Monday, November 26, 2012

TECH/PERSONAL GADGET SPECIAL...Click better images with your phone’s camera


Click better images with your phone’s camera
Pick from the following photo apps and editors to help you enhance the quality of your pictures.
    Mobile phones have evolved from the simple calling and texting devices of a decade ago into multi-functional gadgets with endless features. Take the cameras installed in these phones. With many sub- 10,000 phones sporting 8-megapixel (MP) cameras, more people are using this pocketable device to click photos on the move. However, you may not get very good results from all of these. Here’s where a plethora of photo apps and editors come handy. Though some of these are free, you will have to buy others, but they can all help you enhance the images. Best camera apps 1 iPhone
Camera+
($0.99 or 55)
Justifying its name, this app offers advanced features to iPhone users. You can control exposure, adjust focus using touch, or choose from 16 scene modes to get the best picture. It also has a built-in image editor to add various effects to your photographs.
Camera Awesome (Free)
If you need help with composition, Camera Awesome can show you grids to get the best subject placement. It also provides a timer, image stabiliser, burst shooting mode and has an integrated image effects editor. 2 Android
Camera Zoom FX
($2.99 or 165)
This app offers advanced controls for ISO, focus, metering, exposure and white balance. Other features include a burst mode of 10 shots per second, customisation of hardware buttons to click or zoom and live preview of special effects.
Pudding Camera (Free)
Also available for the iPhone, Pudding Camera offers unique effects (50 mm, fisheye, triplex, etc) for your photographs. There is also a quick access dial for exposure control on the interface. The only issue is that it shoots at a maximum size of 1,280 x 1,280 pixels. 3 Windows Phone Camera Effects
($1.49 or 82)

With this app, you can preview the various effects and frames available in the app before taking a photo. The app provides easy access controls for flash, burst mode as well as effects and frames in a single window.
Fhotoroom (Free)
Fhotoroom offers a built-in image stabiliser in its camera interface. It also has a self-timer, exposure adjustment, built-in image level to frame the shot better, various preset shooting modes and over 90 post-processing effects to enhance the image. 4 Symbian
CameraPro 15
For a puny amount, this app offers a multitude of advanced features. It allows you to adjust white balance, exposure and ISO settings, as well as shoot high dynamic range (HDR) pictures. There is an onscreen compass and a virtual horizon to help with composition.
SCam (Free)
This app offers advanced features, such as a real-time histogram and a horizon line to help with composition. It offers time lapse, HDR, exposure bracketing modes and a continuous autofocus mode, over and above the basic settings available on your smartphone. 5 BlackBerry
Pencil camera
($2.99 or 165)
In a simple two-step process, you just shoot an image with the app and it gets displayed instantly as pencil art. Pencil Camera gives you the option to choose the image size as well as to directly store the images in the internal memory or the memory card.
Camera Timer (Free)
As the name suggests, the app lets you set a timer for the camera. You can choose between 0-20 seconds for taking pictures and even set time intervals between photos. You can shoot up to 10 images within the interval time. Free photo editors
1 iPhone: Aviary
Also available for Android, Aviary allows you to adjust the brightness, contrast, saturation and sharpness of images. You can add free effects like sepia, soft focus and aqua, or purchase additional ones. You can also change the colour tone or add fun stickers to photographs before sharing them with friends.
2 Android: PicsArt
With this free app, you can add frames, borders, stickers, Clipart graphics and text effects. There are also lots of artistic photo effects, in addition to the standard crop, rotate and colour adjustment options. You can also draw on the image with various artistic brushes, as well as make a collage with pictures.
3 Windows Phone: InstaCam
The highlight of this photo editor is that it lets you combine multiple filters and effects to create your own filters. It has 26 photo effects, 12 frames and 9 predesign filters to enhance your photos and share them on various social networks. Instacam also calls itself the ‘unofficial Instagram client’ for Windows Phone OS. The limitation is that it only lets you browse through Instagram photos and does not let you upload your own.
4 Symbian: Molome
This free app is the Symbian alternative to Instagram. It works in the same fashion—click a photo or select an existing one from your phone and then apply any of the effects available. The app keeps getting updated with new effects on a regular basis. You can share the image on various social networks, including Molome’s own network, where you can earn badges on completing certain milestones to improve your social reputation.
5 BlackBerry: Photo Editor Ultimate
Offering various colour filters and effects, Photo Editor Ultimate lets you combine or overlay one photo over the other to create beautiful collages. Apart from options to adjust brightness, hue, saturation and colour, it also comes with tools to set the image quality as well as crop, rotate or resize an image. You can e-mail the photo or share it on various social networks, besides doing so with your BBM contacts from within the app.

KARAN BAJAJ ET121119


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