Tag: Photo »

The folks at Grab Games are a versatile bunch. They're last game, Amoebattle, tasked players with coordinating an army of amoebas to strategically best their opponents. Their latest game, Picsy, is a social photography game. Quite the difference there. I was able to ask the game's Lead Designers, Greig Carlson, Hans Vancol, and Harold Vancol a few questions about their newest title and their answers have me looking forward to Picsy's planned updates.

So, going from a squad-based RTS featuring microorganisms to a social multiplayer photo-sharing game. Was it difficult to "change gears" so drastically?
Not at all! Our game designers are well versed in different game genres. Additionally, we had 2 separate teams working on those two projects

How long did it take for you all to come up with the name "Picsy?"
About 6 weeks. We had several other names but trying to secure a trademark is a huge challenge we didn’t originally foresee

Was it difficult at all to integrate so many photo uploading options (take a photo, choose existing, paste from clipboard)?
Not really. Those are all standard features one would expect in playing a photo game like this. Originally we wanted to include a lot of other options for submitting photos, such as Instagram, but figured we could get to the additional features in future updates. Plus, we didn’t want to give users too much at first as we felt it could become a bit overwhelming.

How exactly are the judges for each round selected? That was one thing I was never entirely clear on.
There is a Single Judge game and a Multi Judge game. In a single judge game, the judge rotates from round to round. In a Multi Judge game, everyone in the game is able to judge the photo submissions.

Were there any features that you wanted to include that didn't make the cut?
Tons. The challenge is getting a game out with enough features to keep the user happy, while keeping the scope contained so that you can be first to market. Otherwise, we could have been in development for well over a year.

Any that might be added in a future update?
We’re already on our 3rd version of the game and plenty of features have been added thus far. We’re currently working on more features such as photo filters, new word options, creating your own words, sharing options, etc. We’re constantly improving the game so stay tuned for future updates!

I'd think that the ability to copy/paste photos would take some of the fun out of a game if all anyone ever does is Google image searches. Might there be a chance of including an option for custom rules when setting up a game that would disable certain things, such as said copy/paste?
We have considered different game options like copy paste, time restricted games, camera only, 1 vs 1 game modes, public vote games, etc. We made it so that users get more bonus points for taking pictures with their camera as opposed to copy/paste from the web which incentivizes users to submit original photos.

I know there must've been at least a few test rounds when Picsy was in development. Who's the reigning champ at Grab Games? Any chance you can share their best submission?
There were tons of great photos submitted during testing which is why we fell in love with the game. One photo that stands out in my mind was for the word “Outrageous”. Photo has been attached [see above]. As you can see, the UI is temp from one of our early versions.

Both Picsy and Amoebattle are available right now for free and $4.99, respectively.

Adobe today released an update to their Photoshop Touch app for iPad. The update finally ads Retina display support and smooths out the navigation and animation a bit. Full details below:

Adobe Photoshop Touch 1.3 Update

Retina Display Support
Even Higher Resolution Capabilities (up to 12 MP image size)
Two new Effects: Shred and Colorize
Smoother animation and scrolling in the organizer, tutorial browser, and file picker
New three finger tap gesture to toggle 100% view and fit screen
New pixel nudging mode for precise movements
Support for Apple Photo Stream**
Various bug fixes

People love taking pictures with their iPhones and since the cameras keep getting better so does the quality of the pictures themselves. With a seemingly endless supply of potentially great snapshots out there, Pictorama figured that there was probably some money to be made. The good news is that they are letting the users get in on the action.

The process is simple. Users take a photo, give it tags, and upload it. From there, it is judged by a panel of experts and fellow enthusiasts. If it’s approved, the picture is then put on the marketplace and every time it gets purchased, the photographer gets a cut. Beyond that, everyone from professionals to amateur shutterbugs can get feedback from the community and even share knowledge of their own. Pictorama is also offering 0.25€ per accepted picture upfront.

“Turn passion for pictures into profit.” Pictorama is available now for free on the App Store.

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Macadamia Apps has just released StillShot, a photo app that takes specific frames from videos.

