PDN - April 2012

TECH

8GREAT SOFT WARE FINDS

FROM IPHONE APPS TO PHOTO-EDITING TOOLS, WE REVIEW OUR FAVORITE
PHOTO PROGRAMS ON THE MARKET NOW. BY THEANO NIKITAS

Sure, cameras are more sophisticated these days and capable of producing excellent images right out of the box, but photo software is still crucial for tweaking photos to perfection. Here’s a list some of our favorite new pro- grams and apps to consider. (In a clear case of great minds think alike, PDN’s technology specialist Dan Havlik has reviewed some of my other favorites separately, including Adobe Photoshop Touch, onOne Software Perfect Photo Suite 6 and Tiffen Dfx 3.0, so be sure to check out his reviews in the “Gear” section of www.pdnonline.com.)

Hipstamatic

Scoff if you will, but Hipstamatic and Instagram have become de rigeur photo apps for i-devices. Hipstamatic, now in version 235, is compatible with the iPhone, iPod Touch (fourth generation) and iPad 2 (Wi-Fi/Wi-Fi+3G). The hook here, other than being able to produce some pretty nifty albeit funky images, is the ability to change various parameters such as quality, film and flash effects, lenses and viewfinder mode. You can even change the look of the virtual camera, a kind of silly but entertaining option.

Still, Hipstamatic is fun to shoot with and, if you get bored or want to expand your creative options, you can bump up your film/flash effects/lens repertoire with one or more HipstaPaks. Set up an account to create albums, share your handiwork, order prints or enter contests. Hey, it’s only $1.99 and you won’t find a more fun way to spend two bucks.

PRICE: $1.99

INFO: www.hipstamatic.com or the i Tunes Store

Corel AfterShot Pro

This new workflow management solution is the product of Corel’s 2011 acquisition of Bibble Labs. Wrapped around Bibble technology, this software carries on the Bibble tradition of Mac, Linux and Windows support. (In the past, some Corel software was Windows-only.)

AfterShot Pro has already been compared to Lightroom and Aperture in the press and there are definite similarities, although it seems a little more flexible in terms of usability— by both professionals and consumers. But don’t let that dissuade you from trying out this speedy application with its impressively fast performance. In addition to the expected organizational and search tools, AfterShot Pro offers non-de-structive editing and image adjustments, batch processing, a history browser and more. AfterShot Pro also incorporates Noise Ninja and Athentech’s Perfectly Clear technology, both capable and welcome additions. Current RAW support covers about 240 cameras from around 11 manufacturers.

Check out the free trial by downloading it online or order the box set, which comes with all three platforms. Upgrade pricing of $79.99 is available for owners of Bibble Pro or Lite 5, Corel PaintShop Pro Photo X2 or higher, and even Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Apple Aperture.