Pixlr-o-matic App

This is one of my favorite photo apps for adding cool drama to photos: Pixlr-o-Matic by Pixlr.  I currently use the free version, but you can upgrade to Pixlr-o-Matic Plus for 99 cents either in-app or as an app purchase in the iTunes store.  I will say that I'm pretty satisfied with the 25 films/filters, 30 light/textures, and 30 frames available for free, but it does appear you get a TON more for a mere 99 cents more.

Anyhoo, I start with an adorable original:

I scan through the various films/filters.  I LOVE how it does live preview with your pic so you get a pretty good idea from the thumbnail before applying the effect.  This is one of the key reasons it makes it to the top of my faves.

Then I scroll through various light/textures.  No live previews here, which is unfortunate because I didn't quite have the seasoned eye to imagine that the result of the "Devine" effect would look like this (which I liked and felt like a happy accident--looks like sunshine!) from its thumbnail:

Then I check out various frames. Again no live previews, but with frames, which doesn't really affect the photo in an overlay way, it's not really a big deal for me:

And ta-da!

(FYI, I used the free Phonto app to write on this pic)

Every once in a while I like to hit the "shuffle" button on top right. It's great when I'm looking for ideas because it will randomly apply a film, light, and frame to the pic that I wouldn't usually consider putting together:

Sure, there are few things I "wish" this app had:

- Basic photo editor: besides the crop button (that will crop it to a square only), I'd love for this app to have some basic photo editing abilities (more crop options, exposure adjustment, etc.).  I pretty much need to start with a decently exposed/composed pic or one that has been adjusted in another app first (like PS Express).
- Adjustable effects: depending on the photo, sometimes I'd like to adjust the effects to be a bit more subtle--especially some of the light/texture effects or the strength of some of the filter/film effects.
- Layering: I wish I could layer more than film/filter effect or layer more than light/texture effect--obviously this would also be handy with the ability to adjust the effects themselves.

But I would also like to emphasize what I LOVE about this app:

- It's a great value. As a free app, it has an amazing value with the generous offerings of films/filters, light/textures, and frames. And to that end, I have to say that 99 cents seems like a ridiculous bargain for the extensive choices you'd get.
- Great choices. To the end that this is a free app, it's only good a good value if I like offerings and I really like a lot of their films/filters.
- LIVE previews. Some other apps (some which I still like and use) utilize a stock photo with the various filters applied but it's really hard to get an idea of how that filter will look on my photo without seeing it. With live previews, I at least get an idea. Without it, I tend to only try filters that I think would look good because I don't want to spend the time and see what each filter looks like and then I feel I'm limited to my guesses. 

This is a great photo app to make photos more fun, cool, or dramatic.  It's easy to have a lot of fun with this one, especially for a free app!  Anyone who upgraded to Plus have any feedback?

PicTapGo

PicTapGo is one of my new favorite photo apps.  It was created by the folks at Totally Rad who make awesome PhotoShop actions and RadLab. And now it's almost like having Totally Rad on my iPhone--for a $1.99!

What I love is that I can take a cute pic like this:

And see a live preview of the different filters:

So many awesome filters:

And you can adjust the strength of the filter with the slider:

And if you want to compare to the original pic, just hold the left side of the pic:

Also, it's really easy to layer the various filters, you just tap a new filter and adjust the strength of the slider to your preference.  And if you want to see your pic before you applied the current filter, hold down the right side of the pic to see the previous effort:

After applying a combo of filters, you can save "recipes" of it for future photos!  Here's my combo of "Skinny Jeans", "Flare Up", and "EZ-Burn"--I called it "Warm & Brighten".  And bonus, you can share recipes with other PicTapGo users.

Even though PicTapGo doesn't technically have a photo editor, a lot of its filters accomplishes some editing desires (like exposure, saturation, contrast, etc).  For example, this late night pic was fairly underexposed but by selecting various strengths of "Lights On" (raised exposure), "Mama's Tap Shoe's" (gave rich sepia tone), and "E-Z Burn" (subtle vignette), I was able to edit this pic:

Into something that I'd want to share and post:

I named this recipe "Late Night Bar".

My only wish for this app was the ability for some cropping/transforming options (and I will concede it doesn't offer fun frames) but overall, this shortcoming is outweighed by its amazing features:

- LIVE previews (those apps with stock photos with their applied filters just keep me guessing)
- amazing value--anyone drooling to get Totally Rad's RadLab but can't invest in PhotoShop on their computer knows that getting this near-app version is a steal!
- excellent filter choices with simple, easy-to-use interface
- ability to view previous and original pix while editing
- ability to adjust strength of filters
- ability to layer filters
- save and share recipes

Any other PicTapGo folks want to share recipes?

