Coming soon, Photogene² for the iPhone

Photogene², the successor to the popular Photogene iPhone app is about to hit the App Store, and for those interested, here's a sneak peak of what to expect.

For those of you wondering, Photogene² is NOT an update to Photogene, so existing users will sadly have to pay again if they want this new version. Photogene² is due to hit the App Store this Thursday, the 10th November, and will be priced at £0.69/$0.99/€0.79 for the first week of release.

Update on Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 8:16PM by Glyn Evans

To soften the blow, if you're an existing user/owner of the original Photogene, then when you install and run Photogene² for the first time, you will have the option of getting 1 of 3 in-app purchase options for FREE.

"When you launch Photogene² for the first time you'll see a popup message asking you to choose one of 3 gifts.

This message will only be shown if the old version of Photogene is installed on your device."

Comments

[Skip Hunt]

I bought the first one and although I HATE it when devs improve their apps and want you to pay again, this looks good enough at $.99 that I'll likely get it. Looks like they ripped off several good apps, and then improved them. Sure wish they'd just make this app Universal though.

I hope this app can truly handle hi-res above 3/5MP. Didn't notice any res claims in the description though.

[Sleep]

"existing users will sadly have to pay again if they want this new version"
" I HATE it when devs improve their apps and want you to pay again"

Do people really expect to pay $1 or $2 for an app and get free upgrades till the end of time? Why do iOS app buyers have such an inflated sense of entitlement? Maybe you guys should get a job where you're paid $1 the first day and then expected to keep showing up for work every day for free? Ridiculous.

[Suzé]

Like the fact it has collage options. If it saves high res, it looks like a great go-to editing app. Now I will be spending the next day or so obsessively checking the AppStore. It's pathetic, this addiction to photo apps. I think I'm an app hoarder.

[Glyn Evans]

@Sleep, don't get me wrong, I have no problem in paying for updates of this nature, after all, we're not talking tens or hundreds of pounds/dollars.

[Espekayen]

I like the look of this; it appears to be a combination of several popular photo apps rolled into one. 69p seems like a very reasonable price; as an owner of the original Photogene app, I have no problem with paying for updates providing the update is worth paying for and the developer supports their product. Too many developers these days are quite happy to churn out rubbish and take your money, but offer no updates and no support.

Anyway, Photogene2 looks like it might be packed full of features, although it wouldn't surprise me if some of the features shown in the video are IAP only. Again, I'm happy to pay the small asking price if it's something I will use.

Glyn, just a thought: have you ever considered doing a piece on the photo apps which you personally use? I know I wouldn't be the only person interested in which photo apps you have installed and which you rate highly. I think your readers would find it useful. Cheers.

[Skip Hunt]

The field is really getting crowded with photo editing apps. Then when the devs make them free after you've bought them, or charge again every time they have a major update.... Well, I think it's getting old. I've bought A LOT of apps and many of them have been abandoned by the devs. Or, they just reform a new company and release a new version of the improved app under a new name, etc.

I haven't used photogene in over a year for anything but quick image resize. This update looks to be big enough to warrant a fresh charge (unless those goodies are mostly IAPS).

As an app consumer, I'm pretty much moving toward only buying apps from devs with some history of respecting their customer base. Snapseed bugged the heck out of me when they made their app free just a couple days after I'd paid full price, but I have to say that the updates have been regular and significant. I'd say that about photoforge2 as well.

[darren]

Looks impressive enough

[Nox Dineen]

I don't own Photogene but I'll definitely own Photogene 2. Looks very comprehensive and the UI looks pretty cool.

[ILAR]

$0.99 towards Photogene2 is a no-brainer, compared to the $1.99 that went to SuperRetro

[Miege]

Buy what you need, not what's cheap.

[Angus MacFrankenstein]

Judging by the what I see in the video versus what I see when I open my copy of Photogene, I'd say the changes are enough to justify the price for this new app. Don't know if I'm going to jump in immediately, as it does look like there is a lot there that I've already got elsewhere, but it looks like a good effort.

