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Home » Reviews

Review: MonoPhix 2.0 for iPhone

Submitted by on December 3, 2009 – 8:57 am 5 Comments

MonoPhix
Version 2.0

Bottom Line: Highly Recommended

MonoPhix 2.0 by UIC Phoenxsoftware is a very nice and much improved update to the previous versions. In addition to two new filters, the monochrome conversion filter has been completely retooled to produce much more adjustable, much better results.

Gone are the three fixed grayscale and monochrome settings of version 1. MonoPhix now features two adjustable sliders to adjust the conversion to monochrome. Adjustable conversion is not a common feature in black & white photo apps and the dual slider implementation is a very nice and unique implementation here. Light shades and 3/4 tones can now be adjusted separately, allowing you to create monochrome conversions with greater precision than other apps. There are also four built-in presets which quickly set the levels to no monochrome depth (basically a straight color-to-grayscale conversion), maximum contrast, minimum gray contrast, and the default setting which is a really good starting point for your monochrome conversions.

I didn’t like the previous version’s hard mono conversion — the equivalent of this version’s maximum mono conversion setting. The new filter is more like a good, very fast film that produces super high contrast. While still maintaining an edgier feel than other monochrome apps such as Spica, MonoPhix now lets you retain more of the subtleties — more grays, gradients and overall details of the image. This new version better enhances the noise in your original image, giving it the feel of film grain. The results are on par with Spica and other top-shelf monochrome apps. And where the current version of Spica has only one conversion setting, MonoPhix’s sliders allow for infinite variation.

MonoPhix also now has adjustable Sepia and Antique — kind of an old bronze look –  filters which add a warm, aged look in addition to the contrast adjustment, making your picture look like a really old photo. Both effects are well done and because they are adjustable as well, really add value to the app.

All conversions are previewed in a thumbnail image before you click OK. While I’d really like to see a real-time preview on the main screen, the thumbnail preview is not a dealbreaker for me, especially since most apps provide no preview whatsoever.

I really like the results I get when using version 2 of this app. I did not like the results I got from the previous version. I thought the hard mono effect looked like a photocopy that had been run through the copier too many times — good effect, I suppose, if that’s what you are looking for but that’s not how I shoot. The new mono conversions are greatly improved and much more usable and visually appealing.

The developer of MonoPhix is responsive and engages customers, both current and potential. In updating the lackluster first version, he considered a lot of feedback from App Store reviews as well as engaging talkbackers in online forums. The result is a superior monochrome conversion app with great features that have been designed with the participation of the iPhoneographers who would use the app.

This excellent MonoPhix update is essentially a new app. The developer has done a great t job in rebuilding it. If you backpaged or deleted a previous version of the app, give this update a look. If you are looking to explore monochrome photography or just want to enhance your snapshots with some intense black & white and old photo effects, MonoPhix 2 is definitely worth checking out.

App Store link: MonoPhix

=M=

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Marty Yawnick

Marty is a self-employed graphic designer in the Fort Worth/Dallas Metroplex. He is an avid Rangers baseball, Chicago Cubs, Packers and Highbury Arsenal fan. In addition to capturing random moments with whatever camera is close by (usually his iPhone), his other interests include coffee, film, music, and traveling in seats 5E and 5F with his fiancé.

  • http://foto.fnurl.se fnurl

    Thanks for the review, I have been looking for a good B/W conversion app. I bought MonoPhix and I agree that it offers nice control. However, I really think that the sliders and the preview interface is bad. The sliders are quite small and the preview picture is quite small as well. I would love if more app developers could make interfaces with the same feel and flow as Tilshift Generator.

    Btw, what I would REALLY want is a B/W conversion app that lets me adjust the luminosity for separate colors (e.g. red, green, blue, yellow, cyan, magenta, orange and purple) and see the conversion results in a preview. Is there such an app?

  • http://www.phoenxsoftware.com/ Renzo Verleysen

    I'm listening.

    Isn't tiltshift using the same slider controls as MonoPhix, which are by the way provided by Apple by default as part of the Human interface of an iPhone. http://smokingapples.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/…

    I agree, the preview is bigger, I'll see what I can do, but as the preview gets bigger, the previewing speed decreases. So I'll have to be careful on that one.

    But indeed a revamped interface is no problem. I quickly adjusted the previous one to host the new MonoPhix 2.0 functionality.

    Mhn, the separate color luminosity settings seems interesting, but I'm doubting the feasibility. So what you want is to be able to select a color and make that color stand out? I could do that for the three main colors, red, green and blue. I'll try to improve MonoPhix to add such a feature but I'm not promising anything. Consider it added to the research list.

    If I manage to make the changes you'll get them in the next MonoPhix update.

    Kind Regards,

    Renzo Verleysen

    MonoPhix Developer

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  • http://foto.fnurl.se fnurl

    Hi, thanks for your reply! I was indeed mistaken about the sliders, almost. They are the same, but in my mind TiltShift Generators were larger and I think it is because they have more space around them. My experience with the TiltShift sliders was preferable because I had space for my finger.

    What I like about TiltShift Generator is that the buttons are easy to press and the lack of "clutter". What I like that is implemented in TiltShift Generator and also e.g. FocalLab is that by tapping on the preview image, I can get a full screen view of the preview without any UI in the way.

    The color-filtering request comes from a common technique when shooting with B/W analogue film. When you have B/W film, you use color filters infront of the lens to choose what you want to darken and what you want to lighten. E.g. using a red filter will make the sky and trees darker. Using a blue filter would make reds darker and e.g. a blue sky lighter. See http://www.ephotozine.com/article/Using-coloured-… for examples.

    It would be great if there was an app that could do this!

    EffectsLab can do this to some degree, but cannot produce real contrasts like e.g. Lightroom. See this image that I converted using color adjustments: http://www.flickr.com/photos/finurlig/4099144398/

    In this image, the sky was blue, and the clouds were not very visible. Using a red filter I was able to darken the sky and make the clouds more visible and give more depth to the image.

    Again, thanks for replying here and I do enjoy MonoPhix and am using it as my primary B/W conversion app at the moment.

  • http://www.phoenxsoftware.com/ Renzo Verleysen

    Thanks for the reply as well. I now know what you mean. I already have filters like that in my development folder. It's only a matter of adding them.

    So, normal grayscale or monochrome uses the average of the R, G and B values as a starting point. Let's say : R= 55, G=34, B=200.

    Grayscale: (R+G+B)/3:R=96, G=96, B=96.

    With the filters you suggest this would mean, eg. for the red filter R=55, G=55, B=55.

    The effect you want will be implemented in the next MonoPhix. I'll hurry to implement the new features. Maybe there will be a version providing the new interface and the new filters by the new year.

  • http://foto.fnurl.se fnurl

    Sounds great! I'm so looking forward to the next version!