support.

The camera itself is paired with several filters that are applied in real time. Among these are two black and white offerings – flat and high contrast – which can be useful if you’re looking to take beautiful monochrome photos.

Lightroom also comes with a community full of photographers keen to share their work and gain inspiration from each other. And although the Lightroom camera isn’t as flexible as other options on this list, a simple design, RAW shooting, and extensive in-app editing capabilities make for a simple and effective phoneography tool.

6. KD PRO Disposable Camera (iOS and Android)

Price: Free, with in-app purchases

KD PRO Disposable Camera is a nifty little camera app designed to imitate a classic disposable camera. Available for both Android and iOS devices, the app is a fun take on retro photography. With several filter themes, a self-timer, sound effects, a frame counter, optional light leaks, and customizable time stamps, KD PRO makes for whimsical phoneography with a hint of nostalgia.

Paid features include the ability to import images, view original photos, and customize camera color. Plus, for that authentic disposable camera experience, you can even increase the “film development time” to up to three days.

7. RAW+ (iOS)

Price: First 100 shots free, plus in-app purchases

Describing itself as a “minimalist camera for purists and professionals,” RAW+ is a camera app with an emphasis on hands-on experience. With responsive functionality, a balanced amount of free screen space, large sliders, and a simple aesthetic, RAW+ comes to life when used in landscape orientation, which neatly divides the manual controls for greater ergonomic control.

RAW+ offers full manual exposure, manual focus override, white balance presets, an RGB histogram, plus highlight and shadow clipping warnings. The app also supports RAW shooting as well as ProRAW, an Apple file format that combines the information of a standard RAW file with iOS image processing for extra creative control and flexibility.

8. Halide Mark II (iOS)

Price: 1 week free trial, then $ 11.99 USD per year or a one-time fee of $ 36.00 USD

Known for its simple yet professional interface, Halide Mark II shares many of the integral features of its predecessor. With gesture functionality, responsivity, and full manual control (divided into small increments for precise adjustments), the app is designed for a fluid user experience.

Features in Halide Mark II include manual exposure controls, focus peaking, color zebras, Depth mode, machine-learning assisted RAW and ProRAW shooting, an extended dynamic range (XDR), a focus loupe feature, and real-time 14-bit RAW visualization for accurate rendering of tonal information.

The app also has a privacy feature, which can remove embedded location data when the image is shared to any Facebook-owned app.

9. Manual Camera (Android)

Price: In-app purchases (Lite); $ 4.99 USD (Pro)

Manual Camera has a significant range of functions and features within a user-friendly interface. Adjustments for exposure, white balance, focus, ISO, and more are all available. Face detection, scene modes, focus assist, RAW shooting, touch to capture, and geotagging are a few other features Manual Camera offers.

There are two versions of the Manual Camera app for Android phoneography – Manual Camera DSLR Pro and Manual Camera DSLR Lite. Lite is free and gives a user access to numerous features. However, there are some limits to the Lite version, including an 8 MP resolution cap and a five-minute video recording restriction.

10. Pro Camera by Moment (iOS)

Price: $ 8.99 USD, plus in-app purchases

Pro Camera by Moment is a multifunctional app that has gained a reputation as one of the best camera apps available on iOS. Pro Camera comes equipped with all the tools you’d want from an advanced camera app: an intuitive screen layout, along with plenty of different settings, adjustments, and customizations. Full manual controls, a live histogram, lens support, bracketing, split exposure and focus, TIFF and RAW shooting (including in burst mode), focus peaking, and zebra stripes; it’s all available in the Pro Camera app.

You will need to pay up front to gain access to the app, and you can buy additional features such as a time-lapse mode and a powerful slow shutter mode.

Note that the slow shutter mode has two options: motion blur and light trails. Motion blur facilitates fluid renderings of a moving scene for any length of time. While the long exposure is being made, a live rendering unfolds on the screen. That way, if you like the image before the exposure has finished, you can simply tap the shutter button to complete the shot.

If you are finding that other apps lag in terms of long-exposure capability, Pro Camera by Moment is a great choice.

11. Footej Camera 2 (Android)

Price: Free, with in-app purchases

Simple and easy to use, Footej Camera 2 has a range of features, including full manual control, burst mode, panorama mode, time-lapse, HDR+ (for Pixel 2 phones), and RAW shooting. Footej also includes an automated GIF function, which takes a burst of images and compiles them into a GIF.

While the Footej Camera 2 base app comes with plenty of functions, a paid upgrade to the Footej Camera 2 Premium package will boost the maximum shots in a burst (limited to 20 in the free version) and improve JPEG and GIF quality. The Premium package also adds a histogram and lowers the burst interval to below 500 ms.

12. ProCam 8 (iOS)

Price: $ 7.99 USD

Arranged in a simple and accessible layout with a responsive scroll and stepper adjustment system, ProCam 8 and its predecessors were reportedly inspired by DSLR cameras themselves. With manual camera basics (shutter speed, ISO, focus, and white balance controls), plus manual focus assist, focus peaking, and zebra stripes all supported across each photo and video mode, ProCam 8 is a comprehensive app for iOS photographers.

In addition, RAW shooting, TIFF file format support, 3-shot HDR, auto exposure bracketing, a live light-level histogram, adjustable aspect ratios, and still photo capture during video recording all contribute to an app that helps make the most of iOS phone camera technology.

