iPhone App Review: FotoMuse by Matt Burrows

Though I haven’t used PhotoShop for the better part of a year, one of my favorite PhotoShop plug-ins was Extensis’ PhotoFrame. The point was simple: add borders to photographs. The results, due in large part to the variety of borders available, were impressive. Sure, there are those that may scoff, “You’re only adding borders. How much of a difference can that make?” But I guess I’m one of those who appreciate the subtleties of photography—of art.

And so too do Web Urban, the development team behind FotoMuse. With FotoMuse, Web Urban have not only set out to provide users with a variety of borders and layers that they can add to their photos, but, more importantly, they have provided users with a chance to create stunning pieces of art.

However, though the goal is grandiose and the results are often impressive, there are some concerns I have about the current version of the app, which I hope will be addressed in future updates.

Application Description (from App Store):

“FotoMuse is a single place where you can import any photo from your album and make it look like a work of art in under 20 seconds. The images you process in FotoMuse can be anything from dark and grainy to colorful and nostalgic. Crop, resize, and mix your images with artifacts from old photos, vintage edged film, and many other options.”

FotoMuse Options:

• Import photos from Camera Roll. Note: You cannot take photos with this app.
• Adjust color and gray of photo. This is optional.
• Apply one of 17 borders to your photo. This is optional.
• Apply one of 21 layer effects to your photo. This is optional.
• Save new photo to your Camera Roll.

Impressions:

I was eager to let my imagination run wild and test out this app to see what I could produce. However, though the UI (user interface) is simple enough to maneuver through, I did have some legitimate concerns about the functionality of each step and, as a result, think it best to discuss my impressions in conjunction with the related editing step:

Step #1: Import and “Crop” Photo from Camera Roll

Per the developer: You can “Import an image using the Album button on the Capture Tab screen. You will be presented with the option to move and crop your image. This will not effect your original.”

• Cropping: Simply put, the app did not crop the image correctly. To me, the given box denotes where the cropping should occur. Note my son’s hand/fingers on my wife’s neck in the above picture. The resulting picture is not cropped accordingly. Though a little of his thumb is visible, the rest of my son’s fingers been cropped out. Add to that the fact that most of my wife’s ear has gone missing as well. 
• Also, it’s worth noting that FotoMuse doesn’t simply “crop” the image—it zooms in on it. As a result, there is a noticeable loss in photo quality.
• Finally, if you import photos taken in landscape format, the app rotates them 90 degrees. I realize the rotation might be necessary to ensure proper fit in a given “border,” but it would be nice to have the option to rotate it back to its original position after all editing has been made. Currently, the landscape photograph remains rotated and I had to actually import it into a separate app to rotate it back to landscape position.

Step #2: Contrast/Edit (optional)

• “Color+” and “Gray+” allow you to increase the color and gray, but there is not an option to decrease the color and gray once they have been increased. It’s frustrating as you experiment with photos to not have a decrease or undo option alongside the increase. As a result, if I decided that I wanted to remove the last boost of color or gray I had applied, the only option is to exit, start over, and make sure I don’t press Color+ or Gray+ as many times as I did before.

Step #3: Apply a Border (optional)

• Once the Borders tap is pressed, the photograph becomes the background. Simply swipe to the left and the first border is applied. Don’t like it, keep swiping. It’s that simple. If you decide you don’t want a border, simply swipe to the right and the last screen is the original photo without a border.
• From old film borders to the more avant-garde like torn paper edges, there are currently 17 borders that represent a wide variety of aesthetics. What you won’t find are more traditional borders (e.g. wooden frames). To me, this is a plus. There are plenty of apps out there for people who want borders that look like actual picture frames. FotoMuse provides something unique.
• But do the borders do too much? My only gripe with the Borders option is that they do more than just apply borders. Most of the borders in FotoMuse also contain a filter that alters the entire photo instead of just the surrounding edge/border. To clarify, I’ve provided two photos.Above: Original iPhone photo, as it appears in FotoMuseAbove: Photo with border applied, as it appears in FotoMuse

I love this border, but I don’t like the brownish tint that is applied to the photo when I apply the border. I think it would make more sense to just offer borders in the Borders tab and save the layer effects (e.g. brown tint) for selection in the Layers tab. It’s also worth noting that a brown tint is already an option in the Layers tab.

