App Store Apps

Take control of your camera with Manual

Timothy Reavis ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

With the introduction of iOS 8 came new developer APIs allowing apps to have exacting control of several camera adjustments, including exposure, focus, and shutter speed. Manual is a photography app that implements these new freedoms in a beautiful package, granting users full control of their photos.

I went hands-on with Manual for a few days, venturing into my highly "unphotogenic" yard in an attempt to gather a few decent shots with both Manual and iOS's stock Camera for comparison to see exactly how much of an advantage the ability to manually adjust camera settings can give.

Artistic photography app Fragment is Apple’s new Free App of the Week

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 17, 2019

Artistry in iPhone photography can now be in everyone's hands with Fragment, Apple's new Free App of the Week. As you know, each Thursday the App Store editorial team cherry-picks a new app to slash from its regular price to zero bucks, for a week.

Fragment by Pixite is a nifty little iPhone and iPad app that puts cool prismatic effects in your pocket, allowing you to transform your snaps into unique artworks.

It also plays nice with iOS 8 and includes a handy extension to edit your images right within the stock Photos app. Fragment is free until next Thursday, a $1.99 saving.

Skew: a new photo app that lets you fix crooked lines and poorly aimed shots

Lory Gil ∙ September 6, 2014

I will be the first to admit that I am terrible at noticing lines and angles when I snap pictures. I even use the stock Camera app’s grid feature, but I don’t think about the Golden Ratio when trying to get a picture of my cat doing something funny.

Skew is a photo editing app that lets you fix those minor mistakes after the fact. Not only can you straighten angled lines by rotating the image, but you can also “skew” the photo so that objects in the picture are straight.

New Google app: Photo Sphere Camera for iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 2, 2017

Google has released a brand new iPhone photography application in the App Store. Dubbed Photo Sphere Camera, it provides functionality similar to the iOS Panorama shooting mode, and then some more.

By continuously taking images as you pan your device around, Photo Sphere Camera then stitches the individual photos together to create a nice sphere-like 360-degree image which can be published directly to Google Maps or shared with anyone on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and via email.

The app is a free download. I've included additional tidbits right after the jump...

Camera+ picks up improvements ahead of ‘cool new things’ in forthcoming iOS 8 update

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

My favorite iPhone photography application, Camera+ by a developer called Tap tap tap, has received a few very nice additions ahead of an upcoming iOS 8 update.

Camera+ 5.2, a free update for existing users, contains several bug fixes while introducing a new adjustment to the Vignette effect, improvements to the Soft Focus and Film Grain effects and the Clarity Pro feature and more.

Oh, and this version has fixed broken Flickr sharing stemming from a recent change to the way third-party apps like Camera+ access Yahoo's photo-sharing service...

FX Photo Studio 6.0 for iPhone brings iOS 7 overhaul, new filters and sharing options and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

FX Photo Studio by MacPhun used to be my go-to iPhone photography tool, but I was forced to switch to other apps because it looked like the team had ceased further development (last update was in February of last year).

I'm glad I was wrong about that. As of today, the iPhone edition has been resurrected. Basically everything has changed and MacPhun bills it as "the biggest update in its four-year history".

Now available in the App Store as a free update for existing users, the new FX Photo Studio 6.0 of course sports an iOS 7-friendly user interface along with a brand new engine and tons of other new features.

All of the hallmarks of FX Photo Studio have been preserved and enhanced in this update, including great filters, special editing tools and sharing features...

Truefilm is a comprehensive photo editing app with unique features

Andrew Kunesh ∙ Updated October 9, 2018

Though there is a ton of camera apps on the App Store, one recent addition caught my eye: Truefilm. This app is a spin on your normal photo editing app with filters, basic controls, and frames, however, the app offers a couple features I've never seen implemented in a mobile photo editing app, such as version tracking. Read my full Truefilm review to see if it's worth your $0.99.

Matter will turn your photos into geometric artwork

Lory Gil ∙ Updated March 17, 2019

The makers of Tangent and Fragment are back with their newest geometric overlay app. If you have a soft spot for prismatic photo effects that integrate right in with the subject matter, Pixite’s latest submission to the genre is right up your alley.

Matters is a geometric overlay photo effects app that lets you create stunning pieces of photographic art that can be turned into moving pictures. We’ve got a hands-on app review of Matter for you here…

Afterlight is an iPhoneographer’s dream app

Andrew Kunesh ∙ Updated October 9, 2018

After moving to the city from the suburbs, I've become a total sucker for photography apps. It seems like every time I unlock my bike at a coffee shop, there's a new photo opportunity awaiting my iPhone's tiny sensor -- an opportunity that would look even better with a filter applied to it.

Because of this recent obsession, I've been on the hunt for the best photo apps that offer the great core editing, classy filters, and clean camera interface. My most recent find is Afterlight, a relatively new player in the photo editing game that offers a huge library of filters and a ton of interesting editing features I've yet to see in other photo apps.

However, does this feature-packed photo editing app live up to the uses of a wannabe urban photographer? Read on for a full Afterlight review...

Adobe unveils Ink stylus, Slide ruler, Lightroom for iPhone and Mix iPad app

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 1, 2018

Earlier today, Adobe made a flurry of product announcements and updates, starting with the official unveiling of two long-rumored accessories: the aluminum Ink stylus for iPads running iOS 7.0 or later and the Slide.

Billed as an Ink companion and "a category-defining digital ruler", the Slide wirelessly connects to an iPad and has been designed for precision sketching of straight lines, perfect circles and balanced shapes.

In other Adobe news, the firm has launched Lightroom for iPhone, introduced brand new iPad apps - Mix, Sketch and Line - added major new features across the whole Creative Cloud desktop suite of apps and reshuffled the Creative Cloud tiers by adding a new Photography Plan.

Don't worry, I've distilled the announcements to a couple easily digestible highlights so hit the jump to learn more...

Camera+ maker launches no-frills photography app, MagiCam

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 18, 2014

Camera+ is still my favorite go-to photo editing software on both the iPhone and iPad so you could imagine me jumping with joy learning that Taptaptap, the Camera+ developer, has just released a brand new photography software.

Framed as a bold, new experience in iPhone photography, MagiCam is focused on snapping photos and transforming them into gorgeous, eye-catching shots with little or no effort on your part.

You can grab it for just 99 cents in the App Store and I have a video of it in action right after the break...