The iPhone was reported to be the most popular camera on Flickr in August 2009. Users no longer clamoring for the most expensive cameras with the most megapixels have made the iPhone the go-to device for snapping and sharing shots on the go.
Therefore, it’s no surprise that a variety of photo editing and sharing applications are available for the device on Apple’s iTunes App Store. Below are five must-have photo apps for the iPhone.
5. A Flickr of Hope for Sharing Photos from the iPhone
The free Flickr app from Yahoo! puts all the familiar features of the web version into the pockets of iPhone users. Photos (and videos) can be shot, uploaded, commented on, geo-tagged, marked as favorite and added to sets all from Apple's smartphone.
Users can also search for photos on Flickr by subject, people, or places and save those images to their iPhones.
For what is arguably the largest photo-sharing site in the world, Yahoo! has released a very solid iPhone app to accompany it.
4. Give Your Photos a Splash of Color with ColorSplash
The most remembered effect from the movie Pleasantville had to do with splashes of color suddenly appearing throughout a black-and-white world. ColorSplash by Pocket Pixels, Inc. ($1.99) gives iPhone users the ability to create that same effect within their own photos.
The application provides a variety of settings and brushes, allowing users to convert a photo to black-and-white, designate specific areas for tinting and then “paint” those sections with their finger. The application adjusts for editing in either portrait or landscape mode and finished photos can be uploaded to Facebook and Twitter.
3. Apple’s Camera App Isn’t That Smart, But Camera Genius Sure Is
Jeff McMorris’ Camera Genius (currently $.99) is what Apple’s Camera app should have been. Camera Genius includes features that seem basic for most cameras, especially one in such an advanced a device as the iPhone.
Included with Camera Genius is a zoom function, rapid-succession “burst” shooting, timestamp and location tagging and anti-shake stabilization. Group photos can be taken in specified time intervals or when everyone says, “cheese!”
The amount of features included in Camera Genius and the temporary price cut make this application a “must-add” to any user’s iPhone arsenal.
2. Panoramas Made Easy with Auto Stitch
Panoramic photos cannot be taken with the iPhone’s camera. Therefore, the use of a third-party application is necessary to sew the sequential images together to create one seamless photo.
Cloudburst Research’s Auto Stitch ($1.99) uses complicated algorithms to do just that. Users select several images from their camera roll for display in the staging area at the bottom of the screen and tap the “Stitch” button. The application recognizes the overlapping sections of each photo and renders one cohesive, panoramic image.
Other apps like Pano by Debacle Software ($2.99) and Panorama by the iFone Guys Ltd. ($9.99) perform similar functions, but they are more expensive and in the case of Pano, only allow up to 16 images to be stitched together at a time. The price and ease of use make Auto Stitch a must-have app for creating panoramic photos.
1. Adobe’s Surprisingly Free and Useful Photoshop.com Mobile App
Adobe’s free photo-editing application, Photoshop.com Mobile, is number one on this list for one reason: the application does a few things very well for free. Users are able to modify saturation levels, apply a variety of color effects and change the tint of their photos just by sliding their fingers across the image. These changes are executed via a minimal, yet very intuitive interface that rivals Apple’s own applications.
Once the photos have been edited to the user’s liking, they can be saved to the iPhone’s camera roll and uploaded to Adobe’s free photo-sharing service, Photoshop.com.
For a more advanced photo editor, please check out Photogene by Omer Shoor ($2.99). Photogene incorporates many more settings (color temperature, gamma correction and shadows to name several) and has an equally intuitive interface as Photoshop.com Mobile. Adobe’s offering is free and “good enough” for most casual photographers, which is why it is listed as number one instead of Photogene.
There is no shortage of photo-oriented applications available for the iPhone, but knowing which ones are worth the money is not easy. Users should read reviews and make note of the features they need. The iPhone will never replace a true camera and desktop photo editor, but with help from the apps above, it can definitely come close.
Harry Marks - Harry Marks is a writer, teacher, and web developer from New Jersey. When he's not screaming at his computer because of ASP errors or ...
