App Update: TiltShift Generator

TiltShift Generator, the original and best tilt-shift app for the iPhone has just been updated with the following new and long-awaited features:

• Ellipse Blur is added.
• Auto Color Adjustment for slider setting is added. Now you can disable default auto adjustment.
• Now Camera and Save button is blue colored to make it friendly for beginners.
• Tell Friends button is added in setting menu.

App Store Link: TiltShift Generator; Price: £0.59/$0.99/€0.79

This weeks notable app updates are...

This week has seen a number of app updates, most notable are...

Image Blender [App Store Link], which in addition to the features listed below is now a universal app.

What's new?

• The app is now universal and works great on iPad.
• iPad 2 camera support.
• Improved blending-engine that supports full preview rendering.
• Various bug-fixes.

Pic Grunger [App Store Link], which now has..

• Better support for newer devices
• Six new textures to grunge your photos with
• Easily share via Flickr, Facebook, Twitter and email
• Ability to select picture from Camera as well as Photos

TiltShift Generator [App Store Link], which sees the return of the Blur type button, as well as the introduction of the "No Blur" mode.

Finally Phoster [App Store Link], which has...

• New design.
• New icon.
• Bookmark favorite template.
• Movable text.
• Adjustable text font.
• More text color options available.
• 5 more new templates.

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!

New iPhone Photo App: Tilt Shift Focus

Description from the AppStore: With Tilt-Shift-Focus you can easily edit photos to create fake miniatures, enhance or change the depth of field and focus area of your picture, or precisely soften details. Fake miniature and depth of field can improve the visual and artistic quality of your photographs and you can do all that with just a few taps in the Tilt-Shift-Focus editor.

Features:

• select one or take a new photo
• edit and adjust with 4 different blur-tools
• smooth transitions between blurred and focused areas
• tilt-shift effects on the go
• quick miniature effect
• cool zooming effect
• contrast enhancement for stronger miniature effect

AppStore Link: Tilt Shift Focus - Price £0.59/$0.99

Editors comments: I gave this app a quick spin to see how it compare with TiltShift Generator.

First off the interface is much more clunkier and positioning the linear position was much more fiddlier than TiltShift Generator.  Whilst the app has the option to increase contrast, unlike TiltShift Generator there are no other tweaks available.  The biggest disappointment with this app, was its out put size, that whilst not low res, was not full res either, saving on my iPhone 3G at a disappointing 1024 x 768 pixels.

Above: My "Toy Boat" photo processed with Tilt Shift Focus.Over all this app was disappointing and has some way to go to challenge TiltShift Generator, so for now if you want that tilt and shift effect, then I would recommend TiltShift Generator [AppStore Link].

iPhoneography: "Toy Boats" by Glyn Evans

Above: "Toy Boats" taken with the iPhone 3G and edited with TiltShift Generator [AppStore Link]

iPhoneography: "The Sand Detective" by Glyn Evans

Above: "The Sand Detective" taken with the iPhone 3G and edited with TiltShift Generator [AppStore Link]

How to: Multi Exposures, by Doug McNamee

Doug McNamee is a professional photographer based in California who I met at PMA, and who we have showcased here on the iPhoneography blog.

Doug recently emailed me with details on how he created the following photo, giving me permission to post it here on the iPhoneography blog.

"A few people asked about this image, so I’ll run down the basic steps. Apps used: Tiltshift generator, Montage, and PhotoGene.

I was feeling particularly inspired  after purchasing a James Fee coffee table book and wanted to do something with that Fee look. I knew I wanted  sharp and soft edges layered together, so I started with a contrasty scene, a tree just outside our building. Here are the original and final versions.

From the set of four below:

1. Used Tiltshift Generator to desaturate and adjust contrast
2. Used Tiltshift Generator to blur one side of the image. Saved as “layer 1″
3. Created another version, blurring the other side. Saved as “layer 2″
4. Flipped that image In the Montage app, so tree branches are coming from opposite sides.

Next:

1. Imported layers 1 and 2 into Montage. There, you can flip images and adjust  layer order and opacity.
2. Exported to Camera Roll
3. Opened in Photogene, adjust contrast, cropped, toned, and saved.

Here are some alternate versions."

Source: Tilt N Shift

PMA Day 3: The presentations continue

Following on from day 2 of the PMA event (which was actually day 1 of the official trade show), the Best Camera app demonstration attracted a nice crowd (this was possibly due to the misleading wording for the presentation, as I heard a number of people say "look Chase Jarvis is going to be here").  Anyway the presentation started, I showed a short video of Chase promoting his app (Chase and his people gave me permission to do this), and then made a short joke about Chase not being here and that they had drawn the short straw and it was me doing the demo.  Thankfully, and despite the technical issues we were have with WiFi connectivity at the event, the demo went without any hickups.

Next up it was the turn of TiltShift Generator, and then it was lunch time.

After lunch it was Sion's turn to give his second presentation about his iPhoneography, and this was to an almost full house.

Above: Sion presenting to an almost full house at the 'PMA Photo App Pavilion'Following on from Sion, it was the turn of John Martin from Reallusion Inc., who was the first of our guest speakers for the day.  John enthusiastically demonstrated his 2 apps, Photo Makeover and 10x Camera Tools (PRO)

Above: John Martin from Reallusion Inc. demonstrating Photo Makeover and 10x Camera Tools (PRO

John has very kindly given me 3x promo codes for each of his 2 apps to give away here on the iPhoneography blog, so if you would like the chance of getting one, then post your request  specifying which app you would prefer, or any, if you have no preference in the comments section.  Note: As with all promo codes you will need a US iTunes account to redeem them.

After John had completed his presentation it was time for me to take the hot seat again, giving an overview and comparing Adobe's PS Mobile app with Photogene.

For our final session of the day, we had Hal Denton and Ross Pirtle from Tunaverse Media Inc., who talked about their photo syncing app Cinq.

Above: Hal Denton from Tunaverse Media Inc. kicking off their demonstration of CinqAbove: Ross Pirtle from Tunaverse Media Inc. doing a live demo of their Cinq appWell that was day 3 out of the way, and thankfully I had only had the one presentation that afternoon, as my voice was fading fast.

One mans iPhoneography exhibition comes to the bay area

If you live in San Francisco, or you are going to be there on the 3rd March, then head to the 'Blue Danube Cafe' and check out Jake WIens iPhoneography exhibition.  Jake will be exhibiting his photos edited with CameraBag and TiltShift Generator for one night only, but it you can't wait, or can't get there, then you can check out his work over on his Flickr stream.

Future update plans for TiltShift Generator

If read Matt's review of TiltShift Generator, then you will know that one of the key issues is the lack of HiRes support, well the good news is this will be addressed in version 1.02/1.03.

Future features:

Ver 1.01

• iPod Touch support
• in-app Twitter setting.
• shake for slider reset.

ver 1.02 to 1.03

• Hi resolution support.
• TwitPic support.
• Tutorial support.

Source: Art&Mobile