Shooting modes include burst mode, slow shutter, portrait mode, and time-lapse. For phones equipped with two or more cameras, ProCam 8 has a 3D Photo mode or “Wigglegram,” which creates animated images that simulate a 3D effect.

A focus loupe allows for a magnified preview of the scene, and extensive editing functions enable further enhancement during post production. Additionally, the Photo Editing Extension offers non-destructive editing, 60 filters, 17 lens effects, 19 extra adjustment tools, and batch photo actions. ProCam 8 is an app packed with functionality – so if you’re serious about iPhoneography and want to take your work to the next level, it’s a great pick.

The best camera apps in 2021: conclusion

So there you have it: 12 of the best camera apps available for iOS and Android photographers.

There is an abundance of helpful phone camera apps available – so many that it’s almost impossible to review them all. Nevertheless, the apps listed here are all capable of expanding the creative potential of phoneography.

Now over to you:

Do you have a favorite smartphone camera app? Which of these apps do you plan to try? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post The 12 Best Camera Apps in 2021 (Free and Paid) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Megan Kennedy.

Digital Photography School

Comments Off

Posted in Photography

The 17 Best Photo-Editing Apps (in 2021)

01 Apr

The post The 17 Best Photo-Editing Apps (in 2021) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.

Are you looking for the best photo-editing apps available in 2021? You’ve come to the right place.

In this article, I’m going to share my 17 favorite editing apps – including apps for general editing, apps for fun and filters, and apps for specialized editing.

So whether you’re a dedicated smartphone photographer or just looking to find some powerful ways to edit on the go, this list contains the perfect app for your needs.

Let’s get started.

The best photo-editing apps for general editing

In this section, you’ll discover the best photo-editing apps for general adjustments. With the apps on this list, you can adjust exposure, enhance colors, crop, sharpen, and more.

1. Snapseed

Cost: Free
Availability: iOS and Android

Snapseed is one of the most popular photo-editing apps on the market – and for good reason. It’s very intuitive and easy to use, which makes it great for beginners. At the same time, Snapseed offers a lot of control for more skilled users.

You don’t need to pay any fees for using Snapseed, nor are there in-app upgrades; it’s completely free. So if you’re after a beginner-friendly photo editor that can do pretty much anything, Snapseed is a great choice.

2. Lightroom

Cost: Limited version for free. Full version available with an Adobe subscription (from $ 9.99).
Availability: iOS and Android

The free version of Lightroom Mobile lets you do most basic editing tasks. You can also access and create presets.

However, if you decide to upgrade, you’ll gain access to a healing brush, selective adjustments, geometry tools, and RAW editing. You can also use the camera from the app to shoot RAW images.

If you want to use Lightroom Mobile to speed up your workflow, check out this article.

3. Photoshop Express

Cost: Free
Availability: iOS and Android

Adobe Photoshop is the industry standard for photo editing. Its mobile version is divided into three smaller and specialized apps; the basic editor is Photoshop Express.

Photoshop Express offers one-touch solutions such as an auto-fix option and filters. It also allows you to edit and retouch with total control. And it’s packed with many fun features such as stickers and collages.

You can crop to most platform’s formats and share directly from the app. While you don’t need an Adobe subscription to use Photoshop Express, you will need a free account.

4. Pixlr

Cost: Limited version for free
Availability: iOS and Android

Pixlr is a well-rounded editing app, offering all the post-processing essentials plus tons of presets and features to unleash your creativity.

There’s no need to create an account and you can download Pixlr for free, though you’ll be offered in-app purchases for overlays and stickers.

Pixlr also offers two great browser versions that you can use for free – or you can get a subscription for full access to both browser versions and other useful assets.

Best photo-editing apps for fun and filters

In this section, I’ll share the best photo-editing apps for filters and effects.

(In most cases, these apps also include a camera and some basic adjustments tools.)

5. VSCO

Cost: Free limited version. $ 19.99/year for the full version.
Availability: iOS and Android

VSCO works as a general photo editor, but it belongs in the fun and filter category thanks to its artsy, social-media-focused features.

To use VSCO, you will need to create a (free) account. After that, you can continue to use VSCO for free, but most of the filters are sold separately.

Alternatively, you can grab a yearly subscription for $ 19.99 that includes 200 filters (and you have a 7-day trial to make sure it’s worth it).

Your creations can then be shared with the community, which is like- and comments-free. In other words, the VSCO community is more about the quality of the work. You can also share VSCO creations directly from the app to other social networks such as Instagram or Snapchat.

6. Prisma Photo Editor

Cost: Free limited version or free 3-day trial. Full version is $ 29.99/year.
Availability: iOS and Android

Prisma is designed for art lovers. It’s more than just filters; Prisma uses artificial intelligence to turn your photos into artworks inspired by the greatest artists in history. And unlike other apps, Prisma adds new filters every day.

General editing is also possible (as it is with most filter apps). Though I do miss the rotation tool to correct the horizon if needed.

7. PicsArt Photo Editor

Cost: 7-day free trial, then $ 34.99/year.
Availability: iOS and Android

PicsArt Photo Editor is one of the most versatile editing apps on the market. You have a powerful in-app camera, plus tools and presets to no end. You can do anything with PicsArt, from professional applications like time-lapse photography to fun stickers and drawing.