I wonder, will the original Photogene remain available, or will it be replaced in the iTunes store by Photogene^2?

[Rob]

While I admit, I'm not crazy about the trend where certain apps stop development and then start over with a V2 version that users have to buy all over again, the truth of the matter is, we're lucky to get the quality of apps we have for our iPhones at such cheap prices. I think we're going to see a lot more of this happening.

That being said... if this app works the way it looks like it does... hey, that's more than worth a few bucks.

I haven't found the holy grail of iPhoneography editor apps yet (though I certainly haven't tried them all), but Photogene2 is looking pretty promising.

At some point, I'd love to see an article written here comparing the different editor apps with pros and cons of each. There are a bunch of really good ones, and it looks like here comes another.

[Greg Mills]

I bought it just a little after midnight last night, selected the "pro" upgrade and have been playing with it this morning. I owned the original Photogene but was never really impressed with it. I thought the new version looked great in the video.

The new interface does look a lot better but I don't find to be intuitive in practice. It's easy to lose your place when you're several layers deep into the controls. The UI often takes over 50% of the screen space. Some controls that I would expect to find, I can't. There are a lot of new features but some of them feel half-baked.Some of the filters and effects seem a little heavy-handed to me and don't have any obvious way to tune them.

I'll keep playing with it while I wait on the emminent Glyn review. Right now, it doesn't look like Photogene2 will replace PhotoForge2 or Filterstorm on my phone.

[Ron Franks]

Thanks for the post Greg. I'm thinking that $6.98 for the app with the Pro upgrade was a bit steep. A glowing review would have changed that, so I'm glad I held out. I'll hold out for a discount of some sort in the not to distant future before purchasing.

[darren]

Just got Photogene 2

I'm impressed!

[Mr Tmney]

WTF?

How much $$$ are these in-app upgrade purchases?

Because I was certainly prepared to drop $0.99 on the app & another $0.99x2 on in-app upgrades with the 3rd being free as a previous customer.... BUT if @ Ron Franks comment stating the app will cost $6.99 rather than the $2.99 total I was expecting to pay.... is a complete & utter JOKE! I wouldn't pay that out right with every feature included or not. THAT IS A COMPLETE SCAM !!! INSANE OVER PRICED RIP-OFF!!!

[Mr Tmney]

Attn: Omer Shoor

YOU JUST LOST A PREVIOUS LOYAL CUSTOMER! SPENDING $7 IN TOTAL FOR Photogene2 TO BE A PRO-VERSION... WILL NEVER EVER EVER HAPPEN ON YOUR BEST DAY!!! SO BECAUSE OF THAT I WILL NOT EVER WASTE $0.99 ON THE Pre-Purchase HALF EMPTY SKELETON OF Photogene2. I AM ABSOLUTELY LIVID!

DO NOT BUY THIS ::: OVER-PRICED RIP-OFF ::: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Tomba]

@Mr Tmney
I had the old version on my phone and downloaded the new version today.
After starting photogene2 i was able to choose upgrade to "Pro" for free as promised.
So keep cool. For 0.99 you get all you need.
Its a good deal for us old customers!

I will never need the frames and collage inapp options. Cant tell if the pro upgrade is necessary because i had no time to play around. But you are right 6.99 for the know feature of Pro is too much.

[Tomba]

@all
Strongly recommend the upgrade and/or a buy for new customers!

The SENSATION is the build in camera with LIVE VIEW of the choosen filter (your can choose from 27 including 4 black and white filters!)
Even with the filter the camera is fast so you dont have to wait for the next shot.
And it saves in full resolution (iphone 4s) directly into camera roll!

[darren]

not sure what the issue is here.. i bought it for 69p, and never saw the option to choice 1 of 3 upgrades, but it seems to be fully working.
Only option I can see is buy more collage templates or frames. neither of which I will.
I assume it just upgraded to Pro instantly, as I seem to have full functionality of everything else.
I like it