Tag Archives: social friends

PhotoForge2 taking Retro Film and Flash for iPhone photos to the next level

Some people complain about using Hipstamatic because it takes the photo in a retro fashion which is set via choosing lens/film/flash combinations before the photo is taken. They would prefer taking a regular photo then editing it. While Hipstamatic takes the photography experience back to the days of choosing a physical camera/film/lens, I can understand where the ‘modern’ iPhone photographer may want to use the many options they have rather than the limitations of yesteryear.

With the snap-and-edit-later photographer in mind, PhotoForge2 offers the usual filters/editing tools, but a large selection of retro film/flash/gels/papers to mix and match per the need of a particular photo. PhotoForge2 is a universal app so purchasing it will allow you to one the single copy on both devices. The interface is the same between the two, below I used screen shots from my iPad to see the options spread out more, making them easier to see.

The user interface for PhotoForge2 has all of the tools (except share and apply) across the bottom of the screen. Choose one of the icons to bring up the tools in that area. Then swipe from side to side to choose which to use.

Some PhotoForge2 tools offer the ability to fine tune their impact. When in the edit mode, a check (accept/apply) and ‘X’ (do not apply changes) in the upper left corner takes you back to the tools overview screen. This allows as many adjustments to a photo to be applied as you need. Layers are also supported so you can separate the adjustments for easier editing as you go.

One of the choices in the ‘FX’ area is a camera icon for ‘Pop!Cam’. This selection changes the PhotoForge2 tools along the bottom to Film, Lens, Gels, Flash, Chemicals, Paper and Frames. The ‘Pop!Cam’ area will let you use the tools but in order to save the image with the effects applied they have an upgrade fee (currently $1.99). Since this is not a free app, it is nice that a person gets to play a bit to see if there is any value in the Retro options.

Saving and sharing your creations is done via cloud icon in the upper right corner. The usual Cloud storage services are supported, as are the photo sharing sites. If you know someone else with PhotoForge2 installed, there is even the option to ‘bump’ to transfer images between the two units.

For iPhone users that are fans of Bokeh photography, Lumiè has you covered!

The Bokeh effect is a blur… with a bit of classic flare. Not the blur I have been covering in the past where your attempting depth, rather the blur you get a lot with old Polaroid photographs. A flash of light from a source you didn’t expect that causes a artistic wash out. I use it a lot with my black and white photography, In the case of the art of Bokeh effect photography, the bright areas get some flare with shapes. These are those fun circles, hearts, stars and streaks of light dancing around a photograph. Not for everyone’s taste, but done right the images can be unique and thought provoking… oh yea, and cute fun too.

The Lumiè app (iPhone only) takes the uncertainty of getting the effect right when photographing and moves the effect to a series of filters. You can take a photo through the app or import from the iPhone photo library. Lumiè wants a square photo so the first step after import is to crop the photo, than onto the ‘effects’. Sweep your finger across the screen to choose an effect… there are many to choose from. Tap one to select, if you don’t like the effect, just tap the image to bring up the chooser again. There is also a picker in the lower left corner for the the image to be ‘normal’, ‘dark’, or add ‘sparkle’ to the filter.

The final image can be save and shared by it’s self or with a ‘paper’ frame similar to those old Polaroids. Sharing can be done directly from Lumiè to Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Timblr, save to your iPhone photo library or attach to an email.