Hipstamatic Introduces Oggl

Oggle by Hipstamatic

"Oggl isn’t ducklips or bathroom selfies—it’s living like you mean it, your best creative work, and amazing life moments." Hipstamatic

Creative Potential

Oggle is a promising new mobile app for shooting and sharing images, from the developers of the iconic photo app Hipstamatic. The creative possibilities of Oggle look tremendously exciting.

Features

• 5 “Favorites” pre-loaded styles for situational shooting: Landscape, Food, Portrait, Nightlife and Sunset
• Guaranteed new beautiful lens and film gear each month
• For the first time ever (with Hipstamatic), edit a photo after it’s taken to experiment with different looks
• “Tap to preview” effects before shooting
• Share your best photos in a community of creative photographers
• Curate your favourites and share in a variety of other social media channels.
• Free app with subscription model to access more lens and film gear.

Currently by invitation only. Get yours here.

Decluttering Your iPhone & iPad

With the sheer number of apps available, it's fun and often inexpensive to try out new, exciting apps. It can easily become a bit of an addiction (do you ever feel like an appoholic?), and you wind up with so many apps that your smartphone (or tablet) becomes a cluttered mess. 

Just like on your computer, unused software takes up extra room on your tablet or smartphone’s storage and makes it harder to find the apps you do use. Cleaning out and organising the apps you use frequently makes it easier for you to focus and find what you need and enjoy to use. It also frees up extra space and helps your device run smoother.

Decluttering your iPhone. Deleting apps you no longer use. 

Deleting Unused Apps

To uninstall apps on your iOS device (iPhone, iPod or iPad), press and hold the app you want to remove until it "wobbles" and then tap the small “X” that appears in the corner to uninstall it. 

What if I Change my Mind? 

If you change your mind you can restore an app that you used to have, directly from your iPhone, iPod or iPad. You won't be charged twice for an app or in-app purchase, provided you use the same iTunes account login. Open the App Store, search for the app and reinstall it. It’s that easy. 

Teresita Alonso: on Creating the iPhoneography App iColorama

Hello Teresita, could you tell us a little about how you got started developing your own iPhoneography app? 

Firstly thank you so much for this opportunity! 

I think starting had a lot to do with my background: I’m an avid user of Photoshop with deep knowledge in plugins. I used the program daily while working as a web designer. At the same time, I’m also an experienced graphic programmer with almost 7 years working in the mobile industry. I think that is a perfect combination for starting to create mobile art apps.

 It all started back when I bought my first iPad and I felt that so much was missing:  there was no Photoshop, and none of these fantastic plugins I worked with. So I started developing iColorama, trying to fill the empty space.

iColorama is, of course, not the only app trying hard to fill the gap. iPhoneography is today a recognized form of art and its development is very accelerated with new apps coming every day and an increasing number of active creators. 



What makes you really excited about expressing yourself creatively with your iPhone or iPad? 

Well, it is important to note that I don’t consider myself an iPhoneographer. Mostly my “works of art” are reduced to show coming effects in my app. Although, I try to make these pieces as beautiful as possible. Honestly, I wish I had more time for creating my own artsy images. 

Having said that, I consider developing the app an act of creation in itself. The styles, the algorithms, the effect combinations follow the same process that artists follow when creating composed images and collages. 

Besides that, programming is also considered a form of art and programming. With Apple’s devices is a fantastic experience. Apple is the best.

How did you come up with the app name?

Many years ago I used to watch a TV program dedicated to art called Colorama so I named the app because of it. There is also a company in Sweden called Colorama that sells wallpapers, the name has nothing to do with that company.



What makes iColorama a unique tool for creative expression? 


I think the diversity of effects that includes effects from simple color changes to advanced image mathematical transformations. All these effects can be combined, masked, brushed in infinite combinations. 

I also try to offer a user interface that is as simple as possible. I can’t say I have succeeded completely with that, but I always try to do my best. 



Show us a feature in iColorama that you love.

I especially love the brushes and their algorithms. I see the brushes as localized, limited shape regions where effects are applied. The potential of brushes is huge: almost an infinite combination of shapes, colors and effects just under your finger. 

I’m working hard to deliver a better brush experience in coming versions. For now, I consider the brushes very experimental, but nonetheless a beautiful and powerful experiment) I love them.



And another? 