PicsArt Photo Editor also has social media integration, as well as thematic contests that will spark your creativity.

8. A Color Story

Cost: Free
Availability: iOS and Android

A Color Story is the perfect app to manage your Instagram account. You can do some basic editing and apply filters to your images and videos.

New filter collections based on current trends are added often, although most do need to be purchased separately.

You can even plan your Instagram feed with the Grid feature. In fact, you can use this just to see how the feed looks after each picture you add, or you can connect it to your Instagram account for scheduling posts. That’s why A Color Story is great for maintaining a unified Instagram feed – whether you are a photographer, influencer, or community manager.

9. Afterlight Photo Editor

Cost: Free
Availability: iOS and Android

Afterlight boasts 59 filters, 66 textures, and 77 frames for you to transform your images in a single click. Some of these tools are offered for a small fee, but there is also a wide variety of free, high-quality effects to choose from.

Afterlight can also handle basic editing tasks; the app has 15 tools to make most of the adjustments you’ll need.

The Crop tool is also quite versatile; it allows you to straighten, flip, and crop freehand and to many standard ratios.

10. Photo Lab Picture Editor

Cost: 3-day free trial, then $ 9.99/year or $ 4.99/month.
Availability: iOS and Android

Photo Lab is full of filters and effects; you can have fun or do some professional-looking work. You can even turn your photos into cartoons, and you can swap faces and make collages.

Photo Lab is an app designed to give free rein to your creativity. It’s also a social app with a big community of followers that’ll help you stay inspired.

Best apps for specialized editing

If you’re looking for the best photo-editing apps with dedicated features, this is the list for you:

11. Foodie

Cost: Free
Availability: iOS and Android

Although it has all the standard photo-editing tools, Foodie is designed primarily for food photography.

You can use Foodie’s in-app camera to take pictures (and you’ll get a live view of your selected filter). There are plenty of food filter series, including Fresh, BBQ, Yum, and more.

Once you’ve chosen a filter, you can compose your image using the smart grid. For flat lays, you’ll get a yellow band across the edges of the screen when the camera is perfectly level.

Foodie is only missing one key editing feature, but it’s a big one: a crop tool. You’ll either need to compose well from the beginning or have another photo editor on hand to deal with any cropping.

12. Photoshop Fix

Cost: Free
Availability: iOS and Android

This mobile version of Photoshop boasts Photoshop CC’s most popular portrait retouching tools. You get the main tools for basic retouching such as exposure, contrast, etc. And Photoshop Fix also offers a separate Light tool, which allows you to selectively adjust highlights and shadows.

But the real power is in the Liquify tool. With it, you can smooth the skin and even adjust expressions to make your subjects smile.

Photoshop Fix is free, but you will need to create an Adobe account.

13. SKRWT

Cost: $ 1.99
Availability: iOS and Android

If you like photographing architecture, real estate, or urban scenes, then you’re going to love SKRWT.

It’s a dedicated distortion-correction app, plus it has a powerful auto-cropping feature to ensure you get the best results.

And it corrects lens distortion regardless of whether the image was taken with an interchangeable lens camera, a GoPro, or your smartphone.

14. TouchRetouch

Cost: $ 2
Availability: iOS and Android

Removing unwanted objects from a photo is something we all have to deal with, no matter the genre of photography.

With TouchRetouch, you can use brush and lasso tools to select an object for removal. And if you’re removing a line (e.g., telephone wires in the background), you just need to tap; it will automatically be selected and removed.

TouchRetouch also has a clone tool, plus a feature called Quick Fix to remove blemishes. Many apps offer some kind of healing brush, but as a specialized app, TouchRetouch will get you the best results.

15. Photoshop Mix

Cost: Free
Availability: iOS and Android

If you aren’t a fan of other mobile versions of Photoshop, then you should try out Photoshop Mix.

You can work with layers to create cut-outs and photo composites. You can also work with texture overlays thanks to Photoshop Mix’s different blending modes.

As with the other Adobe apps on this list, you’ll need to create a (free) account to use Photoshop Mix, but you don’t need a subscription.

16. Motionleap (formerly Pixaloop)

Cost: Free limited version, or one of three paid choices: $ 3.50/month, $ 18/year, or a one-time purchase of $ 55.
Availability: iOS and Android

Have you seen pictures where everything is motionless – except for the water running or the coffee steam coming out of a cup? Well, Motionleap lets you create that effect with just a few taps and swipes.

You can also add filters, do some basic adjustments, and apply overlays. Keep in mind that the free version won’t let you export your projects and you won’t have all the tools available, so it’s worth considering a paid subscription.

17. Canva

Cost: Free
Availability: iOS and Android

If you use your photography for marketing purposes, then Canva is the app for you. It offers enough graphic design templates to fit your every need.

From creating an eye-catching Facebook post to designing an entire menu, Canva is intuitive and easy to use.

Many templates are free, though others must be purchased separately. Canva also has a browser version so you can access your projects on your computer, too.

Best photo-editing apps: final words

Well, that’s it:

The best photo-editing apps available in 2021! So start downloading your favorites.

And remember that you don’t need to pick just one; you can use two apps, three apps, or more to improve your editing workflow.

Do you like any other photo-editing apps? Are there apps that should be added to this list? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

FAQ

Are paid photo-editing apps better than free photo-editing apps?

