New iPhone Photo App: Old Photo Reel

Description from the AppStore: 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!

AppStore Link: Old Photo Reel - Price £0.59/$0.99

Editors comments: Old Photo Reel is the same app as FX Reel: Mono which I reviewed back last August 2009.  From the developer of iFlashReady, which for a long time was my recommended image correction app, Old Photo Reel, like its twin, FX Reel: Mono, has a nice easy to use interface along with some nice mono results, but just like FX Reel: Mono, it saves at a pathetic 480 x 360 pixels!!  When I bought this app, I was a bit skeptical, as on the face of it, it looked like a remake of FX Reel: Mono, but I had hoped for full-res support, but I was wrong and right at the same time.  Wrong for thinking it would support full-res, right for thinking it was a remake of FX Reel: Mono.

I am not going to rate this app, as I feel badly let down by what used to be an excellent developer, and one that had told me they wanted to produce the best photo apps available for the iPhone.  Not only do I feel let down, but as this app is nothing more that a renamed FX Reel: Mono, I also feel ripped off, so my advise would be, "don't waste your money on this app".

iPhone App Review: FX Reel: Mono

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 promo codes

Please note: as with all promo codes you will need a US iTunes account to redeem these promo codes.

I have 5x promo codes for FX Reel: Mono up for grabs, so if you want one then make your request in the comments section and I will select at random 5 lucky winners.

New iPhone Photo App: FX Reel: Mono

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
• 3 Cyanotype effects

....and 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.

AppStore Link: FX Reel: Mono - Price £1.19/$1.99