what apps are you using?

SoonerBJJ · Aug 13, 2012

I thought this might be better as a new thread rather than getting lost in the cell pics thread. What apps are you using with your smart phone or iPad? Along the lines of the other comments bemoaning the limitations of Instagram, I have really enjoyed working in Snapseed. I love playing with the stylized, vintage look of Instagram but want more control and to preserve as many pixels as possible. Snapseed really gives an amazing level of control and produces images MUCH better than Instagram IMHO. Square format, borders, etc are a breeze.

I've also used Photogene where more localized treatments are needed. It can also do the fun, stylized stuff but isn't quite as fun as Snapseed.

I use Transfer for moving images between the iPhone and iPad.

I've got Hueless for B&W but haven't been able to find much use for it over Snapseed or Photogene.

480sparky · Aug 13, 2012

gps4cam
GPS Test Plus
DOF Calculator
ExifViewer
Photo Tools Pro
PHOforPHO
The Photographer's Ephimeris
Photography Calculator
StopWatch&Timer
SunTrajectory
MoonTrajectory
Sun Calendar
Lunar Phase

et al

SoonerBJJ · Aug 13, 2012

Could you provide any specific feedback on why you like or dislike any of those apps?

480sparky · Aug 13, 2012

SoonerBJJ said:
Could you provide any specific feedback on why you like or dislike any of those apps?

gps4cam : Geotags Nikon NEF images. Maybe others, but I don't need it for other camera manufacturers.
GPS Test Plus : Provides GPS data, as well as what satellites are in view and their signal strength. Also has a compass, speedomter and UTC.
DOF Calculator : Pretty obvious.
ExifViewer : Another one that's obvious.
Photo Tools Pro : Lots of calculators for photographers, DOF, FOV, Hyperfocal, histogram viewer, time lapse, Sunny 16 calc, blue & golden hour calcs, moon phase & expsoure, weather, level, color temp, exif reader, check lists, basic retouching, photographer's rights,
PHOforPHO : Similar to above
The Photographer's Ephimeris : Great app that ties to a deskstop version. Provides info on where/when the sun & moon will rise & set. Great for golden hour & sun/moon rise/set shots.
Photography Calculator : DOF & Hyperfocal calcs. Enter the cameras & lenses you own.
StopWatch&Timer : Obvious.. great for time lapse & Loooooooooooooong exposures.
SunTrajectory : Takes the view from your cell cam and combines it with the trajectory the sun will take across the sky. Nice for figuring out when to return to a spot for getting the sun in the frame where you want it.
MoonTrajectory : Similar to above, only shows the moon instead of sun
Sun Calendar : Solar Ephimeris
Lunar Phase : Lunar Ephimeris

SoonerBJJ · Aug 13, 2012

Lemme guess you do a lot of outdoor and landscape photography?

sm4him · Aug 13, 2012

I've got all sorts of Camera and PP apps on my phone--except Instagram. I just don't really get the whole fascination with purposely making pictures look the same way I spent most of the 70s trying to KEEP mine from looking.

Truth is, I rarely use ANY of the camera or pp apps. Once in a very great while, I play around with PaperCamera or Photoshop Express, just for fun.

The apps I tend to actually use are more the sort of apps Sparky listed. The ones I use most often:
DOF Calculator
Photo Tools--just a really good, overall reference app with all sorts of tools (see Sparky's list--he's the one that told me about it!)
Sundroid--civil, nautical and astronomical sunrise and sunset, moon phase and "rise" and "set" times, start and end of "golden hour", etc.
SunTrajectory/MoonTrajectory--Sparky told me about those too.
And of course, PhotoForum.

Then there are a few non-photography apps that I use almost exclusively FOR photography:
Evernote: I use this to keep ideas for photos, projects I want to do, even potential reshoots of a photo. You can organize notes into "projects" and add text, drawings, photos, etc. So I could have a "before" photo along with my written notes about C&C I've gotten that might help improve it, and maybe a drawing showing how to setup the shot.

