Part 2 of my iphoneography tips tutorial

Part 2 of my personal iphoneography tips is here! Part 1, which you can find here, was all about how to capture the images best you can by taking control. Today I will introduce you to some of my favorite apps for editing and / or enhancing iPhone pictures outside of those camera apps.

Photoshop Touch – as of lately, when I want to go beyond ‘basic’, I tend to do use it a lot more. From what I have read it got a major overhaul not too long ago and it is great. I am seriously amazed that you can almost do as many things with it as with its big brother the desktop Photoshop. You can work with layers (adjustments & photos), blend modes, transparencies, transform, gradients, brushes, got the filters and usual editing tools and, of course, you can connect to the Adobe Cloud if you are a subscriber, and store your projects there. Have I mentioned before that I love Photoshop? I really do. Yet for the quick edit and the fun of iPhoneography, I usually use one of the other apps.

Photoshop Touch

 Photoshop Touch editing Photoshop Touch editing

Pic-Tap-Go – (picture below left) a fairly basic and easy, yet very efficient editing program. You select a picture from your camera roll and see previews of the different editing styles, including crop, shadows/highlights, contrast etc. and a lot of filters. You can stack them and dial them down. However, unlike in some other apps, you cannot swap the sequence.

Snapseed – (picture below right) is my favorite basic & beyond editing tool. It is quick, easy and you have a lot of control. There are filters, yes, but the one thing I really love about Snapseed is the option to have adjustment points or ‘selective adjust’ as they call it. You tap a point in your picture that you e.g. might want to lighten, then you can pinch to zoom in or out to select the size of your selection and apply your edit to it.

 Pic-Tap-Go editing Snapseed editing

Big Lens – for that DSLR selective blur look, but it also got filters, which you cannot stack, but change the opacity.

 Big Lens masking Big Lens editing

Mextures – beautiful filters for colors, contrast, vintage looks, with light leaks, grain and, of course, textures. You can layer them and also apply blend modes e.g. overlay, multiply etc.

 Mextures editing Mextures editing

Distressed FX – for a more filtered, textured look of your image. Again, a lot of editing control e.g. dialing up/down opacity, but no layering beyond the two given ones.

 Distressed FX editing Distressed FX editing

Touch Retouch – ever wanted something gone from your photo, but you or that object could not move? A trashcan, a hair, a leaf? This is the app for it. Works almost like magic. See the snow on the tree on the original picture? It is gone (note: I did this quick and dirty)

 Touch Retouch(ing) Touch Retouch(ing)

Typic – as the name suggest, I use this one to add texts to my picture, and doodles or icons. I haven’t used this a lot in recent times, so I pretty much missed the latest updates. So now Typic also includes basic editing, color filters and effects on top of the original i.e. lots of different fonts to choose from

 Typic - text & editing Typic - text & editing

Halftone – Give your picture a little bit of a comic book look – fun!

 Halftone - Comic book look Halftone - Comic book look

Circular – if you have the right picture for it – great effects and editing possibilities for something very different

 Circular - editing Circular - editing

Almost needless to say, but obviously another way to get a unique look to your iPhone pictures is to edit your picture in one app, save it and then edit it in the next one. I do that all the time.This list is by no means an all-inclusive. There are tons of other apps out there and there are also more that I am using. However these are my main ones. Got questions concerning my iPhoneography tips? Post them in the comments. Oh, and at the end of the post you’ll find two of the final edits inlarger size.



coffeechat

And now fast forward to Leslie’s Tuesday coffee chat. Her question today: Would you feel ill at ease going to a movie alone? Or to eat at a restaurant? A concert?  My answer: Nope, not really. I mean, I don’t like it – all the time, mostly I definitely prefer to have company in any of those circumstances. However, being the case that I have lived alone and abroad for a long time, I have gone to the movies by myself and going to a restaurant, sure, that is happening basically all the time when I am going on a business trip.Thank God for iPads and iPhones, otherwise waiting for dinner really gets boring when your sitting there by yourself at the table. Well, before iPad/iPhone there was the good ol’ magazine or book, but usually just when you started, the waiter would come up with ‘a greeting from the kitchen’.

I don’t think I’ve ever gone to a concert by myself. I guess it really depends. I don’t think I would like to go to a rock concert alone, but classical or theater? Sure, why not? Again, I think it would be a lot more fun to do it with company, but if circumstances were less favorable, why not? There is nothing wrong with it. You can and will still enjoy the performance. In fact, sometimes it may even be better to do any of those alone. Say, for example, your friend/partner is less excited about a particular concert or restaurant, but tags along to ‘do you a favor’. Rarely did that end up being the fun I had envisioned. Being alone is not all that bad. Not all the time, but sometimes it really serves a purpose. I know that I still love my alone time. I hate it when David is on a business trip, but at the same time I love having the time just to myself. Pretty contradictory, huh?! Well, I guess that’s just the way I am.

p.s. Don’t forget to link your latest or not so new creation in my new s~A(R)T~urday link up. Art of any kind is very welcome.

whippany, winter, river

The one above was solely, edited in Snapseed, not using any filters, but only basic editing. Below is the edit of this picture (click to follow the link) with the Circular app.

ice, formation, circular

Why don’t you join me along my journey and follow me on fbgo and tw if you prefer and see what I come up with next. You can, of course, also subscribe by email – (click) here or you may follow my blog with Bloglovin or my preferred reader Feedly.