I would not consider it a feature but iColorama is always in continuous evolution: users receive updates as soon as new features are introduced, usually every 3-4 weeks. This is also guaranteed in the future, without additional cost for the users.



What’s the most important element of a well designed iPhoneography app?

I think there are many important elements: But allowing the user to express himself in his own style is the most important. I want each creator to have the chance to differentiate, to create something personal and unique. 

The second most important is the flow experience: there should not be any kind of obstruction while users are engaged in their creative process (this includes a very simple and powerful user interface) 



Which role do the users of iColorama have in the development of the app? 


I have direct contact with many users and periodically receive suggestions to improve the app. I respect and value these suggestions and contact very much!

I post almost daily at the community page, featuring new effects or the best artworks by users. I read every comment and I check every piece published at Instagram with the #icolorama tag. 

There is a flow of inspiration coming back to me from the users' creations: very often presets and effects are directly inspired from their fantastic pieces of art.

Lately some users are starting to publish their own tutorials on their blogs, I don’t have enough words of gratitude for that, it's a service highly valued by the community and they can count on me for spreading and advertising their tutorials.


And finally the nice user reviews: The latest version of iColorama version 3.1 has only 5 star reviews in USA, 5 stars 27 times! That is probably the best way to support and encourage me to continue the app development.



What would be your advice to someone who's just starting out using iColorama? 

A good start is to read the very short user guide; then search the web for tutorials and inspiration. e.g. by checking at Instagram the #icolorama tag, visit the community page at FB or just contact me directly if you need it, I’m daily available online.



What do you find to be the greatest challenges and rewards of developing your own iPhoneography app?



The greatest challenges are in the areas of performance and user interface. These are very complicated areas when going mobile; as the devices are limited in graphic power and screen size.

The biggest rewards received are the friendship with many amazing creators and the absolute joy of looking at what they are creating.



Any suggestions to others who would like to develop their own app, but don’t know where to start?

There courses available online on developing apps for iPhone. I think Stanford University has a recurring course. There is also a course of Computational Photography on Coursera that I recommend. Then there are plenty of papers and books on the subject.

All the above is worthless without the patience and perseverance that you will need to success in delivering your app. It is also important to know that writing the code is just a little part of the process: engaging your users, advertising your app and competing in the App Store is much, much harder. 



Can you share any of the goals you have for iColorama during 2013?

This year started with the introduction of brushes. I will continue developing new algorithms and improving the performance and the brushes' user interface in coming versions. 

In the next version I will let the users define their own brushes shapes, glasses, textures, masks. I will also try to remove the gap between the iPad and the iPhone versions, especially by bringing the brushes to the last.

Finally I will put some effort in tutorials that are very necessary. I recently purchased the icolorama.com domain and I have big plans for building a tutorial site!

I thank again to you for the opportunity and I wish you very good luck with your blog and your iPhoneography teaching! 


Explore iColorama:

• iColorama for iPad
• iColorama for iPhone
• iColorama on Facebook

Hipstamatic. New Pak and Retro Weekend

It's been rumoured for the past weeks that a new HipstaPak and RetroPak were on their way to release. Now they're here! 

This weekend only, you can get all the Hipstamatic RetroPaks on sale for just 99¢ each including the all-new retropak three! A great opportunity for collectors to catch up and fill any gaps in their Hipstamatic camera gear. 

The new update also introduces a completely new pak, the Silver Lake HipstaPak. The Mabel lens adds a muted palette to your photo, washes the image in very warm, yellow tones with unpredictable light leaks. The Dixie Film is described “a light and feathery edge licks the edge of your print like a flame when you use this hip film.”  The film adds saturation through a red undertone to your photo. I'm personally  most excited about the Dixie Film and its lovely, irregular imperfection. 

 The iPhone Arts have tested the new at the Silver Lake Film and Lens, in different combinations, pairing the new  Dixie film with various lenses, and the Mabel lens with other films.

You'll need to update Hipstamatic to the latest version (Hipstamatic 262) be able to download these new, exciting goodies. 

For more app tips and tutorials, check out our library of Free Tutorials and Guides for Mobile Photography and Art.

Hipstamatic Silver Lake Pak

Tidbits

Photographer John Schabel’s series of heavily grained images capture airline passengers through the window before takeoff or on landing. 

Add another dimension to your photography by capturing the moment with a photo and illustrating it with a soundscape. Snap a picture, tap to listen. Soundgramr

This clever typeface has been created from the pieces of a deconstructed camera.

