Tag: Photos »

These days, it appears as though everyone has a home computer. It also seems like most people have iPhones. And I always see a surprising amount of people carrying around iPads, too. So it's not out of the question to imagine that at least some of these folks own two or even all three of these devices. The problem is, in this age of shutter-happy digital photography, it gets a little hard to store all those pictures in one location. Putting them on the phone is a good idea because then they can be shown off at a moment's notice. Keeping them on the pad makes for easy editing. But then, the computer has a lot more storage space. What to do...

Well, Adobe's gone and made a reasonable solution to the issue: Adobe Carousel.

For all intents and purposes, it's basically cloud photo storage. All images will be kept in one spot and will be available on any iOS device with an internet connection. Tweaking a photo from one (i.e. adjusting hues and the like) no longer requires syncing or transferring between systems; the updated image will be viewable by all instantly. Oh, and said editing can be done from inside Adobe Carousel, similar to Photoshop Lightroom. It certainly seems like something the photo-happy iOS user could get a lot of use out of.

Granted, all this convenience and freedom from restrictive storage capacities does have a price. A very literal price. Adobe Carousel will require a subscription which can be either monthly ($5.99) or yearly ($59.99), depending on the user's preference. Granted this isn't all that substantial when compared to various other subscription fees, and it has no restrictions so users can import, edit and browse as much as they want.

There doesn't appear to be a specific release date yet, but according to Adobe's website it should be out "soon." Likewise there's no official word on cost, free or otherwise, aside from the subscription fee. Still, this is an app shutterbugs should keep an eye out for.

Drop-It! is a new app from Voxygen Limited that enables users to take photographs and automatically have them stored on Dropbox's cloud server.

Anyone who regularly takes photographs with their iPhone or iPod touch can relate to the truth that the files can add up quickly, taking up valuable space that could otherwise be devoted to a larger iTunes collection. Drop-It! addresses this issue by automatically sending all photographs to the all-covering cloud in the sky – or, really, just an account on Dropbox. This does two things for users. First of all, it saves space on their device. Second, it allows them to view their photos on any iOS device, Mac or PC. Like with all other cloud-based services, users can essentially take their photos with them anywhere they go.

The app has a few other extras in addition to its cloud services that make it worthwhile. For instance, users can name their photo files and create separate folders for optimum organization. They can also specify to save photos as either a PNG or JPEG file type.

While the iOS Drop-It! app costs $0.99 to download, access to the cloud itself is free. Users can sign up for an account on Dropbox, which Drop-It! uses, for free within the app itself.

"We built Drop It! because we needed an easier way to photograph sketches and whiteboards to share with the rest of our team," Voxygen Limited says of its app. "Using DropIt! we can now do this with one tap."

Drop-It! offers a promising service, but one can't help but wonder how useful it will be once Apple releases its iCloud this fall. Furthermore, this is hardly an original idea. There are numerous other apps already on the iTunes App Store that offer similar cloud storage, such as QuickShot. Only time will tell, of course.

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The problem with our vast amounts of media nowadays is that it's often in so many places - stored on our computer, on our phones, on our game consoles - and sometimes those files wind up on just one place instead of where we really want them. Twonky Media is here to help alleviate some of that content dislocation, by presenting a solution for streaming media to and from your iPhone and iPod touch.

Twonky Mobile serves two purposes: first, it lets you access media being played remotely, so you can access media being played by remote UPnP servers and other Twonky Mobile servers on your iOS device. This means that you can listen to music shared from a computer, or if you have an Android phone and an iPod touch and want to listen to music from your Android on your iPod, you can do so easily. Second, it works as a media server - this means you can easily share your photos from your device to an Xbox 360 hooked up to your TV, for example. You can also use this as a middleman to beam content from servers to a device like the Roku using your iPhone or iPod touch.

One of the drawbacks, due in part to iOS restrictions, is that your music and video libraries appear to be unavailable for streaming, so you can't use this app to play your iPod library on your Xbox 360. This is an unfortuante limitation of iOS, to prevent music and video content to be used outside of any Apple-sanctioned use. This limits some of Twonky Mobile's use on iOS, especially as Android's Twonky Mobile has no limits on what content can be streamed, and it even works for transmitting to AirPlay receivers. The app also doesn't support multitasking yet, so you can't use this to listen to audio from a remote server in the background. So while the app could definitely make use of some loosened restrictions and expanded features, but if you're big on streaming content across your house, this could be worth checking out.

[img id="postal0.png"]Technology is an amazing thing. Just a few years ago, taking a photo on a cellular phone with a resolution higher than a postage stamp seemed unfathomable.  Here we are, a handful of years later, and it seems impossible to remember a day when a phone didn't even include cameras, let alone the HD recorders that were heralded in the most recent iteration of the iPhone.