No, there are excellent free choices such as Snapseed and Photoshop Express.

Should I have more than one editing app?

That depends on your needs. In my experience, it is useful to have different apps for different tasks.

What if I like smartphone photography but prefer to edit on my computer?

If you don’t like editing on your phone, you need to use an app that allows you to easily transfer pictures between your phone and your computer. You can use Lightroom for this (with an Adobe subscription). Another choice is to use a cloud service such as Dropbox.

What is the best photo-editing app?

I don’t think there’s one app that tops all the others; I think it’s about which one is best for you. That will depend on your phone, your budget, and your editing needs – plus your personal preference.

The post The 17 Best Photo-Editing Apps (in 2021) appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Ana Mireles.

Digital Photography School

Comments Off

Posted in Photography

Adobe apps not officially supported on Apple’s M1 chips using Rosetta 2, but native versions are coming

14 Nov

Earlier this week, Apple announced the first trio of Mac computers built using Apple’s own silicon. The new MacBook Air, 13″ MacBook Pro and Mac mini devices all use Apple’s new M1 chip. During the event, Apple announced that Adobe, among many other developers, is working on releasing new versions of its software that are compatible with the M1 chip.

As it turns out, these new M1-compatible versions will be critical for Adobe Lightroom users on the new Apple silicon Macs. On a dedicated page about Lightroom Classic compatibility with the upcoming macOS 11 operating system, Adobe warns that ‘Adobe apps run under Rosetta 2 emulation on Apple devices with Apple Silicon M1 processors is not officially supported.’ The company continues, ‘Native support is planned.’

Click to enlarge

Early adopters of the M1-powered Apple computers will have to do without official support for now. It is worth noting that at this point, Adobe hasn’t discovered any issues with running Lightroom Classic 10 under Rosetta 2 emulation, but as it is not officially supported, the user does assume non-zero risk. The MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac mini computers powered by the M1 chip are all available for order now ahead of a November 17 release.

In Apple’s presentation, embedded below, Senior Vice President, Craig Federighi, said Adobe is bringing Lightroom CC to its M1 computers in December and following it up with Photoshop in early 2021 (around the 18:10 timestamp).

While Photoshop and Lightroom are the primary apps for photographers in the Adobe ecosystem, the company has many other heavily-used apps, such as Premiere, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, and much more. As of writing, Adobe has not offered a timeline for other Adobe apps built for the M1 chip.

In case you missed Apple’s event on Tuesday, you can watch a replay of the stream below:

The Apple M1 chip promises massive performance gains over prior Intel chips. In the case of the M1-powered MacBook Air, Apple promises up to 3.5 times faster CPU performance and up to 5 times faster graphics. The MacBook Air also ditches a fan, offering a ‘silent design.’ The 13″ MacBook Pro maintains an active cooling system, offers up to 2.8 times faster CPU performance and up to 5 times faster GPU performance. With the M1 chip, the new Mac mini also sees massive gains. Its CPU is up to 3 times faster and the GPU is 6 times faster. The new computers start at $ 999 USD, $ 1,300 and $ 699 respectively. For the full details on the new machines, check out coverage from earlier this week.

Adobe has been hard at work developing native versions of its applications, including Photoshop shown here during the Apple presentation on November 10. In the presentation, seen further above, Adobe states that it has observed massive performance gains on Apple silicon.

The move to Apple silicon is a major one for Apple. The promised performance gains are hugely impressive on paper, and the foundation being built appears to be a strong one. Of course, software must be designed to take full advantage of the new silicon. Adobe certainly has the talent and resources to do so.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

Comments Off

Posted in Uncategorized

It will get much more difficult to use a non-stock camera with third-party apps in Android 11

21 Aug

The latest upcoming evolution of Android, version 11, will introduce a fairly small but unwanted change about which some smartphone owners are already complaining: elimination of the camera selection menu. Going forward, Android users will only be able to access the device’s pre-installed camera app when attempting to take a photo through a third-party app, something Google has confirmed and described as necessary for privacy and security.

Though Android devices come with a stock camera app, users have a huge number of alternative options available in the Play Store, including ones that feature ‘pro’ controls. When a user attempts to capture an image through a third-party app, such as an auction app that supports directly capturing images rather than uploading from the camera roll, they may be presented with a menu that asks which installed camera app should be used.

When the Android 11 update rolls out, however, this will change and users will no longer be given this option, as recently spied by Android Police. Instead, the third-party app will default to the device’s stock camera app. To get around this, users would have to first launch their preferred camera app, capture the images they need, then upload those images in the third-party app from the camera roll — a process that would take considerably longer than directly launching the desired app.

News of this change seems to have first surfaced on Reddit’s Android Dev community, where developers have expressed frustration and concerns about the restriction.

Google itself details this change on its Android Developer website, stating that, ‘Media intent actions require system default camera.’ In this case, ‘intent’ refers to the third-party app’s intent to capture an image, but its dependency on the device’s camera apps due to its own lack of built-in camera functionality.

When questioned about the change on its Issue Tracker website, a Google employee stated that the lack of third-party camera selection was an intended behavior and that despite potentially making things more complicated for developers, ‘we believe it’s the right trade-off to protect the privacy and security of our users.’

The idea is that while the Google Play Store takes steps to protect users from malicious apps, some still manage to get through to users. In addition, Android allows users to sideload apps that haven’t gone through the security vetting process, potentially putting themselves at risk. A malicious camera app may compromise the user’s privacy, gathering anything from images to location data.