Overwhelmed by all the different image sharing platforms? With Cooliris you can discover and share all in one place and selectively share with your group of close friends. Effortlessly swipe through photos in an immersive 3D media viewing space. Experience photos from your iPad or iPhone library, Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, Picasa, SmugMug, Twitter, Ren Ren, Google+, Google Drive, and Google Search. 

Before & After - Vintique

Recently I talked about some of the awesome features of Vintique, and promised you a more detailed “Before & After” post. While you may not be able to make every drab photo beautiful, I consider it a personal challenge to take one of my “okay” photos and transform it into something I would be proud to post on my blog.

Below is a photo I snapped on a walk one day in my neighborhood. It’s one that I thought would be really pretty at the time, but later I noticed the colors weren’t as bright as I saw them, and then there is a pesky ladder on the left that doesn’t quite capture the mood I was hoping for.

Original Photo - Unedited

My Process

I start out by cropping out the parts that I don’t want, while still framing the photo with that wonderful old tree. I also felt that the metal grill in front of the picnic table was a little distracting. I chose rather to focus on the lovely landscape behind these items. You do need to be careful not to zoom in too much, as you may lose quality, but here is my final crop, along with the rest of my creative process:

---

Original

"Delight" Filter

I then start going through the filters to find one that sets the mood, for the most part, and then I’ll go in and edit the filter or add other effects to enhance it further. I chose the “delight” filter for this photo, as it brightened my dull photo and added more depth to the smaller details.

Editing Filter

Then I go in and edit the filter, turning off some of the color filters that give the photo a bit of a haze. I wanted to focus on brightening this photo and adding more contrast, rather than adding a vintage feel to it, as I normally would in Vintique.

Vignette

A vignette, although subtle, was added next. I chose an oval shape and edited it so that the area around the path of the smaller tree is darkened and brings the tree more into focus.

Frame

Most of the time, I like to add a frame to my work, especially if it's going in a blog post, and in this one, I added the thinnest black brush strokes on the edges so that it wasn't distracting, but added to the brightness.

Additional Editing

Sometimes after I add a filter, I get a better sense of the edit and whether I need to do anything else to the photo. In this case, i felt that it needed a different vignette. I changed it to the circular version and darkened the edges a touch further which in turn brightened the sun through the yellow leaves of the smaller tree.

As you can see, you don't have to do a lot to a photo to make it sparkle a bit more. Also, you don't have to use a ton of apps to do it, especially when you've got an app as great as Vintique!

About the Author: Jennifer Lynn Bishop is a freelance graphic designer, artist, and iPhoneographer. Follow her artistic journey at Rainy Day Doodle.

For more app tips and tutorials, check out our library of Free Tutorials and Guides for Mobile Photography and Art.

Tidbits

Have you seen SKETCHNOTE ARMY? It's a worldwide community of sketchnoters.

10 Simply Subtle Grunge Textures. "Perfect for adding just a hint of texture to your designs or photos. These were made by layering several different images together in various blending layers in Photoshop to get the end result." 

Photographer Bill Gekas recreates some of the classic paintings from famous artists such as Rembrandt, Vermeer and Caravaggio with his daughter as model. 

Google just announced that it'll be closing Google Reader on July 1st of this year. If you're looking for a replacement RSS reader Feedly promises a seamless transition, and a beautiful magazine-like interface. 

Invest in growing your photography and photo-styling skills with Diane's tips: Cheap and Simple Tools for Better Blog Photography.

Photography and painting merge in Repix, an exciting, new finger painting app that lets you turn your photography into unique pieces of art that stand out from the crowd.  The app is free and you can buy more brushes from within the app. Repix is is easy to use, powerful, sports a beautiful interface and is a game changer for mobile artists. 

Tidbits

Looking for funding for your creative project? Here's how to use Kickstarter to successfully raise money for a creative project and now there's an iPhone app for Kickstarter. 

Did you know that you can submit your self portrait to Artists Self Portraits in the smartphone era? 

There can be beauty in lost, abandoned buildings and places. A vintage object carries its story on its sleeve. The beauty of broken Macs: photos of abandoned Apple kit found by explorers. 

Quotes can be so inspiring, can't they? Illustrator Lisa Congdon has designed a  photography journal full of  inspiring quotes from the masters of photography. 

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. 
Henry David Thoreau