Life in LoFi: iPhoneography

Updated: 09.02.10

The new iPhone 4 brings a better, 5MP camera to iPhoneography. How do your favorite iPhone photo apps work with the new hardware and the new iOS 4? I found that many of them work surprisingly well on the iPhone 4.

Some apps have already been updated to take advantage of the auto-focus camera introduced with the iPhone 3GS and many apps have recently been updated for iOS 4 compatibility.

Life In LoFi has created this searchable chart which lists how many of the popular photo apps (and even a few obscure ones) work with the new iPhone 4 and the new OS. The table also lists the maximum output resolutions and if there are any other known issues with the app. This isn’t necessarily an indication of how the apps will perform in iOS 4 on an older device, but how they perform on the iPhone 4.

See how your favorites fared below, after the jump.

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Auto Adjust for iPhone

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Auto Adjust
Version 2.6

Bottom Line: Still one of the better exposure enhancement apps available.

Exposure enhancement app Auto Adjust by Joe Macirowski has reappeared in the App store after a brief hiatus and a few bug fixes, most importantly the removal of the repurchase screen which angered many users.

Unlike many flash fix apps, Auto Adjust uses “contrast stretching” or normalization to help correct exposure. Its adjustable enhancement produces excellent results on many images that would otherwise be lost due to underexposure as well as automatically correcting the contrast of more properly exposed images. Auto Adjust has been one of my go-to apps since its introduction.

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Flash Hero
Version 1.2

Bottom line: Two of the three filters work poorly.

Flash Hero is a new “flash fixer” app from Asasa Software which uses three different kinds of exposure enhancements to fix the lighting of a photo.

No two images are the same and many times an exposure enhancement app that does a great job on one image works poorly with another. That’s why I keep several exposure enhancers in my iPhone. Flash Hero attempts to give you three different types of exposure enhancement in one app. The idea is that of the three, one of them will work best to fix your image. It’s a great concept. Unfortunately, two of the filters work poorly and the third is redundant and unnecessary if you already have another slider-based flash fixer, such as Perfectly Clear, Auto Adjust or FlashPhix. All three of these apps produce better results more easily.

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Auto Adjust

I like free. As an end user, free apps are always good. It’s nicer when the free apps are well done and useful. Auto Adjust is one of those.

Auto Adjust by Joe Macirowski is free for a limited time! This is not a feature-crippled “lite” version, but the full version.

I’ve reviewed Auto Adjust and it’s one of my favorite apps here on LoFi. Unlike many of the “flash fixer” apps available, it’s more than just a flash enhancer which simply brightens images. Auto Adjust uses “contrast stretching” or normalization to help correct exposure. Its adjustable enhancement produces excellent results on many images that would otherwise be lost due to underexposure as well as automatically correcting the contrast of more properly exposed images. Auto Adjust is one of my go-to apps.

This is one of the better exposure enhancement apps available in the App Store. It’s highly recommended at its regular price of $0.99 USD. I think it’s an essential app while it’s free. I’m not sure how long the free offer will last, so if you don’t already have Auto Adjust, grab it now!

App Store link: Auto Adjust

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UPDATE 12/30/09: In the new 1.31.3 update, images that are processed in-camera are saved in full resolution, 1600×1200 on my 2G.

Also, in the new update, the built-in hook to the image-enhancement website, 9Monkeys.net, now works seamlessly and quickly within the app.

Kudos to the app’s developer Carl Im at 9Monkeys, who has always been very responsive when I’ve brought up issues from the perspective of an end user.

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SmartCam

SmartCam
Version 1.15.3

Bottom Line: A little pricey, but good exposure enhancement for your existing underexposed images

SmartCam from 9Monkeys Ltd. is a camera, exposure enhancement, and portal to an online image adjusting website. It’s an overlooked app that hasn’t really found its audience in the App Store yet. At $2.99 USD, it’s a little more expensive than most apps in this category which typically run about a buck. How does it fare and is it worth the premium? It depends on how you use the app.

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Auto Adjust

Auto Adjust by Joe Macirowski is free for a limited time! This is not a feature-crippled “lite” version, but the full version.

We reviewed Auto Adjust recently. Unlike many of the “flash fixer apps” available, it’s more than just a flash enhancer which simply brightens your images and can wash them out and cause them to look flat. This app uses “contrast stretching” or normalization to help correct exposure. Its adjustable enhancement produces excellent results on many images that would otherwise be lost due to underexposure as well as automatically correcting the contrast of more properly exposed images. Auto Adjust is one of my go-to apps.

A new update has been submitted. This is a great opportunity to get in the upgrade path.

This is one of the best exposure enhancement apps available in the App Store. It’s highly recommended at its regular price of $0.99 USD. It’s an essential app while it’s free. Grab it now!

App Store link: Auto Adjust

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Fort Worth, Texas
White Elephant Saloon

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Empty Dance Floor

Toolbox: Camera Genius, AutoAdjust

November 12, 2009

Ghosts in the Park

It was the beginning of the weekend of Autumn here in North Texas. In places that have autumn, it’s usually a multi-week spectacle of leaves changing with a lot of rich, saturated colors. Here, autumn arrives and leaves quickly — often within days. You have to catch it quickly.

Any day that begins way too early and involves extensive dental work before the sun has come up is a day that’s not starting off well. I was running late for my crown, having broken a tooth the day before. I rushed outside to leave and was awed by the the thin layer of low-lying fog lazily hanging over the park across the street. Road ghosts playing in the park.

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