Like the video trailer describes, we've all had those moments where we go to take a picture with our iOS device's camera and ended up accidently taking a video instead. That moment might escape us forever and we're stuck with a video instead of a picture. StillShot allows users to go back into that video and flip through the frames until the perfect picture within the video is found.

Obviously, this app could be used on purpose instead of remedying that accidental video over photo situation. I'm especially exited to try this app out with sports photography. Since the players are moving so fast, it's often tough to get a great picture with the iPhone camera because of the limited shutter speed. StillShot should provide some great options for those action shots.

Macadamia Apps are also the creators of GroupShot, a photoediting app for group pictures, which received a 4.5/5 stars here at 148Apps from writer Michael Halloran. Michael described GroupShot as "smart and intuitive" and, overall, was "impressed" with the app. We're expecting no less from StillShot.

There are plenty of reasons for someone to show another person some photos. The trick is to find a way to do it that isn’t incredibly boring. The folks at ImageAMMO, LLC are aware of this issue and have come up with their own app to combat the problem: the aptly named ImageAmmo.

ImageAMMO allows users to display and peruse their image library using a number of 3D interfaces. These shapes range from spirals to cubes, and they can manually sift through everything or start a slideshow as they see fit. The app automatically incorporates the iOS device’s library so there’s practically no setup involved. It also supports external displays, so users with a VGA adapter (or AppleTV and AirPlay) and monitor can create presentations that are much more interesting than the norm.

The developer has also adapted the software for music libraries. IA Jukebox gives users the option to shuffle through their music libraries in much the same fashion as the photo app. Album covers reconfigure themselves on the screen to create interesting shapes, and calling up a particular song is as simple as tapping the screen a couple of times. I’d think hooking it up to a TV would make selecting background music for a party much more entertaining.

Both ImageAMMO and IA Jukebox are available in the App Store right now for $3.99 and $2.99 respectively. Just think of the presentation possibilities.

Photo manipulation apps, especially the apps that mess with peoples faces, can be particularly fun. Role Play, by Dim Dim Sum App, is an entertainment app that allows users to take pictures of themselves and friends, apply “digital make-up,” and put them into different roles.

Users can take photos from their existing library or taking a picture within the app. Then users place position markers on various parts of the face in the picture like the eyes and mouth. After that, the user can apply a “role” from the app to the photo and the person instantly becomes something like a pirate or a clown. This can be a fun way for users to give themselves digital make-overs or screw with their friends by putting their faces into roles that would be humorous.

The app comes with two free “make-over” roles: Princess and Pirate. Other roles can be purchased with in-app coins that can either be purchased or earned by sharing Role Play pictures via Twitter or Facebook. Some other roles that can be purchased include Cat, Cleopatra, and Geisha.

Role Play is free to download.

Like it or not, the 3D craze does not seem to be going away any time soon. Paying a little more for a 3D movie ticket is one thing but who wants to go out and buy a brand new 3D camera? Now, with Snapily3D from HumanEyes Technologies, iPhone and iPad owners do not have to.

Using the simple on-screen instructions, users can take their own 3D pictures. From there, they have the option to order 3D prints directly from the app, share pictures through services like Facebook and Twitter, or view the photo right on their phone using various kinds of 3D glasses. There is even a glasses-free, cross-eyed mode and the option to manipulate a 2D photo, in 3D space, with the gyroscope. The app also features more conventional camera functionality like face detection and high definition shooting modes.

Preserve precious memories in three glorious dimensions. Snapily3D is available now on the App Store.

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SugarSync has been allowing users to sync all sorts of media across computers and mobile devices for over a year now. With so many people getting their first taste of cloud computing and storage thanks to this past year's holiday gifts, SugarSync has decided to give them proper welcome. A new update has hit the service adding a host of new features.

Together, these new features streamline and speed up the media management process. Users can now upload multiple files at once instead of one at a time. Files will also now sync in the background allowing users to enjoy their devices while they update.

When syncing photos, users can choose to load low quality versions at a faster rate, higher quality versions at a slower rate or a compromise between the two. The photo tab has also been redesigned making it much easier and quicker to view and share albums.

SugarSync is available for free on pretty much any Mac, PC and mobile device out there.

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