Spica meets Pro HDR: The 11:32 from St Pancras

Following on from my post earlier today, here is another example of how two apps can work together to create a unique look.

Just as with Rudolph the wired Reindeer, I blended the original colour photo with one given the Spica treatment in Pro HDR, to come up with this mashed up look.

If you look closely at the photo, you can see the figure is black and white, the train is colour, whilst the roof is a mixture of both.

Technique: Mix and mash those apps

If you are like me, many of you will have lots photo apps loaded on your iPhones, but how often do you look beyond what an app can do?

In this first technique post, I will look at what can be done with Pro HDR, that the app was not intended for.

Pro HDR is designed to create 'High Dynamic Range' photos by taking one under and one over exposed photo and then blending them together, but what if you mix photos created with other apps with Pro HDR.  I asked myself this very same question, and this is what I came up with.

Click to read more ...

iPhoneography meets iCreate Magazine

Issue 87 of iCreate magazine which is published here in the UK by Image Publishing has a nice article all about iPhone photography called "iPhone 4 Photography: Tips, Tricks & Apps".  The article is pretty good, covering some top apps with readers photos, as well as a small section from me, called "My top iPhone photo apps".

Now due to space limitation, not all of my top apps were published, so for those interested, here is my article in full.

My top iPhone photo apps by Glyn Evans, editor of iPhoneography.com

The iPhone 4 is not just any old smartphone. With its 5 megapixel camera and wide range of photo manipulation app, its a camera and darkroom in your pocket.

With so many photo apps in Apple's App Store, you may be wondering which ones are the best, so here are my top apps.

1. PictureShow: If you only buy one photo app for your iPhone, then I recommend PictureShow [App Store Link].  PictureShow offers 28 different filters/photo style effects, 20 frames, 10 different light and 11 different noise effects, which you can choose from, or let the apps "Shuffle button" do for you.  In addition to these predefined looks, you can manualy adjust the brightness, contrast or colour, as well as being able to add text, before saving and/or sharing via Twitter, FaceBook, Flickr, Blogger or via email.

2. AutoStitch: Create sweeping panoramic photos with AutoStitch [App Store Link]. Simply take a series of photos with your iPhone from a single viewpoint, panning as you take them.  Then once saved, simply open AutoStitch, select the images and let AutoStitch go to work. When complete simply crop and save, and there you have a panoramic photo. It really is that easy.

3. Photogene: Photogene [App Store Link] is like having a desktop photo editor in your pocket, giving you the ability to truly edit your photos on the go, letting you crop, sharpen, straighten, rotate and add frames to your photos, as well as manually or automatically adjust histogram levels, gamma correction, RGB balance, the colour temperature and saturation.

4. Pro HDR: Pro HDR [App Store Link] lets you create tone mapped HDR images by taking one under exposed photo, one over exposed photo and merging them together, right on the iPhone.

5. TiltShift Generator: Available for both the iPhone and iPad, TiltShift Generator [App Store Link] lets you create photos with a limited depth of field or selective focus, creating that fake miniature look, reminisant of Tilt-shift photography.

6. Black & White apps: If you like shooting Black & White, then there are 3 apps that I would recommend.

• Vint B&W [App Store Link] is a camera replacement app that offers the best tonal range of any Black & White app currently available for the iPhone.
• Spica [App Store Link] is a one trick poney Black & White app that lets you create high contrast, grainy and gritty photos.
• Monochromia [App Store Link] is a Black & White editor, letting you adjust the contrast and brightness, as well as add vignette and film grain to you photos.

These are some of my top apps, which you can use singly, or why not mix together to create soemthing extra special!

My favourite app, Spica - Super Monochrome gets some new features

My favourite Black and White app Spica - Super Monochrome has just been updated with the following new features:

• The interface has been improved greatly.
• Added a setting option to save an original photo when taking a picture. (From the Save Original option of a settings screen.)
• Added a setting option to display a result photo when taking a picture. (From the Display Result option of a settings screen.)
• Became being able to preview a photo of a camera roll in an app.
• Added a screen to confirm saving a result image when applying effect to a photo in a camera roll.
• Added to settings screen a link of flickr iPhone Spica group.

AppStore Link: Spica - Super Monochrome - Price £0.59/$0.99

My top iPhone photo apps

There have been several post recently on various blogs listing peoples top iPhone apps, so I've decided chuck my hat in to the ring and post my current crop of favourite photo apps, so here goes.

1. CameraBag
CameraBag [AppStore Link] lets me enhance my iPhone photos with 10 different effects filters, and whilst this app needs a much needed update for iPhone 3GS users, it still delivers what I am looking for on my iPhone 3G.

2. iFlashReady
iFlashReady [AppStore Link] lets me enhance/lighten the poorly exposed photos that I sometimes get from my iPhone.

3. ShakeItPhoto
ShakeItPhoto [AppStore Link] gives me that instant photo experience, and is currently my favourite iPolaroid app.

4. Spica - Super Monochrome
I love high contrast and grainy/gritty black and white photos, and Spica - Super Monochrome [AppStore Link] give me that.