Drop me a comment and you’ll make me smile!


claudia3

19 thoughts on “Part 2 of my iphoneography tips tutorial”

  1. ugh! I need more phone memory!! I cannot load any editing apps on my iphone because I have the lowest memory available (side eye at hubby), if I download an app, I can only fit about 3 photos on the camera roll. ggggrrrrr. So I have to upload from phone to computer, edit in whatever program, and then upload back to phone. pain in the butt and I don’t have that kind of time. So frustrating.
    I love the circular app edit — that is very cool.
    It’s so true, of course I don’t like hubby being away at work so much, but then when he is back home, I’m like: I love you, but you’re too much in my space and need to get out. but it’s just because I go from nothing, to suddenly ALL hubby everywhere I go. LOL

    Reply
    • You.need.a.new.phone! Hubbbby, Leslie needs a new phoooooone!!!
      (Did he hear that?)
      I am sure you’d soon grow tired of circular. Every now and then it is spectacular, but you would not want to employ it all that often. Well, that’s just me, of course.
      Hubbys – with or without them, that’s the question. Then again, not really.

      Reply
  2. Great review & tips on the various iPhoneography apps.I have Distressed FX (author is a friend of mine)on my phone. It adds a nice feel to my images, but I haven’t used it in awhile. I’ll have to check the others you mentioned above,as I’m always eager to see what’s available in the ways of photo editing. As a business woman on the go, you have plenty of opportunity to doing many things alone, so I know eating and entertainment you experience often is a solo act. At least you do have a darling husband to do these things with when your schedule is free and that’s very special! 😉

    Reply
  3. Thanks for the update! I am going to look at these editing programs. As far as doing things alone, well, I pretty much do that all the time now. Especially my NOLA trips. It does not bother me though it took quite a while to get used to it. I prefer my NOLA trips to be solo so that I can do what I do there on the spur of the moment. Not everyone wants to hang around when I am in the cemeteries and other odd places taking pictures or going on offbeat tours. 🙂

    Reply
    • I can imagine, Debbi. Going on one of your NOLA ‘hunting and exploring’ trips would be done best going alone or with someone very like-minded. Although I am sure for the most part e.g. cemeteries, odd places, offbeat tours, I would not mind, there might be a few things that would possibly creep me out 😀

      Reply
  4. Almost makes me want to make the switch to an iPhone from my precious Android. Almost. 🙂 I’ll have to check to see if there are comparable apps for my Android. 🙂

    I do love my alone time, but haven’t been able to succumb the hurdle of feeling comfy going to a movie or restaurant or concert all by my lonesome. I bet if I tried it, I’d like it. 🙂

    Reply
    • I know the feeling, Stacy, I really do. As I elaborated previously I switched from an Android to the iPhone. While I had been happy with my Galaxy, I now think I am happier with my iPhone. And I am not a Mac person… I am sure you’ll find comparable apps. Maybe not all, but similar.
      Alone time is extremely important. But it does not mean that I am comfortable doing all those things alone. I do them, may even enjoy them, but… 🙂

      Reply
  5. Oh boy. So many apps to check out. I love Snapseed. But use so many other apps compared to what you shared. I’ll have to take a look. Can’t wait! 🙂 Also, been using Camera+ almost exclusively and love the fact that you can adjust shutter speed and aperture.

    Reply
    • Yep, exactly right. There are way too many. So it is best to stick to a few basic ones you know in and out and then try one here and there on the side. At least that’s what I do. Camera+ is great! Although I don’t think you can adjust the aperture, speed and ISO is a great start to take control.

      Reply
  6. I’d love to go to a concert alone.. I was just thinking that last night, in fact.
    I’ve never tried Snapseed or any of these! I want to.
    I do have a question. Regarding what you said about how you can use more than one app – open your photo in one, and then another, etc. That’s how I do photos on my computer – Lightroom, then Photoshop, and then Lightroom again.
    Do you have a workflow order that you tend to do?

    Reply
    • Any particular concert?
      With my DSLR photos I have the same workflow: Import in LR, edit in LR, then if wanted/needed in PS, then export from LR
      As for the iPhone pics I don’t really have a set workflow. Probably because I still tend to see it as fun. Sometimes even over the top fun edits. Usually I look at a pic and if I decide to post it ‘as is’, I simply open it in Pic-Tap-Go for crop, contrast etc. because it is really fast and adjustable, and then post. If there are more detailed ‘fixes to be applied’, I use Snapseed. You really, really have to have that. It is great for the basic stuff, too, but gives you the option of very selective (to the point) adjustments. And while you can share out of all these apps to e.g. Instagram, I guess I’m a dinosaur, saving to Camera Roll and then opening IG for sharing. Maybe we should do a photo tips related AAF 😉

      Reply
    • Tom Petty?! Oh my gosh, I would go with you in a heartbeat!! Although I am sure hubby would love to tag along as well 🙂
      I would love to do an AAF with you. Somehow I’m just afraid I cannot find questions and or good answers. I feel very inadequate with words. Let’s email, o.k.? 🙂

      Reply
  7. Yes, let’s email!
    I think we are totally equally matched with questions. It’s just the way we talk anyway! We should just ask questions we are truly curious about! What lens? Workflow? Tips, etc.! I may use Google for inspiration.

    Reply

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