TrueHDR Review

This App is a runner-up for the 2009 Best App Ever awards in the photography section. A recent release added a few more features, so if you haven't checked out TrueHDR yet, now's the perfect time.

HDR Images (High Dynamic Range) are photographs that are created using several composite images of different light quality to give an overall better artistic and dynamic ranged image. Think of it as basically fixing any high-contrast photos to make more realistic images.

For the most part, these are probably going to be photos you've taken out doors and have accidentally back-lit or over-lit from the sun. They key to this App working, though, is that you'll need two nearly identical photographs, only with the light focus being on opposite ends of the spectrum, like the examples above.

Being a bit of a photography app addict myself, I was excited to try this one out and see what kind of result that I could get using this simple method. There are some really fantastic HDR images available; most professional photographers use thousands of dollars worth of equipment for stunning photos. I wanted to see if I could get a similar result on the iPhone 4 Camera, especially since one of the features in the new update was for full-resolution photographs on the new iPhone in addition to a well-needed GUI face lift.

You can either choose photographs that are already saved on your device, or can take the photographs immediately and render them within the app right away. While I can see the benefit of both options, I think that I'd most likely take my photos directly from within the app. The first of the two photos should be focused on the lightest part of the scene - like the sky. The second should be focused on the darkest, like a shadow. Keep in mind that your photos need to be as similar as possible (aside from the lighting differences) in order to seamlessly merge the two. Once you're happy with your two photos, go ahead and merge them to check the new HDR version of your picture. Although sometimes this can take a few minutes, that's the only drawback I could really find

I was pleasantly surprised with the results. I very much appreciate the option to enhance the color contrast/saturation as I personally think that bright/vivid photos are the best ones. Another option in the settings include the ability to save your originals (the two separate photographs that you merged). You can also Email, Tweet or Facebook your HDR images.

If you haven't already tried out TrueHDR, the new updates and compatibility with the iPhone 4 now makes this a great time to pick it up! I recommend it for anyone who loves using their iPhone 4 camera!

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