Hi friends and welcome back to another “Art of Photography” session as part of my continuing series for Seth Apter’s Creative Team. Before I even get started I just want you to know, that the photo above is only for attention because today’s post is all about education and information. HOWEVER, come back on Saturday and I will be sharing a fun way I like to create art and some of those will feature Seth’s products. And the art up there…that might be coming soon too!
Anyway, today’s lesson is a bit more involved because it includes adding apps to your phone. Since the very beginning of this topic, I have made it my mission to keep things as simple and basic as possible as the majority of us aren’t looking to become professional photographers but rather wanting nice photos for good representation of our art. With that said, some of you have expressed an interest in these special apps, outside of the features that already exist on your phone. (If you missed last month’s post on apps on your iPhone, go here.) I have done my best to research what I think would be considered as the best apps for our needs as well as the pocketbook. That said, these aren’t anywhere close to all those that are out there by any means and I only chose a half a dozen. I could spend quite a bit of time researching all of them but here are a few that I think are worth looking into. I will say some of them definitely interested me. As I researched each of these apps, I recognized that they fell into two categories, professional or everyday users. You need to find what works best for you. As I have said all through my photo series, the most important goals are focus and lighting. Everything else follows behind. Keep that in mind when considering taking on any new app. Oh and I want to preface that although a lot of the apps are free, it is for the basic plan. For some you will need to pay for anything more than the basics.
The apps selected here are ones that I researched and found to be the most successful based on user needs and ease of application. Again so many on the market but these were brought up often and so I chose to share these few.
Snapseed-
Designed for the person who is wanting to take their photography to the next level, Snapseed, owned by Google, offers lots of editing tools, editing brushes, filters and layered effects. It also has a non-destructive tool that allows one to eliminate or adjust any edit in layers. It also has the ability to return the edited photo back to the original form. Edits can be used on just portions of the photo instead of the entire photo. Nice tool and definitely detailed. More work on your part but if you are needing to refine your skills, this one would be worth considering. It is a professional level application. On the plus side, this app constantly updates it’s tools so that the latest technology is available, has a supportive help center, is easy to use, and those selective adjustments (red-eye, correcting blur in a particular area, etc.) are definitely advantageous.
Available for: iPhone, iPad, Android
Cost: Free!
Downside: More detailed work on user end.
PicsArt-
Perfect for consumer mobile photography, it offers lots of fun and creative ways to adjust photos. It is very easy to use offers a lot of variety, nice filters, creative applications (doodles on photos, etc.), edits videos, ability to design collages, add stickers, etc. Highly rated. It takes up quite a bit of space on your phone so make sure you have room for it.
My take: Great if you want to add lots of creative things on top of your art and we all love art. But for those of us who are happy to just fine tune our art, this might be a bit more playful rather than professional.
Available for: iPad, iPhone 12.0 or higher, iPad and iPad Touch 12.0 or higher.
Cost: Free for basics/ $48.00 a year for the Suite
Downside: Lots of pop-up ads that can be removed with an upgraded system, and a monthly fee.
Google Photos App-
Though this app does not possess many of the capabilities of the other apps as far as photography tools go, I put it on the list for this one key component alone. It automatically backs up all your photos from your phone onto the cloud. It’s a must have especially if you misplace your phone or worse yet, your phone dies. It also organizes your photos and makes for easy photo sharing across all devices.
My take: Get this one.
Available for: iPhone, iPad and Android
Cost: Free-Unlimited photo backups now UNTIL June 1, 2021 where they will begin charging for any storage above 15 gigs. HOWEVER, and this is big, anything you download between now and then will not be charged. After that date, anything new that is loaded in, will have that requirement and several different levels of fees. On the positive side, they offer more storage than most any other app.
Adobe Photoshop Camera App–
Let’s you add filters (lenses) and allows adjustments in lighting, color and lucidity before or after you shoot. Some of the lenses allow you to add unique movement to certain specified areas. The plus side to this app is that it has a feature called Adobe Sensei which automatically detects the type of photo that is shot and is able to design masks, etc. for areas of interest. Adobe is bringing on some new lenses created by celebrities and influencers. Could offer some additional styles and looks.
Available for: Android and iOS.
Cost: Free
Downside: Not quite as professional as Snapseed (less details) but definitely a nice app.
Pixlr:
Easy to use, simple technology. Comfortable. Quick tuning. Fun to play with without making a huge commitment. Easy to work with and then post on social media. Best editing apps for a casual user.
Available for: IOS, Android
Cost: Completely free. For a small fee, ads can be turned off and more tool options available like stickers, fonts and collage-making designs.
Downside: Not enough to offer the more advanced photographer. Offers tools, just less of them.
Adobe Lightroom
There is Lightroom Mobile and Adobe Lightroom and there is a difference between the two. Lightroom Mobile is free and has a lot of great support and education for the user. It has deep offerings for those really wanting to take their photos to the next level and increase their knowledge and expertise. More control over photo processing where Snapseed’s is automatic. It offers a special area called Discover where one can view others work progress and that is makes it a great learning tool.
Adobe Lightroom on the other hand, has a fee associated with it but it includes a hefty cloud-based system for storage, retrieval and the ability to have professional control and quality. Definitely top notch and not for the average user. It’s a lot of bang with the buck.
Available for: iOS and Android
Cost: Lightroom Mobile-Free, Adobe Lightroom-Starting at $9.99 a month
Downside: A lot of information for those just wanting to do touch-ups and quick fixes.
So that is a lot of information condensed down into manageable portions. Obviously if any of the above apps interest you, there is a wealth of detailed information out there for you on the internet to make the best decision based on your need. Some of the apps are more fun than anything else and perhaps that is where you are in life. Go for it. If you are wanting to delve deeper into photography then maybe a few of the others would be a great choice for you.
Thank you for spending a bit of your day with me. Hope you will stop back by on Saturday where the artsy fun will be happening.
XO,
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