Whether that risk is an adequate reason for restricting the third-party camera picker is a point of contention among developers. While some acknowledge the security benefits of ensuring users don’t accidentally use malicious third-party camera apps, others note that users are likely to blame developers for this restriction.

Beyond that, users are deprived of the freedom of choice that has made Android an appealing platform to many. Whereas Apple has historically restricted users in ways intended to protect their privacy, Android users have enjoyed more control over their devices, including the ability to load apps outside of the Google Play Store — even if it does come with risks that average users may not understand.

Some developers and users have expressed concerns that Google’s decision to restrict the camera picker in the name of security may indicate a wider change behind doors that could lead to additional restrictions in the future. Whether this ends up being the case is yet to be seen.

At this point in time, Google offers developers who are unhappy with this change an option for getting around it, but it would require them to have their apps directly check for other camera options by looking for their package names. This isn’t a terribly useful option as developers would have to choose which packages to look for ahead of time. If the developer fails to include the specific camera app the user wants to access, they’ll still end up using the stock camera app.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

Comments Off

Posted in Uncategorized

Great Android Apps for Adding Glitch Effects to Your Images

19 Aug

The post Great Android Apps for Adding Glitch Effects to Your Images appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Megan Kennedy.

In digital photography, glitches are usually avoided at all costs. However, there are some who welcome the whimsical aesthetic of glitch art. Here are four of the best Android apps that can be used to add artificial glitch effects to your images.

What is glitch art?

Generally, the word glitch refers to a visual or audio malfunction occurring in a media format.

Music, video games, and digital photography; all technology can succumb to glitches. While often viewed as an unwelcome occurrence, glitches have, over time, garnered a growing amount of creative interest. That’s where glitch art comes in.

Glitch effects example — Glitch art embraces the glitch as an artistic event spawned by the development of technology.

Glitch art is created by artists who embrace the nature of the glitch for its aesthetic and audible qualities. By either intentionally creating glitches or capturing them as they occur organically, artists elevate the status of the glitch from a technical irritation to an intriguing insight into the technology we surround ourselves with.

One of the earliest examples of glitch art was orchestrated by the art collective JODI. Founded by Joan Heemskert and Dirk Paesmans, JODI operated on experiments like deliberately causing errors on their website to evoke error messages. From there, artists have adopted the glitch aesthetic as a means of conveying ideas and exploring the technological landscape.

How is glitch art made?

Glitch art can be achieved in various ways.

For example, misalignment glitches are the result of a digital file being opened by a program that is ill-equipped to process that specific type of file.

Hardware failure glitches, on the other hand, are caused by tampering with the physical mechanisms of a machine itself.

Databending refers to the manipulation of file data with programs like hex editors.

The appreciation for glitch art has spread across the globe, with many glitch artists sharing their broad range of technical approaches to the format online. And with the growing number of glitch art apps available at little or no cost to the user, glitch effects have been an increasingly popular presence in art and social media.

Now let’s take a look at the best Android apps for creating glitch effects:

Glitch Lab

Glitch Lab operates on the central theme of being “simple to use yet at the same time endlessly configurable.” With an impressive amount of free presents and adjustments available to induce glitched imagery, all alterations can be tweaked with an easy-to-use interface, creating rich layers of visual chaos.

In addition, Glitch Lab offers some basic photo adjustments as well as a Generate function, which allows a user to generate glitch art from scratch, without the use of a photo as a starting point.

Glitch!

Simple to use and with a good amount of free features, Glitch! is one of the most popular glitch art apps available. With glitch effects like Scanner, Hacker, and Paintbrush, Glitch! realistically imitates manual glitching techniques. Premium functions include a Datamosh preset and video-based options.

Glitcho

The Glitcho app allows a user to glitch photos and videos in real-time, which can be handy for quick adjustments and previews. The app also offers a GIF-generating function, which animates some glitch effects applied to images.

Glitcho has a range of free glitch presets that can be applied to both photos and videos. The app also offers additional glitch effects that can be unlocked by watching ads or by upgrading to Glitcho Pro.

EZGlitch

Like Glitcho, EZGlitch provides glitch effects to create glitched photography and videography in real-time. The in-app purchases available in EZGlitch are balanced by the range of filters on offer at no charge to the user.

EZGlitch is also equipped with a simple-to-use Auto GIF function to generate animated glitchy GIF or MP4 files to save and share.

Conclusion

If you’ve recently looked for glitch-based editing apps on the Play Store, you’ll have seen a myriad of different options on offer.

While it may take some trial and error to find the glitch app that works best for you, these four apps are a great entry point, allowing for quick and easy glitch effects on your Android device.

The post Great Android Apps for Adding Glitch Effects to Your Images appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Megan Kennedy.

Digital Photography School

Comments Off

Posted in Photography

Adobe updates Creative Cloud video and audio apps, adds GPU-accelerated encoding, ProRes RAW support and more

20 May

Adobe has released updates for a variety of its software products, including major updates to Adobe Premiere Pro. Adobe Premiere Pro version 14.2 includes GPU acceleration for encoding on Windows, promising export speeds up to five times faster than encoding performed using only the CPU.