Step #4: Apply a Layer Effect (optional)

• Again, the ease of swiping between layer effects is well executed.
• As with the Borders tab, there are a wide variety of 21 layer effects to choose from. These are equally impressive and represent a wide variety of choices.

Step #5: Save New Photo

• Once finished, with the press of a button, you can save your newly altered photo to your Camera Roll.
• It is worth noting that, currently, there is not an option to adjust the image output size.

Sample Photograph:

Though I have some concerns about the app, the ease of use cannot be overstated. The example below took a minute to create. Again, this app allows users to express their artistic sensibilities and the potential results are numerous and unique. I’ve included the example below to provide a very small..very small…sample of what is possible.

Above: Original iPhone photoAbove: Photo with border and layer effects appliedSome additional examples can be seen at Web Urban’s FaceBook page.

Pros:

• The borders and layers that come with this app represent a nice overview of tastes. And though there are only a limited number (17 borders and 21 layers), the developer has promised to” immediately be making some changes within the month on two important, free upgrades:
• A low and high resolution save mode that will add the ability to save large, high resolution files.
• More Borders and Layers.
• The results of this app, from my experience and some of those featured on Web Urban’s FaceBook page are impressive.

Cons:

• Though the developer has promised to address the size output issue in future updates, as the app currently stands, there is a significant decrease in photo quality. From my output tests, FotoMuse output the above photos at 320 x 460. This is a significant decrease in quality/size, as the originals were 768 x 1024.
• The cropping tool that is applied for each picture you import crops too much off the left and right side of the photo (i.e. the crop does not coincide with the picture placement in the crop box).
• Contrast/Edit: Color and gray, once changed, cannot be undone. The only thing I could do was go back into Album and import the original photo.
• I wish the borders were just that—borders. There were some borders that I really wanted to use with my photos, but, once applied, the layer effects that accompanied the border were not what I was looking for. Again, I really wish all layer effects were only present in the Layers tab.

Overall:

FotoMuse is far from a FotoMiss. Simply put, it is a quick and easy way to produce some stunning pieces of art on the iPhone. However, it is hard for me to give a strong recommendation for the $2.99 FotoMuse app in its current version (with the quality issue being a significant reason why). For now, a 3 out of 5.

AppStore Link: FotoMuse - Price £1.79/$1.99

@Matt Burrows

iPhone App Review: EffectsLab

Note from editor: If you missed out promo code giveaway for EffectsLab, then fear not as iPhoneography writer Matt Burrows has it covered for you.

Though some iPhone users subscribe to the “you get what you get” mantra of iPhone photography, as a longtime user of Photoshop I am not quite there. Enter Christopher Comair’s impressive EffectsLab iPhone app, which provides users with a wide variety of post-processing options for their iPhone photographs.

Application Description (from App Store):

“EffectsLab is the photographer’s pocket knife, giving you a powerful image filtering suite, putting the highest end photo editing techniques into your pocket. With EffectsLab, you will be able to apply and layer a multitude of the most popular photo color adjustments. You can stack multiple photo adjustments in layers, modify and rearrange the already applied layers, then compile them into a custom filter which can be saved and applied to other photos later on. EffectsLab does not reduce the resolution of photos. No need to worry about losing resolution or color! EffectsLab also gives you a precompiled set of filters.”

EffectsLab Adjustments:

• Hue
• Saturation
• Saturation (RGB specific)
• Luminance
• Brightness
• Darkness
• Color Balance (RGB specific)
• Contrast
• Grayscale
• Grayscale (RGB specific)
• Invert
• Rotate
• Histogram Input
• Histogram Input (RGB specific)
• Histogram Output
• Histogram Output (RGB specific)
• Gamma Correction
• Tint

Impressions:

In my previous review of Takayuki Fukatsu’s OldCamera app, I mentioned that I spent the past weekend at the cottage evaluating photo apps. And though my father-in-law, with his new 14 MP Canon DSLR, was somewhat baffled by an app that would intentionally make pictures look old, he was very intrigued by what he referred to as a “pocket PhotoShop.” Now, I don’t know if I’d go that far, but I will readily admit that I am a fan of EffectsLab.

