PicStory Review

PicStory arrives at just the right time. It's a photo management app that enables users to create special albums devoted to particular interests, all from their photos stored in numerous different places. It's simple to use and attractive to look at.

Right from the outset, it's obvious how to use the app. A clear and distinctive add album button is there in the center, and it takes seconds to get underway. Users simply add as many photographs as they want then add things such as text and picture tags, and a title for the album. It sounds immensely simple, maybe even a little basic, but there's more to PicStory than just that.

Namely, it's possible to import photos from the camera roll, as well as Dropbox, Picassa and iTunes. It's unfortunate there's no support for Instagram or Flickr but the options available still cover most of the relevant bases. In each case, it's pretty simple to do and extends users' options in terms of what photos they want to use. It works both ways too, making it possible to back files up to Dropbox or Picassa as well as the desktop PC or Mac.

There aren't any editing tools to be seen as PicStory is solely focused on organizational power, but it works well. Up to five tags can be added to each album for extra searching power, and the choice of picture tags is appreciated alongside text based entries. Location information as well as EXIF details can be just as easily accessed, plus there's the option to add video notes to each picture.

It's a solid selection of features, making PicStory a handy way of tracking photographs. Its price is a little off-putting but for those who have a reason to collect many photographs together, such as to track their child's development or simply collect photos from many family occasions, it's tough to not be drawn into its usefulness. As a regular documenter of such events, I can see this being a permanent fixture to my iPad.