For Nvidia and AMD GPUs which support hardware encoding, the new versions of Premiere Pro, Media Encoder, After Effects and Audition on Windows promise vastly improved performance when exporting files. Of the new update, Adobe senior engineering manager Manish Kulkarni says, ‘With new support for NVIDIA GPUs on Windows, exports are hardware accelerated leveraging the power of the GPU to make Premiere Pro more powerful and keep video creators productive and nimble.’

‘This graph shows encoding speeds gains using hardware-based encoding with an NVIDIA RTX 5000 GPU. With the addition of AMD and NVIDIA support on Windows, hardware encoding is now available across all modern macOS and PC systems.’ Image and caption credit: Adobe

Adobe has also introduced ProRes RAW support in Premiere Pro and After Effects on Windows, a very welcomed change that’s been a long time coming. The graphics workflow in Premiere Pro has also been enhanced through the addition of an improved Pen tool with better support for Bezier curves. This will allow users to more easily create lines and shapes.

Further, in After Effects, motion graphics artists have new tapered shape strokes to use when creating animations and designs. There are also new repeating concentric shape parameters and Mask/Shape cursor indicators.

In addition to faster encoding through hardware acceleration on Windows, users can also expect faster Auto Reframe across all devices. Utilizing its artificial intelligence, Adobe Sensei, Auto Reframe now automatically reformats and repositions video across varying aspect ratios. Speaking of aspect ratios, Adobe Premiere Rush users will now be able to automatically resize projects to the 4:5 aspect ratio frequently used for Facebook and Instagram videos.

‘Auto Reframe in Premiere Pro uses Adobe Sensei AI to reposition video within different aspect ratios. The feature is now twice as fast.’ Image and caption credit: Adobe

On the workflow side of things, Adobe has added support for audio files within Creative Cloud Libraries, which allows users to save, organize and share audio assets for easier access through the CC Libraries panel. For macOS users, automatic audio hardware switching has been added to After Effects, Media Encoder, Audition, Character Animator, Prelude, Premiere Pro and Premiere Rush. This means that when changing audio devices, Adobe applications will now automatically switch to the current hardware.

Improving software performance and stability is Adobe’s top priority. Alongside today’s updates, Adobe has published a new blog post outlining the various efforts the company and its engineers have made over the past year. Further, as many performance updates depend upon the user’s hardware, Adobe has also expanded its research into crash reports and how users are taking advantage of the company’s suite of software. If you are interested in learning more about the performance gains introduced with today’s update and becoming part of Adobe’s expanding public beta program for future updates, be sure to read the new post.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

Comments Off

Posted in Uncategorized

Hasselblad updates its desktop, mobile Phocus image processing apps

02 Apr

Hasselblad has released an update to its Phocus image processing applications for both desktop and mobile devices. Phocus 3.5 for desktop brings a number of new and improved features, while the Phocus Mobile 2 update is more incremental with only a few small changes.

Phocus 3.5

Phocus version 3.5 brings a number of new tools and features, including. Specifically, Hasselblad has added a new defringe tool for removing green and purple fringes. The tool will automatically detect and correct for fringing, but also offers manual controls for more precise edits. The brightness and contrast adjustments have also been updated with ‘enhanced algorithms’ that should create more precise tonal adjustments than previous versions.

Hasselblad has also added a new ‘Luma Mode’ to the curves tool for controlling the luminosity of an image with less impact on the colors of an image compared to using the RGB curve mode. Finally, to smooth things out, Hasselblad has increased GPU usage within Phocus 3.5, which should help increase performance, specifically when viewing and exporting high-resolution images. Hasselblad notes the ‘Extended GPU usage option’ must be active within the settings/preferences in order to get the boost from your computer’s GPU.

Phocus Mobile 2 version 1.0.1

Phocus Mobile 2 version 1.0.1 makes only a few changes. In addition to general performance improvements, Hasselblad has also added lens correction support for its XCD 45P and added the ability to zoom and scroll around images immediately after they’re loaded into the viewer within the app.

Phocus Mobile 2 is available on iOS and iPadOS. Hasselblad has an overview video walking through the core functionality of the app if you want to familiarize yourself with the app.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

Comments Off

Posted in Uncategorized

Apple’s latest beta suggests ProRes RAW support for Adobe apps is coming to Windows

31 Mar

Apple has released a version 1.0 beta of ProRes Raw for Windows that adds support for Apple’s video codec in several Adobe apps on Microsoft’s operating system.

In the support text accompanying the download, Apple says the beta release ‘enables playback of ProRes RAW and ProRes RAW HQ video files in compatible applications on Windows systems.’ This includes Adobe After Effects, Adobe Media Encoder, Adobe Premiere and Adobe Premiere Rush.

Assuming this support makes it out of beta and expands to other applications, this could help to make ProRes Raw a more useful standard for video work. The download, which comes in at 737KB, is available to download on Apple’s support page.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

Comments Off

Posted in Uncategorized

6 Great and Free Photo Editing Apps on the OnePlus Phone and Android

12 Jan

The post 6 Great and Free Photo Editing Apps on the OnePlus Phone and Android appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Megan Kennedy.

As a OnePlus user and a photographer, you can bet I’ve spent a good deal of time wading through the many photo-editing apps free to download through Google Play. Here, I take a brief look at 6 great (and free) editing apps on the OnePlus phone.