The app itself is very simple to use. When opened, you are prompted to select a photo from the Camera Roll. Once loaded, you can select the “Filters” tab to make a wide variety of adjustments or apply various preset filters. When selected, each of the adjustments (listed above) presents a picture of the photo and a slider bar (three bars are present in the RGB adjustments). When the slider is moved, the given changes are immediately seen in the photograph.

Another nice feature is the graph that can be seen in near the lower left corner of the above picture. When pressed, it allows users to switch between the various channels they would like to alter. However, if I’m not happy with the adjustments I’ve made to the photo, I can simply press “Cancel” and return to the main menu, thereby erasing any changes I made to the photo in that adjustment window.

One other nice feature in the “Filters” menu is the “Auto Photo Correction” option. The changes it made to the photos I tested were improvements. For an example, I’ve included the original....

....and the “Auto Photo Corrected” photo.

Finally, 11 preset filters are included at the bottom of the “Filters” page. These include:

• Cinema
• Nostalgia
• Belltown
• Lomograph
• Polarize
• Tweed
• Hong Kong 1976
• Red Flare
• Noir
• Summer ‘69
• Fantasy

I’ve also included a series of test shots with each filter to provide some additional comparison:

Above: Original iPhone photographAbove: Filter used CinemaAbove: Filter used NostalgiaAbove: Filter used BelltownAbove: Filter used LomographAbove: Filter used PolarizeAbove: Filter used TweedAbove: Filter used Hong Kong 1976Above: Filter used Red FlareAbove: Filter used NoirAbove: Filter used Summer ‘69Above: Filter used FantasyEven though the names may be unique (e.g. vintage filters like “Hong Kong 1976” or “Summer ‘69”), the 11 filters effectively represent a common set of filters that now seem to be included in many photography apps. Don’t get me wrong, this is a positive. It is, however, worth noting that these preset filters cannot be adjusted.

And though the multitude of adjustments available to users is impressive, the part of the app that most impressed me was the ability to stack adjustments and create your own custom filters that can be applied to future photos. To further my father-in-laws Photoshop analogy—it’s like creating mini Photoshop filter actions. That said, I did have one issue with “Stack” that I’ll address in the Cons section of the review.

Pros:

• A wide variety of ways to post-process photos. From the simple, one-button press of “Auto Photo Correction” to the three-slider bar for various RGB editing, EffectsLab is currently my go-to program for post-processing photos on my iPhone.
• Though I do have one concern about the Stack option, it is, nonetheless, a nice tool that allows me to save a “stack” of effects for future use. Not only will this allow me to post-process various photos in a consistent manner, but it will also save me time.
• Included preset filters represent a diverse collection of looks and are an effective means to apply quick changes to given photographs.

Cons:

• Though I found the ability to “Stack” different adjustments and save them as your own preset useful, it was frustrating at times. The reason for this is that while viewing the “Stack” page, the only thing you can see is the list of adjustments and filters that have been stacked.  As a result, you cannot see the immediate changes that deleting various effects/layers has on the photo. Including the photo as the background, as is the case when making adjustments in the “Filters” section, is a possible solution. And though this could create a crowded screen, I wonder if listing 2 - 3 of the layers at the bottom of the screen with toggle buttons (visible/invisible) would help to prevent overcrowding. If there are more than three filters, then users could scroll down the list.
• Though minor, I do wish that the ability to rotate and/or crop photos was an option.

Overall:

Though I’ll still use Tiffen’s Cool fx for some editing, if I want to do more than apply and manipulate filters, EffectsLab is the app I will turn to. All in all, for $1.99 Christopher Comair’s EffectsLab not only offers a nice selection of filters, but, more importantly/impressively, a wide variety of adjustment options for those who are looking to perform actual post-processing on their iPhone.

