Tag Archives: specialized effects

Taking Dramatic Black & White Photographs with the iPhone

Along with the iPhone camera, I also shoot with digital cameras and film cameras. While I love being able to do many levels of modifications to my iPhone photos, I enjoy the challenge of shooting with a few Lomo cameras too. The Lomo cameras have a very limited range of adjustments (usually a couple distance settings on the lens) and additionally limited in the quality of the equipment. The lenses are not perfect and even the film advance dials mean it is easy to create double exposures through planning or through forgetfulness. The fun with the cameras are in the area of taking the challenge of what will look good and what won’t when living in the limited world.

This weekend, I was shooting around San Francisco with my nephew. Several times he stated that he was switching his Android photo to take Black & White instead of color. Hmmm… my iPhone camera doesn’t have that setting!

Enter, Dramatic Black & white, an app for the iPhone photographer. When I grabbed the app, I was hoping it was going to force the photo through the iPhone camera be taken in Black & white, but the viewfinder screen shows color. I guess, that is what the real world film camera does too. Once the photo is taken or imported, it goes black & white from there forward.

Dramatic Black & White does offer a few fine tuning options, all around the visual impact of ‘non color’ photographs. Film speed, shutter speed, lens, etc… on a film camera it all causes the finished photo to be completely different. We are about with the app though to get to the same ending, but it is all done with adjustment sliders and filters. While most ‘filter’ apps offer two or three kinds of black & white effect, this app offers three full groups. As well, lighting eclipse and fine tuning of each filter.

I will post up a few screen shots I took of the app as soon as my iPhone Photo Stream picks them up. Meanwhile, here are a few from the developer of Dramatic Black & White:

Paint FX brings fine tuning of iPhone photography effects

Paint FX was recently updated with 3 HDR and new background effects. It is an app that I use from time to time and really should have mentioned it before. You know, I just use it and don’t think about it.

What makes Paint FX a bit unique is that you don’t have to use their filters and effects on the full picture. Instead, you paint the effect onto your iPhone pictures to apply only where you want. It means a bit of a rethink about enhancements to photos. Instead of applying a filter or effect to all parts of an image at one time. Paint FX has you create a layer, then choose an effect to apply only to parts you need the enhancement on. Brighten on area, sharpened, darken, make it vintage, HDR, grunge and more… 71 in all.

Import photos from the iPhone photo library, Flickr or Facebook.

From the effects button, you can choose effects to paint on or apply to the full image at one time (Paint vs Fill). Sweep up/down through the options, choose to use. Next to the Effects option across the top bar is a button that offers the fine tuning of the brush tool: size of tip, strength and brush edge. When ‘painting’ on the effect, you can undo/redo. Along the bottom, the eraser will let you edit the filter edge to get more precision around corners.

Almost every effect can be fine tuned. In fact, many allow for multi levels to get the most out of every filter. So, 70+ filters/effects can each be adjusted to make it almost impossible to count how many options are included in Paint FX.

I’m surprised more apps that allow you to apply selective effects don’t offer a ‘mask’. As you can see here, when on you can see exactly where the effect is being applied. This is a must where you altering an image with a soft effect that you may not be able to see on the small screen. If you want to see your work on a ‘big’ screen, your in luck… Paint FX is a Universal app so when you buy for your iPhone you can install on your iPad too at no additional charge.

Yes, you can use an effect to apply to the outer edge of an image that will create a frame appearance. Like I said, when using Paint FX, think outside of the box!