PicTricks
Price: $.99
Version Reviewed: 1.1
iPhone Integration [rating:4]
User Interface [rating:4]
Re-use / Replay Value [rating:4]
Overall Rating:





PicTricks is an image processing app for the iPhone. It can take a portrait photograph and add such items as new hair, a mustache, hat, and glasses to a person. It can also replace the background of a photograph with one of your choosing. Lastly, it can shrink a photograph horizontally, removing unwanted background elements in the process. It claims it can do all this automatically for you, although you can select various options and control aspects of it manually.
Instant Makeover lets you choose a starting photograph of a person, preferably a straight on head shot. You then either let the app randomly change the hair style, add glasses, facial hair, a hat, and a valentine's day item, or you select each of those options yourself. You can turn each off if you wish, or select from a small number of available items. You then let the app render a new photograph. Given the right starting photo the result can often be hilarious.
Lastly, there's Blue/Green Screen. This is the pickiest of the image processing modes. With this mode you choose a replacement background and the original foreground. It works best with a solid blue background in the original foreground picture but can often produce good results with others. You select the background color you want to replace and let the app do that for you. It can produce dramatic results.
PicTricks can create funny or interesting pictures as long as the photograph you start with meets the requirements of its internal algorithms. Like any image manipulation app, it requires time and effort to master, and will just as often frustrate as satisfy. It's definitely worthwhile, although you can't expect it to magically create great photographs every single time.