Now that the iPhone has the ability to take high resolution images with relative ease, it seemed logical that there should be a way to get these images in solid form, without the need for a trip to the local drug store.  Filling this unique void is the new PostalPix service, allowing you to order your digital images in tangible form, without even leaving your couch!  Plus, there is no need to worry about the quality of you images, despite the fact that they are coming from your iPhone camera.  Here's why they assure your satisfaction:

We do not print cheap photos using printers available to the consumer market. Our prints are made using cutting-edge, high-quality, eco-friendly printing machines you only find in professional photo labs. We guarantee they will stand the test of time.

Making things even simpler than a trip to the grocery store, the photos that you have ordered are then delivered to you mailbox in no time flat.  So how easy is the ordering process?  Let this brief trailer fill you in:

On top of all of the easy to use interface is one last incentive to make the jump to PostalPix: a discount!  If you input the coupon code “148Apps” at checkout, you will get 25% off your first order.  When you consider that the base app is free to begin with, what do you have to lose?

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As a person with a crazy imagination, I find myself sometimes self-narrating what I see in my day-to-day life.  Anything from an amusing happenstance to a funny exchange between friends, all becomes fodder for my over-active mind.  I can't even count the number of times that I have taken a picture on my iPhone, only to later come up with a caption that could shed a new, and often more humorous light on a situation.  For people with a mind much like mine, publisher ustwo brings us Happy Snapper, the photo tweaking app for passive aggressive jerks like me everywhere.

Operating under the popular assumption that a picture is in fact worth a thousand words, Happy Snapper allows you to take candid shots from your iPhone photo library, and apply stickers and headers that let the world know what you really think.  Are you really, "with stupid?"  Would you like to inform a coworker that you think their nametag should really read, "Hi, my name is moron?"  You can do all of that an more with this versatile tool of ego destruction. Here is how the app works:

• Pick your sticker and write your own message or slogan.


• Drag to move, pinch/ pull to resize and rotate the sticker at anytime.


• Double tap the sticker to edit the text.


• Take a photo or use an existing photo from your library.


• Save the photo to your library, email it to a friend or post it to Facebook or Twitter.

The app sounds just as simple in execution as it is in concept, but don't take our word for it.  We'll leave you with a trailer showing off Happy Snapper's many uses below.  Be sure to let us know when you posterize your first victim.

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We here at 148Apps would like to welcome you to the new iPhotographer column. What exactly is the point here? That is a mighty fine question.

We will bring you tips, tricks, and reviews geared directly at photographers of all skill levels. There will be tips and tricks on how to perform tasks on an iOS device that just might have you questioning the need for a laptop. We might even delve into some photo techniques and how these techniques can take your iPhone photography skills even further.

Now the question becomes one of credentials. I am an IT professional who ditched his education in computers for life behind a camera. I am a self-taught photographer who is looking to continue to grow my skill set while helping others along the way.

My name is Chris Nitz and I started my own photography business. I have read more articles on shutter speeds, rule of thirds, lighting, and white balance than I can ever care to remember. I have a passion to see the world from a viewfinder. I am by no means a photography elitist or so called expert. I'm here to learn right along with you, and encourage your comments and suggestions at the end of every article.

Let’s get to the meat of this column with a small review. This review is trimmed down, as you will see this app show up in future articles. The app I am referring to is Filterstorm

Filterstorm takes programs like Aperture or Lightroom and brings them right onto your iPad. Filterstorm contains all the goodness of tonal curves, noise reduction, saturation, and so much more right to your finger tips.

Filterstorm’s interface is easy on the eye while maintaining simplicity in navigation. Firing up the app will have the basic controls on the left side of the screen. Loading up a photo is as easy as choosing it from your photo library. Those with a camera connection kit can even bring in photos straight off a memory card.

Once the photo is in the app the real work begins. All edits are made without destroying the original photo. There is even an apply button you have to hit before the changes are made. You can easily test how the changes will look without racing for the undo option.

Filterstorm also gives you options for what to do with your photos once you’re done. FTP, Email, and saving directly to the iPad are all options. While this maybe a small list, it does continue to grow with each new update.

Filterstorm is not perfect, though. While the interface can be tucked away, it still takes up a decent portion of the screen. No Facebook, Flickr, Smugmug, or Picasa integration might have some people crying foul. There are also some funny quirks, like locking a photo into place when you are editing it. This creates a longer workflow process as the changes have to be made, applied, photo moved, and changes reproduced. Good thing there is a way to record the process and store it as a macro.

The light at the end of the tunnel is that the developer is very active with users on Twitter and various internet forums. This program has come a long way since version one and is looking to make bigger changes with upcoming releases.

Filterstorm is by no way shape or form going to take over from the likes of Lightroom on your desktop, but it will give you the perfect option for making quick edits while on the road. Programs that are far more expensive don’t offer this much flexibility. This is worth its weight in megabytes on your iPad. Those of you with an iPhone, this app is currently being migrated to iPhone 4 and 3GS. Look for it to hit the app store soon.

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