Camera Flash Deluxe
Camera Flash Deluxe
Version 1.0
Bottom Line: Unimpressed
Camera Flash Deluxe by Haiwen Soft is yet another entry into the crowded flash enhancement category, and despite the additional features this app boasts, the overall results are unimpressive.
Using my standard test images (see below), the results this app produces are flat and washed out.
My flash app test images (click to enlarge)
You can either use the app as a basic camera or load images from any image in your iPhone’s photo library. The app is stable and never crashed on me. Camera Flash Deluxe is a Swiss Army knife of camera apps. It features several built-in filters, including Black & White, Sepia, Invert, Ocean, and Burn. You can also horizontally flip the image. In addition to Flash, you can also Darken the image. Nearly all of these filters you can find for free or inexpensively elsewhere.
Where the app sells itself, though, is its flash enhancement. Rather than use an algorithm that varies according to the value of the color of the pixel — normalization, it looks like all this app does is crank up the overall “Brightness.” This can wash out detail and color in highlights. The colors lose their vibrance and saturation. My test results were pretty flat — the images didn’t pop. You can apply Flash (and Darken) multiple times to add the effect on top of the effect, but your results will wash out even more very quickly. There are better exposure correction apps available, such as iFlashReady or even FlashForFree.
Images after flash adjustment with Camera Flash Deluxe
The two filters that are somewhat unique are Burn and Ocean. All these do is convert your colors to overall orange or overall blue. These can add some funky effects to your images. The Sepia filter is okay — to my eye, a little light on the yellow and the contrast seemed a little flat to me.
Burn and Ocean filters applied with Camera Flash Deluxe
What caught my attention with this app was the addition of the extra features and filters — this is not just a one-trick flash enhancement app. Unfortunately, despite a nice feature set, the results fail to impress, even for casual photography or snapshots. There are better flash enhancement apps for the iPhone.
Camera Flash Deluxe is $0.99 USD in the App Store.
App Store Link: Camera Flash Deluxe
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