5. AutoStitch
For me AutoStitch [AppStore Link] is the easiest app for creating panoramic photos on you iPhone.

6. EffectsLab
Originally I did not like this app when it was first released, but after spending time playing with it, EffectsLab [AppStore Link] has become my pocket Photoshop of choice, allowing me to manipulate almost all aspects on my photos.

7. Polarize
Polarize [AppStore Link] is another instant photo app, but has the added bonus of letting me add market pen notes to my iPolaroids.

8. HiCon Pro
If I need to add some extra contrast and saturation to a photo quickly and easily, then HiCon Pro [AppStore Link] is the first app I turn to, and on most occasions delivers what I am looking for.

9. Photo fx
Photo fx [AppStore Link] and Cool fx have slipped down my list of used apps, but they both still remain in my top 10, but I now tend to use them in combination with other apps like Spica Super Monochrome to add that extra dimension to my photos.

10. Cool fx
Like Photo fx, Cool fx [AppStore Link] has slipped down my list of used apps, but they both still remain in my top 10, but I now tend to use them in combination with other apps like Spica Super Monochrome to add that extra dimension to my photos.

In addition to these editing/effects apps I also use Mobile Fotos [AppStore Link] for uploading my photos to Flickr, Tumblr [AppStore Link] for uploading to my Tumblr blogs and occasionally PicPosterous [AppStore Link] for my new Posterous blogs, although I do prefer to email my photos to Posterous rather than use their iPhone app.

Ah, and there's one last thing. There is an app that would have made it in to my top 5, but it is currently only available to a select group of beta testers (of which I am one), and so can't be listed just yet.

You may or may not agree with my list, or even the order they are in, so please feel free to post your favourite apps in the comments section below.

Spica - Super Monochrome, my wishes answered

If you read my short review on Spica - Super Monochrome, then you will know that my only two wishes were "to be able to apply the effect to existing photos" and "for the app to save the original photo to the camera roll".  Well developer Daisuke Nogami has answered my first wish with an app update, and so you can now apply the grainy, high contrast B&W effect to any photo, which also cancels out my second wish.

So with this new update, you can go from this....

....to this....

....and all in a matter of seconds.

Whilst I know you can create this effect in apps like Photogene and EffectsLab, it is the speed and simplicity of this app that I really like, and priced and just £0.59/$0.99, it now gets my "Recommended" award.

AppStore Link: Spica - Super Monochrome - Price £0.59/$0.99

iPhone App Review: Spica - Super Monochrome

Spica from developer Daisuke Nogami is a very unusual monochrome camera app for the iPhone that can produce some very unique and high contrast results, but are these results any good? read on to fined out.

Description from the AppStore: Spica - Super Monochrome is a camera application that allows you to take a super strong black-and-white contrast photo. The black and white sharpness of the picture will clearly show up the lights, shadows and texture of an object, and creates beautiful pictures with a great atmosphere.

Spica is very simple to use. Get a slight of an object you'd like to take a picture, then just tap the shutter button! Taken pictures will be automatically transformed into a super high contrast black and white photo and saved right on your iPhone.

The App

This app is as simple as they come, with no tweaking options, just launch the app, and then after the app splash screen the iPhone's camera app immediately kicks in, inviting you to take your photo.  Once the shot has been taken you are shown a preview of the native photo (no effect applied), with the option to either use or retake.  Selecting use initiates the app, and then the processing begins, and after Spica has done its stuff you are presented with a high contrast, sometimes very grainy and gritty mono photo, which is automatically saved directly you your camera roll without any prompting.

If you want to take another photo simply tap the camera icon in the bottom left hand corner of the apps screen, and this relaunches the iPhone's camera app for you to take another shot, and that's all there is to Spica.

The results

As I have already mentioned Spica can produce, under the right conditions, some very unique and interesting mono results which as my photos below show, combined with other photo apps like Cool fx can further enhanced these already unique results. More samples can seen here on the developers website.

Above: Photo taken with SpicaAbove: Photo taken with Spica and Cool fx Antique effect appliedAbove: Photo taken with SpicaAbove: Photo taken with Spica and Cool fx Antique effect appliedWhat do I think of the app?

In short, I like this app, but I especially like combining it with other apps, and whilst it may have limited appeal to some, for me it has become one of my favourite apps.

The only two wishes I have for Spica, is I would like to be able to apply the effect to existing photos, and for the app to save the original photo to the camera roll, and for these reasons I give Spica 4 out of 5.

AppStore Link: Spica - Super Monochrome - Price £0.59/$0.99

New iPhone Photo App: Spica - Super Monochrome

Description from the AppStore: Spica is the camera application that lets you take super high contrast black and white photo.

AppStore Link: Spica - Super Monochrome - Price £0.59/$.99

Editors comment: This looks like an interesting app, especially if you like B&W photography, and like me, you like hi-contrast images. I haven't bought this app yet, but I am tempted. If anyone does buy this app before me, then please post your feedback here.