New iPhone Photo App: Digital Focus

OK, this app is not really that new, it has been out for a couple of weeks now, but I had forgotten to post about it, but anyway, here it is, including a mini review.

App Store Description: This is a camera application that allows you to create artistic pictures with blur and focus, just like taking a picture with a SLR camera.

Three main points

1. Blur the background and focus on the subject like taking a picture with a SLR camera.
2. Apply the Toy Camera-style effect to a picture.
3. Create a picture just like making the scene into a miniature world.

Four main features

Processing:

• Select from 4 focus shapes (circle, rectangle, oval, without focus)
• Adjust focus size (change the size of focused area)
• Adjust contrast within 3 colors (adjusting red, green and blue colors create toy camera-style effects)
• Adjust brightness
• Adjust vividness
• Control vignetting (add or remove light fall-off at the lens's edges)

Settings:

• Select startup screen (launch camera, select from Album, etc.)
• Save original image (automatically save the original picture before editing)
• Miniature mode (fix focus horizontally, preset the color adjustment value)
• Save the previous color adjustment value
• Sound ON/OFF
• Select image size: iPhone3G (480x640, 960x1280, or original size); iPhone3GS/iPhone 4 (480x640, 960x1280, 1440x1920, or original size)

Load:

• Take pictures with iPhone camera
• Load an image from Photo Album

Save:

• Save to Album
• Send by email

Notes:

• The blur effect is created by editing an image. The result is not the same as the effect of a real SLR camera.
• To make a better miniature image, use a photo taken from a high angle to simulate the effect of looking down on a miniature.
• This application doesn't support multitasking.

App Store Link: Digital Focus; Price: £0.59/$0.99/€0.79

Editors comments: Digital Focus is like TiltShift Generator, in that it allows you to create fake miniature or selective focus photos on your iPhone using a Tilt-Shift like technique, and just like TiltShift Generator, Digital Focus offers a left to right workflow experience.

The App

Launch the app, and the workflow begins, giving you the option to either take or load a photo from the photo album.

On first launch it is worth checking out the settings menu, and configuring the app to meet your needs.  For me, I do not plan using the app to take photos, only load them from the album, which is an option that can be set, along with full-res.

Now you've configured the app to meet your needs, lets get back to the app and the workflow.

Having launched the app and loaded your photo, you are automatically taken to step 2 in the workflow, and this is to select the type of focus your would like to apply. At this screen you can select a circular, parallel or oval focus, or even no focus, although I'm not sure why you would choose this.  Having selected your focus type, just as with TiltShift Generator, you position the focus point and focal size with you finger and slider.

Having selected and positioned the focus type/point, it's time to move to the next step, which is colour.  Here you can fine tune any colour casts or increase a colour by adjusting the red, green or blue colour sliders.

After completing any colour changes you may want to make, it's time to adjust the brightness, saturation, or add an edge (vignette), and this can all be done on the brightness screen.

Once you happy with the result, all that remains, is to either save or email the photo (note there is no social networking integration with this app), and this is done by simply tapping the save icon at the end of the workflow.

So what do I think of Digital Focus?

Overall this is a nice app, that is easy to use, and despite not offering social networking integration, is an app that will give TiltShift Generator a run for its money.

Comments

[psikat]

Good app indeed: with the various added features, it's like an upgraded version of Tiltshift Generator. However, the vignetting is way too 'hard' and harsh when turned up.
Overall, I'd put it in the top two slots among the crop of tiltshift simulators.