Selasa, 13 September 2011

Photo editing on the iPhone

I can't believe it. I'm blogging about the iPhone (or rather its apps). I'm a humbled hypocrite. :(

So. I've been taking photos with the iPhone and guess what? I like it. Why?

 
Photo taken with the iPhone

Because there are literally hundreds or maybe even thousands of photography apps available for you to enhance your photos!

Not only is it fun, you are saved the hassle of transferring them to your computer and you can even do the editing on the toilet bowl, then immediately post them onto twitter/facebook/tumblr etc to get the attention you crave. Oh and I forgot to mention there is a front facing camera so of course the photos look great! It's a fucking winning formula and I'm loving it!

With every *ahem* gorgeous photo I post, people keep asking me the apps I use to edit them, so here they are!

BTW, I am a photography app junkie. I buy and download most popular photography apps just to give them a try. However, I don't like some of the apps because...

1) They force me to open the camera app within their app and snap a photo to edit, instead of allowing me to edit a photo that's already snapped. This is fucking annoying. An example of this is camera360. Great filters, stupid interface. I want to snap 10 pictures, choose the best one, THEN edit. Not snap and immediately edit!

2) They crop my photo into a square, or are unable to edit on a landscape picture. To post on my blog's Photo of the Moment I need the landscape format. An example of this is instagram, which makes photos square.

So yup these apps are all not included in my list even though they may be great!



Here are my favourites!!
(Not including Pixlromatic, which should go under "Meh")

My all time favourite is Mei Tu Xiu Xiu (the red one for those who can't read chinese).

After trying many many filter-based apps, I find that MTXX is the still best for portraits. And it's also very easy to use! I love how you can even add bokeh to the pictures. You can also crop, put two photos into one frame, or blur the background, all within the app.

For heart shaped bokeh, iDarkroom (not pictured), is also awesomesauce.

Now for the important stuff - Liquify! As you all know I am a big fan of Liquify on photoshop - and guess what? You can do it on the iPhone too!!

My favourite is the one called "Makeover"


Of course, liquify on the iPhone cannot be as precise as on the computer, but I take whatever I can get and Makeover is pretty darn good.

First, as shown, you select where your eye and mouth corners are... Then...


TADAH! Photo on the left unedited.


You can edit your eyes, nose, mouth, mouth corners and face shape, all with Makeover!!

I love this app because you can edit so much based on how your move your fingers. For example, two fingers pinching makes the nose slimmer. Moving one finger moves your nose, be it left, right, up or down.

You can even rotate your eyes more droopy (which I like) or more slanted! Crazy, right?



Face Melter is just like Makeover, except this is purely pushing pixels around. I don't really like Face Melter because it is clumsy and when something is liquified beyond the frame, it adds extra black pixels to the photo. -_- Which is stupid.



Face Cam is another app just like Makeover:


It allows you to enhance photos by smoothening and lightening skin, which is great! You can also make your eyes bigger and face sharper with it, but Makeover is better for those purposes.

Princess Cam is my favourite purikura app!


You can add cute graphics, borders, sparkles etc, but my favourite is the "teak and ribbon" section!


Eyelashes, BOTTOM LASHES (IKR?), blush (I love this!), contacts... Too cute!


Not to mention bunny ears and ribbons... :D


Ok done with the introduction to my favourite apps - now to show you some transformation pictures!




Original


After Makeover


After Face Melter
Used on the wide cheekbones which makeover cannot edit.


After Face Cam, used for smoothening and brightening


Cutesy graphics added with the Marron app. 
Marron only works on vertical portrait pictures so I don't usually use it.


Mei Tu Xiu Xiu filter "复古" added. My favourite filter! And done! :D


One more example:


Original


After Makeover... 
LOL I feel like I'm lying to the world. 
Hey at least I'm coming clean now, right?


After Face Melter on cheekbones again...


Face cam to smoothen and brighten


MTXX filter


Graphics done with Princess Cam! Blush added too. :)

What do you guys think? :D


p/s: Will probably get some hate comments again saying I must be terribly insecure to go through all that trouble to post a photo of myself online. Don't be a fucking idiot. If I am insecure would I post the original photo up? I enjoy the editing process and it barely takes me 5 mins to do everything. I'm a pro afterall lol.

Hair & Make Up