The OnePlus

Relatively new to the scene, you may never have heard of the OnePlus before. One Plus Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (referred to as OnePlus) is a Chinese phone manufacturer founded in December 2013. Known for its slogan never settle, OnePlus released the OnePlus One smartphone in 2014. Since then there have been numerous incarnations of the OnePlus family, the most recent being the OnePlus 7T Pro.

OnePlus smartphones run on the Android operating system (OS). That means that most editing apps accessible to the OnePlus phone are available to all other smartphones with an Android OS (like the Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy range for example).

While I’ll be exploring the next couple of editing applications on my own OnePlus phone, the apps I go into are available for all Android systems.

My (slightly beaten up) OnePlus 5T

6. VSCO

editing-apps-on-the-one-plus-phone-VSCO

VSCO (Visual Supply Company), is both a photo-editing and social media app aimed at the photographically-inclined. Sometimes compared to Instagram, VSCO is best known for its high-quality filters. The basic VSCO version is free, but only 10 filters are available without paying $ 7.99 a month (or $ 31.99/year) for a VSCO membership.

While the filters that are available for free are definitely a cut above (and certainly worth the download), users looking for cheaper alternatives may turn elsewhere for greater flexibility. Personally, I’ve found that more often than not, the 10 free filters suit my needs just fine. The quality and variety of the free filters make VSCO my go-to for a quick filter fix.

5. Bonfire Photo Editor Pro

diting_apps_on_the_oneplus_phone_Bonfire

Bonfire Photo Editor Pro is an app paired with an easy-to-use layout. However, it’s the sizeable variety of features that come with Bonfire that makes this app especially attractive.

Along with standard filters, Bonfire has numerous options that allow you to add artistic effects to your photos. Pop art, oil painting, and impressionist presets are all available, as well as, skin smoothing filters and adjustment settings like contrast, vibrance and brightness.

If you are after a casual editor or a way to play around with arty effects, Bonfire Photo Editor Pro is a fun option.

4. Snapseed

6 Great and Free Photo Editing Apps on the OnePlus Phone and Android

Loaded with heaps of presets and manipulation tools, Snapseed is marketed as a free, professional-grade photo editor. Exposure adjustments, lens effects, filters, a healing tool, and a correction brush all come packaged within the Snapseed app. Plus, a double exposure function enables the combination of two or more photographs to create a ghostly image effect.

With over 100 million downloads, Snapseed is a favorite among photographers and casual users alike. Snapseed was one of my first editing apps on the OnePlus phone. It has since earned a spot in my most frequently used apps tray.

3. PicsArt

6 Great and Free Photo Editing Apps on the OnePlus Phone and Android

Although many features in PicsArt are in-app purchases, the app still supports basics like cropping, filters, artistic effects, facial definition and drawing without cost. What sets PicsArt apart, however, is the AI-generated filters available for free. Called Magic, the PicsArt effects transform an image to fit themes like Flora, Highlight and Plein Air.

Immersive and intelligent, photographers may not find professional uses for these effects, but they are great fun to mess around with.

2. Adobe Photoshop Express

editing_apps_on_the_oneplus_phone_photoshop

For editing apps on the OnePlus phone, Adobe Photoshop Express is extensive. Features like perspective correction, noise reduction, filters, effects (including artificial light leaks and bokeh effects), exposure adjustments, text options, and blemish removal are all found on the user-friendly UI.

The app has over 90 filters available, with substantial variation within each grouping.

To cater to social media trends, Photoshop Express has a collage function and the option to add stickers and borders to images. It also includes an extensive range of aspect ratios for cropping your images to precise dimensions.

1. Fotor

editing_apps_on_the_oneplus_phone_fotor

With plenty of filters and adjustments at the ready, Fotor is great for getting the most out of an image. The app comes with standard essentials like contrast, sharpness, shadow, highlight, and color temperature adjustments.

In addition, scene filters optimized for specific lighting conditions and subjects streamline the editing process. An intuitive focus function adjusts blur in aperture increments and a range of borders and stickers and a collage function meets social media design trends.

Conclusion

There are plenty of editing apps on the OnePlus phone (and for phones running the Android OS generally) to download. With so many options for free, it can take a bit of experimentation to figure out what works best for your process.

The apps I’ve listed are my personal top 6 – if you have a favorite app that isn’t on the list, go ahead and mention it in the comments below! Happy editing!

The post 6 Great and Free Photo Editing Apps on the OnePlus Phone and Android appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Megan Kennedy.

Digital Photography School

Comments Off

Posted in Photography

Necessary Apps for Your Photography Business

17 Dec

The post Necessary Apps for Your Photography Business appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darina Kopcok.

The key to becoming a successful photographer these days is business skills. It’s not always talent that sets a photographer apart. Knowing how to market your work and stay organized and efficient is what most allows a photographer to thrive in today’s competitive photographic market. Luckily there are so many applications that can help you do that. Here is a summary of ten necessary apps for your photography business.

Dubsado

Dubsado is a CRM system designed for creatives. This app has an attractive and easy to use interface that helps you keep track of projects, create a client list, and track when you have contacted them.

You can also keep track of your invoices, your Chart of Accounts, and integrate it with your Google calendar. You can create email templates, questionnaires, and photography packages.

The biggest bonus Dubsado offers is that it allows you to create contracts, releases and user agreements from within the software and send it out for a signature. Contract signature software like Hello Sign can cost you almost as much on a monthly basis as Dubsado, without all of the additional benefits.

