iPhone App Review: FX Reel: Mono
Monday, August 10, 2009 at 11:00AM | Glyn Evans 
FX Reel: Mono is from the same developer as iFlashReady, which as anyone who regularly follows this blog is one of my favourite apps, so when they released FX Reel: Mono I had high hope for it, but were my hopes dashed? Well read on and you will find out.
Developers description
As if you are viewing set of film negative strip, FX Reel wraps 12 distinctive effects into a fresh "Reel" user interface.
By simply sliding the reel you will discover 9 creative Black and White effects, 3 Sepia effects, and 3 Cyanotype effects all with different levels of local contrast and other settings.
Tap on the image to view full size; or simply save the result to Camera Roll. Discover the side of your own photos you have never noticed before!
The App
Like Imaging Luminary's other app iFlashReady has a simple to use interface. Launch the app and at the splash screen you presented with the option to load a photo from your Photo Albums. Select the photo and the app begins processing it and converting it to a mono image, and then finally loads it into the app. Once loaded and to apply the 12 effects just slide your finger up and down the film strip to pass it through "Reel" interface, and watch each effect applied in real time to your photo. When you have selected the mono effect you're looking for, whether it be Sepia, Cyanotype or Black and White, simply stop the "Reel" and touch the SD card icon and select save.
So what did I think of the App?
In a word "disappointing". Not because of the effects, these are like most mono apps for the iPhone, with effect almost as good as that of Carbon Copy, and not because of the interface, as this is nice and simple; no it was the output size, which was a very very poor 240 x 320, making this app useless for all but displaying on your iPhone.
I am very surprised that the developer has done this, and something I hope will be rectified in the next release, and because of this I can only give FX Reel: Mono 1 star out of 5.
AppStore Link: FX Reel: Mono - Price £1.19/$1.99
FX Reel: Mono in iPhone App Review
Reader Comments (2)
Well, I guess I saved a bit of money for now. How these developers cannot understand that we want the full resolution is amazing.
$2 for a few effects that can already be found in Cool fx for .99? Why do these guys even bother?