Audobon Everything: Well, that's not the name of it. It's just that I have just about all of them--Audobon: Birds; Butterflies; Insects & Spiders; Trees; and Wildflowers. I shoot a lot of macro and nature and I really like to know WHAT I'm shooting. I used to always keep a bunch of these field guides in the trunk of my car, but now they are right at my disposal.
I've paid more for the Audobon apps than any other app I own (which is to say, anything at all--nearly all mine are free apps)--but I've never spent more than about $4 on one of them; they're $9 or $10 usually, but I've managed to always catch them on sale.

Derrel · Aug 13, 2012

on iPhone 4, I have only a handful of apps.
1) Instagram. I save full-sized images to my camera roll. Share compresses the image too much.
2) Camera Control Pro: stabilizer and Big Button plus grid lines.
3) Fast Camera:turns the iPhone into a fast-shooting camera with a HUGE buffer. And adds interval timer options.
4) Hipstamatic: it's on there, but I almost never have used it.

Angry Birds. Words With Friends. Facebook. Google Maps. My Contacts.

jake337 · Aug 13, 2012

I've downloaded the free versions of:

PicsPlay
PicsArt
Photo Editor

I like photo editor the best just because you can play with curves.

My phone snaps workflow is usually take pic, curves adjustment in photo editor and then to instagram.

I've ran a few through CS5 but don't usually go through that hassle with my cell phone snaps.

I also like the Internet speed test test app so I can see how fast others wifi is running. My home wifi's best is between 34-40 mbps download and 6-9 mbps upload.

jake337 · Aug 13, 2012

Derrel said:
on iPhone 4, I have only a handful of apps.
1) Instagram. I save full-sized images to my camera roll. Share compresses the image too much.
2) Camera Control Pro: stabilizer and Big Button plus grid lines.
3) Fast Camera:turns the iPhone into a fast-shooting camera with a HUGE buffer. And adds interval timer options.
4) Hipstamatic: it's on there, but I almost never have used it.

Angry Birds. Words With Friends. Facebook. Google Maps. My Contacts.

Words with friends! I need to get back on that.

480sparky · Aug 13, 2012

I also have the Audobon series sm4him mentions.

I also use a voice recorder to take field notes.

ann · Aug 13, 2012

I have over 90, but basically for testing purposes as I teach a Iphonphotography workshop.

Probably only use a few and that varies.

Right now I am in love with Snapseed, especially on the IPAD.

Autostitch for panos.

Photogene,

and for any others i have go find the phone

SoonerBJJ · Aug 13, 2012

ann said:
Right now I am in love with Snapseed, especially on the IPAD.

+1

Did I mention how much I dig Snapseed?

Tee · Aug 13, 2012

Photography Related
SLR- it's a virtual studio set-up; you pick the lights, model poses, and it'll show you what the image will look like.
MapAPic- a location app. Mark a spot for the future and it'll put it on a map for you. Show's sunrise/ sunset/ golden hours for that location and a bunch more neat stuff.
Simple Dof- DoF calculator.
Learn CS- Terry White's Creative Suite tutorial apps.
Top Model Release- bye bye paper; sends release via pdf and word format to email and you can insert an image of the model signing it as well. Very cool model release app.
Instagram- I like to pretend I'm a hipster.
TPF- quick simple and gets the job done; it needs a "like" feature on it.
Smug View- simple way of showing images from your SmugMug account.
B&H- because anyone with a smart phone should have this.

Social Apps while on a shoot
Pandora- gotta have the tunes!
Renaissance Cocktails- the Marriott brand cocktail chart. Create a custom liquor cabinet and look up recipes using the liquor you have. Great for entertaining after a shoot.
SoundHound- like Shazaam but a touch better. You never know when you'll hear a great tune and want to remember who sings it.
TFLN- texts from last night. Have some downtime? See who else had a crazy night. A must have for instant giggles.

Allin44 · Sep 9, 2012

I take a lot of photographs with my iPhone 4S, and I use a few different apps to spice them up. At the risk of sounding a little cliche here, I really love the filters Instagram offers. They can really breathe new life into your photos and give them a vibrant, modern feel, or that classic, old-fashioned vibe. Beyond that, I generally use an app called iDarkroom. It's really intuitive and easy to use, and it offers a handful of fun ways to edit your photographs.