TapPainter Review

Once upon a time, those who wanted to see whether a new color suited a particular room in the house were restricted to using paint samplers on their wall and being confined to having to redecorate at some point very soon to hide such things. That day has passed - kind of - with apps like TapPainter emerging to make the process much simpler.

Admittedly, nothing is going to quite beat the tactile process of painting things on the actual wall, but TapPainter does a decent job of demonstrating what can be achieved. All the user needs to do is either import or take a photo directly of the room before getting to work. This is where, in the case of my rather lackluster iPad 2 camera, things get fuzzy. I found it a much smoother process to take a photo with my iPhone 5 before importing it that way, but mileage is going to vary here depending on what iPad users have.

Once imported, it's simple to apply a new color. There's a tutorial guiding the way but it's easy enough to figure out. Essentially, users either quick draw with a paint roller or set aside certain areas with a custom shape tool that's ideal for painting specific walls rather than massive areas. Choosing a color is convenient with a vast array of branded paints to choose from, making it easy to know what to pick up from the store.

It's also possible to mix up one's own choice of color with the app, then picking out what's closest to that option. That's a function that's particularly useful when one isn't that sure what they're looking for, and it's great for experimentation. Notably, it's also somewhat restricted by in-app purchases, with 5 free credits available to reveal what product one is after, with more purchasable for a price starting at $0.99. Play it safe and it's possible to eke out those credits at least.

In many ways, TapPainter is a coffee table app for the laid back DIYer. It's a way in which one can see how transforming their room can turn out, but in the long term it's a much cheaper solution than picking up multiple paint samplers. It'll take a little effort to get the right photo for those looking for a wide image of a room, but it's worth it as the results can really bring clarity to what one is attempting to achieve with a room makeover.