4.5 out of 5

@Matt Burrows

AppStore Link: EffectsLab - Price £1.19/$1.99

Editors thoughts: Whilst I have not tried EffectsLab, I have however tried Christopher Comair’s PhotoBox, which is a free version of EffectsLab, that only contain the pre-defined filters. Whilst for some EffectsLab and PhotoBox will meet their needs, for me these two apps compare more with apps like Mill Colour than say Photogene (for histogram editing etc.) or Photo fx (for pre-defined filters), and as such does not offer the flexibility that I am looking for. That said the ability to customise your own effects and save them for future use has to be a plus.

If you were lucky enough to get one of the promo codes, or already own this app, then let us know what you think of it by posting your thoughts in the comments section.

Out with the New, and In with the Old, by Matt Burrows

Takayuki Fukatsu has just released an update to his popular OldCamera app (version 3.50). As it so happened, this update coincided nicely with a three-day getaway my family and I had planned at our cottage. As a result, I was able to spend the weekend doing two things I thoroughly enjoy: being around my family and taking pictures with my iPhone.

Application Description (from App Store):

OldCamera “provides several mono-colored old style photo effects. The effects are randomly added to the photo from your custom effect set. OldCamera is focused on a very simple but fun experience. There are no complicated settings. Just take a photo, and you get the result.”

OldCamera Settings/Options:

• Random filter application (on or off).
• Six filters: Rick Black &White, HiCon Black & White, Silver, Platinum, Kallitype, Cyanotype (blue print)
• Ability to turn each filter on or off. If off, it will not be used in Random mode.
• Vignetting (on or off).
• Square Mode (on or off).
• Image Size (six selections ranging from 320x427 to 1200x1600).

Impressions:

Trying to explain to my in-laws why somebody would want to make new photographs look old was quite amusing. My father-in-law was going on and on about his 14 MP Canon, and there I was not only snapping photos with my 3 MP iPhone, but…gasp…I was using a program that intentionally made the photos appear as though they were taken decades before I was born. Before I continue, it is worth noting, that the filters affect the contrast, tone, and brightness of the photos. They do not add grain or noise.

Where my father-in-law used his light meter and constantly sought out perfectly balanced shots, I was shooting pictures with an app that purposely produced overexposed and underexposed photos. And though he was ultimately impressed with some of the photos produced using the OldCamera app, my overall reaction to the app is a bit mixed.

Arguably, the most important feature of the 3.50 update to OldCamera is that users can select which filters will be used for the random application or simply turn random off and shoot with a specific effect/filter. And though I would eventually turn the random off and shoot samples with each specific filter, I shot most of my photos with the random on.

The app itself is very simple to use. Once opened, you’re ready to take a photo or can “cancel” out to reach the settings. But is it too simple—are the options too limited? And herein lies my most significant criticism of the app, you never know what you’re going to get. Now, I realize that some will suggest that this problem can largely be avoided if I turn the random off. However, it is still difficult to predict the results and, by shutting random off and selecting a given filter, it becomes difficult to take pictures on the fly—to capture those moments that we often seem a couple seconds too late for. If I have selected HiCon BW as the effect to be applied to all pictures, but Kallitype would work better, I would most likely miss the opportunity to capture the picture I wanted during the time it would take me to access the setting menu and change the effect being applied.

This problem could be entirely avoided if there was an option to apply these effects to photos in my Camera Roll. Sure, some may say that takes away from the fun and diminishes the “authentic old camera” feel of the app, but I would beg to differ. One of my favorite apps for the iPhone is ShakeItPhoto. The latest update of ShakeItPhoto provides users with an option to shoot directly from the app or apply the Polaroid effect the app produces to any photos in the Camera Roll.

However, since this is not an option in OldCamera, I found myself waiting for the random filter to be applied and hoping that the pictures would turn out. Even though most photos were taken outdoors in ideal lighting conditions, the resulting pictures were often too dark....

....or too bright

Now, I realize that the potential for a lopsided balance between black and white are part of the old camera aesthetic. However, sometimes the given filter simply did not work for the photo that was taken and, as a result, ruined a potentially good picture.

That said, the application did produce some great photos. It’s rare that my wife is happy with any picture I take of her, but even she was a fan of the picture I took of her getting ready to take a picture of my son.

