Favorite Four: Creative Apps for the Non-Creative
There are so many ways to express ourselves creatively with iOS apps. There are apps to paint with, apps to help animators, video editors, apps for playwrights and musicians, and iPhononography has become an art form unto itself.
But, what’s equally wonderful about apps is that there are amazing ones out there that allow people with not all that much talent to get creative, and end up with impressive results too. In this week’s Favorite Four, we look at our favorites apps to help bring out anyone’s inner artist.
TypeDrawing
This is a simple app that produces spectacular typography and word art. Users simply input text, choose a style and professional art that's fit to be shared follows. Educators report this is a terrific tool for making “word splashes” - creative usage of words and art to help kids express themselves. All that's required is typing in a sentence and drawing with a finger: ta-da! - typographical art. There are 15 fonts and as many ways to get creative as there are words in a multi-lingual dictionary, emojis included.
TypeDrawing
$1.99
Instant Poetry HD
Remember that fridge magnet game with a bunch of words, largely poetic or descriptive, cut into little strips that could be arranged to create a short insta-poems? Well, Instant Poetry HD ports the concept exactly to iOS except instead of a fridge, would-be poets need an iDevice. This is a lot of fun to play with, and the results can be anything from "mad-libs" hysterical, to some decent, if lexically limited, descriptive imagery. Don't be put off by the HD, the app is universal and for those who write real poetry, but are shy on inspiration, it can double as a brainstorming device.
Instant Poetry HD
$1.99
Songify
We’ve all heard of apps that can help the tone-deaf make music without any training, but what about an app that turns spoken words into autotune-like songs that, while even less original that a Rebecca Black hit, are in tune, and often yield hilarious audio clips that can be shared with social media. Songify can really do that, quickly and seamlessly, and best of all, the app is completely free, although additional songs and song packs are available as in-app purchases. This app is so funny, we went with saying the strangest things we could think of and having them, well, songified. That said, you can find what seem to be serious attempts at songifying, but we don't think this app is going to make you the next YouTube sensation. Try it on an unsuspecting friend instead - just ask about about their date last night and let the musical hilarity begin.
Songify by Smule
$2.99
Flowpaper
Oh how wonderful it would be to buy a high-end painting app, a world-class stylus and use all the complex features to create original masterpieces. There are a bunch of apps for that, but what about the rest of us who can’t draw our way out of a paper bag, but want to make pretty pictures nonetheless? Flowpaper allows a user to draw with a finger and physics instead of virtual paint. Just pick a “brush,” place a finger on the screen and drag. Behind the appendage will be a trail of stunning results that can look like anything from a computer-generated trail of intricately entwined light to a detailed black and white sketch with absolutely no talent required.
$0.99