Necessary Apps for Your Photography Business

Evernote

Evernote is not specifically for photographers. Rather, it’s a complete organization system.

It allows you to keep track of your business projects, personal and professional notes, and search for PDFs, images and scanned documents quickly. Evernote automatically syncs across all devices.

You can quickly snap a picture of your receipts and upload it directly to Evernote so you can have electronic copies that won’t fade with time as paper receipts do. This is very important if you happen to be the subject of a tax audit down the road.

Basically, Evernote is a robust tool to help you live a more paperless life.

Like many apps, there is a free plan but you can upgrade for extended features. The most popular plan is the Premium plan, which integrates with Google Drive and communication tools like Slack.

Necessary Apps for Your Photography Business

Blink Bid

If you’re a commercial photographer, Blink Bid is a must for estimating and invoicing jobs professionally. Used by photographers and larger agencies and production companies alike, Blink Bid offers several pricing packages. Most photographers will benefit from their cheapest package, which is only $ 16 a month, or $ 14 a month when paid annually.

In addition to a clickable list of line items you can add to your estimates, it also allows you to create usage licenses with their Usage Builder, or customize Terms and Conditions.

Blink Bid allows you to share with agents, producers, and other collaborators. You can also track your receipts and manage your budget.

Not sure you want to commit? You can sign-up for a free 14-day trial with no credit card required.

Necessary Apps for Your Photography Business

Prodibi

There are several apps available for sharing your work with clients, varying in quality and cost. Based in Switzerland, Prodibi is a top-tier app that allows you to display your high-resolution images and transfer them at full speed.

It also features a Capture One plug-in to get client feedback in full resolution.

The color management, image compression, and responsiveness are unbeatable.

You can also build a one-page portfolio to showcase your work in high quality with full zoom.

Prodibi offers free and paid options.

Necessary Apps for Your Photography Business

Shootproof

Shootproof is a great app to have if you shoot consumer photography like family portraits or weddings.

It’s an app that allows you to create beautiful online galleries and slideshows that align with your branding and style. It also offers several tools for business management, such as contracts and invoicing.

You can also create price sheets, packages, and discounts, and there is a self-fulfillment option that will allow you to work with partner labs such as Miller’s and ProDPI.

There is a free option that will allow you to upload up to 100 images. However, there are four other tiers you can choose from, depending on how many images you plan on uploading.

Necessary Apps for Your Photography Business

Sun Seeker

If you shoot outdoors, Sun Seeker in an important app to have downloaded on your smartphone or iPad.

Whether you’re a wedding photographer or shooting landscapes – or even some commercial projects – there are many situations where you’ll need to know where the sun will be situated at a certain time. It will help you plan your Golden Hour shoots, or be prepared to take beautiful sunrise photos in the mountains.

The app uses GPS, magnometer, and gyroscope to find the sun and solar path at any location. You can choose and any date to view what the sun path and position will be.

Sun Seeker is available for iPhone, android and iPad. For an overview, check out this link on Youtube.

Necessary Apps for Your Photography Business

Google Earth

For photographers doing location scouting, Google Earth is an incredibly valuable resource to have. It will allow you to explore worldwide satellite imagery, and the buildings and terrain of hundreds of cities.

Looking for an out-of-the-way spot for romantic engagement photos? Google Earth will help. Check out streets and landscapes before you go, and plan the details of your shoots well in advance so you don’t end up with surprises.

Easy Release

Whether you photograph models, buildings or other types of property, or if you want to license images with recognizable people in them through stock sites, you’ll need a model release.

Easy Release is an app that will help you to grab signatures on the go using your smartphone. No more needing to remember to have paper copies on hand that could get lost. You can collect the signatures and data you need on your device, automatically saving it to PDF and JPEG.

These releases are also accepted by the major stock sites, such as Getty and Shutterstock.

Necessary Apps for Your Photography Business

Sylights

One super-useful app to have is one that allows you to create lighting diagrams. This is where Sylight comes in. It’s free and simple to use.

If a regular client asks you to create a previous lighting scenario, having a diagram handy can help you out of a pinch if you can’t remember what you did.

To create a diagram, simply right click to add lights, modifiers, and subjects to your set. You can do this without an account, but signing-up will give you access to some premium features.

Wave

Accounting is often the thorn in every photographer’s side.

Luckily, Wave is a small business bookkeeping app that makes it a lot easier with a user-friendly interface and a variety of tools to help you simplify the process. The features that most photographers will need come for free, with no set-up fees or hidden charges.

The ability to run payroll is a paid-for service with Wave. You can also accept payments on a pay-per-use basis. Credit card processing is 2.9% + 30 cents per transaction. Bank payments are 1% per transaction.

Not only can you create professional invoices with Wave, but you can also integrate your business bank account and credit card, which will allow you to track expenses and generate reports, such as your Profit & Loss, Cash Flow, and General Ledger.

Necessary Apps for Your Photography Business

Conclusion

In reality, there are so many apps that can help you in your business as a photographer. This is just a recommended few that you might find helpful.

If there are any apps for your photography business that you find invaluable, let us know in the comments below.

The post Necessary Apps for Your Photography Business appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Darina Kopcok.

Digital Photography School

Comments Off

Posted in Photography