I’ve also included a series of test shots with each filter to provide some additional comparison:

Above: Original photoAbove: Rich BWAbove: HiCon BWAbove: SilverAbove: PlatinumAbove: KallitypeAbove: CyanotypeCreator Takayuki Fukatsu has also posted some examples here.

Pros:

• Can produce some unexpectedly beautiful black and white photographs.
• Random option (and I say option because it can be turned off in the settings menu). Both a positive and a negative. Simply put, I would have never applied some of these filters to the photos I took and, as a result, would not have captured some great photos. However, this random option is as equally frustrating as it is inspiring.

Cons:

• No access to the Camera Roll (i.e. you cannot apply these filters to pictures you have previously taken). As much as I wanted to love this app, this is an egregious omission. I’m not sure if this option was purposely left out to better mimic the “feel” of having an old camera and “getting what you get” after you take the picture, but the absence of this option will drastically limit my future use of this app.
• Sepia toning is listed as a filter in the App Store description. However, this effect is not included in the 3.50 version. A separate SepiaCamera app is, however, available by Takayuki for $0.99.
• I also have one other, very minor gripe. The app icon for OldCamera is almost identical to Takayuki’s ToyCamera app. Though this will not affect those who only have one of the two apps downloaded, on more than one occasion, I did find myself opening ToyCamera instead of OldCamera. Again, a very minor complaint.

Overall:

Takayuki Fukatsu has admittedly designed this app to focus on “a very simple and fun experience.” In this he has succeeded. But the degree to which he has succeeded is debatable. These filters do an effective job of mimicking old camera photographs, with the Rich BW, HiCon BW, and Silver often producing the most interesting results.

However, the Rich BW and HiCon BW were also frequently responsible for tarnishing otherwise great photos. Again, if only the option to apply these filters to the Camera Roll was available.

For $0.99 (£0.59), this is an app that I see myself using on rare occasions. However, when I am taking photos on the fly or wanting to make my new photos look old, I’ll stick with the iPhone camera and apps like ShakeItPhoto and CameraBag that let me apply filters after the photo is taken. For its ease of use, quality of effects, various options in vignetting and photo size, OldCamera earns a 3 out of 5. This app would earn at least a 4 out of 5 if application to the Camera Roll was an option.

AppStore Link: OldCamera - Price £0.59/$.99

@Matt Burrows

Note from Editor: If you would like to give OldCamera a go, then the good news we have 4 promo codes up for grabs, so to be in with a chance of winning one just post your request in the comments section below and I will randomly select 4 winners.

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

The iPhoneography blog welcomes Matt Burrows to the team

Cheers to all. I’m proud to join the iPhoneography blog and would like to take a quick moment to introduce myself. By trade, I’m a high school English teacher who lives just outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Life, especially the summers, are a great time for my family and I. I’m a happily-married father of two (a nine year old girl and two year old boy) and teacher of up to 180 students a year. As such, I realize that time is a very important commodity. And it’s for this reason that I am excited to have the opportunity to write for Glyn’s iPhoneography blog.

I have enjoyed photography for many years. Truth be known, it was one of the first things my wife and I would do together when we first started dating. I was a Photoshop junkie and she was an “old-school” darkroom developer. Together, we would just drive and find great places and people to take pictures of. However, the burden of paying for all our 35mm photos to be developed would soon cause us to cough up some cash and purchase our first pair of digital cameras. And though our Nikon D70’s have treated us well over the years, it is my iPhone that I now find myself reaching for. It’s convenient—it’s time efficient. And so it is I find myself trying to maximize my time while also trying to maintain the quality of the pictures I take.

The iPhoneography blog has been a great source of information about various apps that aide in this process. Apps like Camerabag and Pano are ones I frequently use to quickly modify a photo and upload it to Flickr.

As a firm believer in the “pay it forward” mentality, I’m proud to be able to do my part in reviewing some of the newest photography apps that are released so I can save readers the time of having to pay for and evaluate an app that may not be what they are looking for.

Thanks,
-Matt
@dignifiedb (Twitter)