Draw Something: Pop version

Still hooked on Draw Something.  Usually when one of the choices is a pop reference, I usually shy away from it and go for a broader word like "tow truck" or "thorn".  But every once in a while, if I think the person I'm drawing for is aware of the pop reference, I give it a go.

"Gangnam"

"Jaws"

"StarWars"

"Twilight"

"Spock"

"IronMan"

"Beavis"

And some of my friends are pretty darn good at drawing pop references too:

"Hulk"

"Naruto"

"LOTR"

The girl draws something

My daughter joined the Draw Something fray and this was her first drawing she sent me:

I loved the detail and all the work she put into it but had to laugh because my adult friends draw something more like this:

The word was "shrimp" BTW

I like to think I'm somewhere in-between:

But my friend was much more generous:

PS - Is everyone still watching the Olympics? Can't believe how fast it goes by.

Using Sketchbook MobileX to write & draw on phone pix

Since it's kind of fun to write and draw on phone pix, I thought it'd be handy to do a quick tutorial on using the (currently) free Sketchbook MobileX on the iPhone since it's not the most intuitive app if you're not used to drawing programs in general. BTW, though I use an iPhone, Sketchbook is also available for Android.

When you open up the app, you get this screen:

Yup, just a white screen with a little cog at the bottom.  Hit the cog and a palette of options will open up:

The writing/drawing tools (pencil, airbrush, brush) are circled in orange. The color wheel is circled in purple. The layers options is circled in blue. The black arrows are pointing to the Undo (red arrow) and Redo (green arrow) options. And the green arrow is pointing to the option when you want to export your pic to the photo library or start a new sketch.

To draw on a picture, hit the layers option, and you'll get this screen:

Hit the plus sign with the flower behind it to import a pic from your photo library:

 The pic should pull up in the Layer Editor.  Then hit the Back button at the top:

You'll have your pic on your "canvas":

Hit the little cog at the bottom to pull up your options:

Select a writing/drawing tool --it will highlight in blue as above (I selected the brush).  Hit the color wheel and pick a color:

Now you'll probably want to change the brush size (the default on mine was HUGE).  Put your finger in the center of the the center option that's labeled "Brush Properties" and slide horizontally to adjust brush size (sliding vertically adjusts opacity).

Hit the cog (to make the palette of options disappear) and start drawing/writing.  If you want to hit the Undo key, you'll have to hit the cog and pull up the palette of options.  BTW, hitting the eraser tool here will not just erase writing, it erases the picture--this eraser tool is more handy when you're doing multiple layers.   When you're done, hit the cog again and hit the "+" in the upper left corner to export your new pic to save it in the photo library.

Ta da!  This is the gist of drawing/writing on pictures with Sketchbook MobileX!  It may take a little trial and error the first time you're using this app, but it's pretty easy once you know how to pull stuff up and adjust color and size.  Play around with it--there's plenty more you can do with this app!

Drawing and writing on iPhone pics

Every once in a while I like to write on pictures on my iPhone. Like this pic could use a little direction or explanation, right?

For handwriting, I use Adobe Ideas (which was free when I got it last year). Drawing on a pic comes in handy when you want to highlight something:

But sometimes my handwriting (especially on a tiny iPhone screen) can be a bit lacking:

So I erase the handwriting, save the pic:

And open it in Phonto (which is currently still free) to add text:

It's kind of pain using two apps, but I love the selection of fonts and flexibility (in terms of sizing, color, and placement) of Phonto. It's really easy and intuitive to use and you can even upload your own fonts to it if you want. Plus it's hard to complain when both apps are free!

Unfortunately, Adobe decided to charge for Adobe Ideas now and I can't really recommend it simply for handwriting for $9.99.  But when it comes an app where you can draw and write on a picture, I've heard great things about SketchBook Mobile (which is currently $1.99) for where one can write on iPhone pix (and more).  I downloaded the (currently) free "lite" version, SketchBook MobileX, and it gets the job done for simply writing on a pix (though I'll say it wasn't the most intuitive when I wanted to re-size the brush):

 

If anyone can suggest any cool apps that one can both draw and add some excellent fonts, I'm all ears!

Me and You in Draw Something

Still enjoying Draw Something, especially when you get to personalize it. I love this one my friend did of me--I look way cooler in Draw Something than I do in real life:

Tattoo

Though it seems it's less flattering when I do myself:

Ponytail

Yeesh--not the most realistic self-portrait--I don't even have a blue bikini!

Bikini

But I do enjoy personalizing it with other friends:

Tacos

Golfcart

Tequila

Crib

When responses are slow on my Draw Something queue, it's fun to get a little more elaborate and personalize these when you get an opportune word.  It makes it a little more fun and creative, right?