ReColor Review

Ever taken a photo on your iPhone and wished you could brighten up the image, or even change the color completely? ReColor, a new photography editing app, is boasting that it can do just that.

This is the first app from German developer Sebastian Heymann. The app is designed to change the color of people and objects in a natural way, so no masking the highlights or lowlights of an image or going 'over the lines'.

ReColor certainly does what it describes. After uploading a picture to the app (you can use the camera inside the app too), all you need to do is select the "add" button from the side menu and tap where you want the new coloration to go. A point mark will be then added to the image for the chosen area. The points can be moved around the image and also removed with the side menu options and tapping on the selected point. The color, contrast and visibility can be altered on the menu at the bottom of the app.

The app is definitely easy to use, with settings and options kept to a minimum so the user doesn't get too confused. The side menu could do with a little more explanation, but simple tapping around when you first get the app sorts the problem. The coloration is particularly striking with bold objects, especially linear objects. It's easy to get carried away snapping random objects and changing the color for fun.

The appearance of the app, however, could be neatened. Although the app is clearly aiming for simplicity, which it does well, the app's design is a little too simple, especially the random hand icon on the loading page. Also, the color change does have a flaw — it struggles with more obscure shapes, rough edges or small areas. It doesn't matter how many points you add to the area or how visible/contrasted the change is, the color barely changes. The app seems to merely tint rough edges.

However it could be argued that it's a fault with the iPhone 3G/3GS's camera being occasionally low in photo quality in bad lighting. The tint can have its bonuses though; if you are trying to give yourself a tan in holiday photos, you can rest assured it will definitely look natural and subtle!

Overall, ReColor is a great app for changing the color on clear, bold images, and you are bound to spend hours fiddling with the pictures already stored on your iPhone. The app is also superb in not taking away the natural proportions of a photograph. However, the app is hindered somewhat by the limitations of the camera which can be very frustrating, and the appearance could be improved. Overall, this app has a lot of potential, and is a wise investment at $1.99.