Photography Apps for Perfect Pictures

The age of chemical photography, in which traditional dark room effects were used to create images taken with a camera, heralded a great deal of interest from potential users. It didn’t take very long for photography to become affordable to the man on the street, and the result was that it soon became a pastime popular with many people.

It is still practised today by photographers across the world and is a worthy and enjoyable hobby, but in professional terms it is digital photography that now holds sway. With most households having access to a computer, and many people owning digital cameras, this form of photography not only opens up the possibilities for taking pictures, but also allows for easy editing and enhancements, something not easily achievable with traditional photography.

Why Apps are Important

If you own a smartphone or tablet you will undoubtedly have a number of apps installed; these are applications that allow us to carry out a variety of functions. Some are for entertainment, while others serve a very practical purpose. There are many companies that have developed photography apps in recent years, and some of them can be used to great effect.

Being able to manipulate the image you have on screen is convenient and effective, and the results in some cases can be very impressive. As with most areas of the digital world the best photography apps are those that provide function at an affordable price, and there are some that really do allow the user to create something spectacular.

What Can Apps Do?

There are so many different photography apps available that it is safe to say you can do pretty much anything with a digital image these days; from changing the contrast to enhancing the colour, improving the detail or removing blemishes, most can be achieved by a casual user operating an affordable app. Improving a digital image has never been easier, and there are many different effects and enhancements that can be applied.

Some apps are designed to be used to actually change what is in the picture; much as a portrait can be ‘re-touched’ before being printed in a magazine, so your personal photographs can be amended to remove unwanted blemishes or spots. The possibilities are quite amazing and make for a more enjoyable hobby.

Focusing Effects

One of the most impressive ways of manipulating digital photographs is to use the many effects concerned with focusing; the well-used tilt-shift effect is one of the more popular, and involves creating images where the focal point is deliberately enhanced. This can have a wonderful effect that is spectacular in the extreme, with the central figure – or figures – being rendered as miniatures thanks to the change of perspective. By using such methods it is possible to change the boundaries of photography and how it is used, both professionally and on a personal basis, and it remains to be seen just where technology will take us in the future.

Restoration and Recovery

Another use for apps is in restoring old images that have faded through time, or that have been damaged. Lost negatives mean that photographs cannot be reproduced, but now apps have come to the rescue. A user can scan a damaged photo and use a digital app to manipulate the image therein, replacing the missing or faded parts and recreating the image as required.

It really is a fascinating process, and one that is extremely useful for historical archives or important family photos. Furthermore, by storing the image on a hard drive – or by using cloud storage – the image is saved for ever, and can be reprinted or brought up on screen whenever required.

Photos on a Smart Phone

It could be argued that the face of photography changed with the advent of the smart phone; every one of these very versatile devices will have a camera attached, and many are very high quality cameras that are as capable as dedicated digital cameras. With such equipment readily available it is no surprise that pictures are being posted on websites that have been taken by even the most inexperienced of photographers, but with the right app it is possible to produce an image that looks like a professionally rendered one in no time at all.

(Photo Credits: cmhensch / Creative Commons)