You may have heard photographers talk about “bokeh.” In photography, bokeh is the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light. The iPhone 4 actually creates its own very interesting bokeh that I try to chase a lot. And there are several photo apps that create bokeh effects.
Mad Dog Software’s Bokeh Booth adds both traditional and other bokeh effects to your images.
Its load-choose-save workflow is very easy and the app creates some nice looking random bokeh as well as adding blur. There’s no way to adjust the amount of bokeh, but the app allows you to brush out areas to clear bokeh. There is easy undo without starting over.
There are several bokeh shapes to choose from, ranging from traditional aperture shapes to more non-traditional icons and shapes such as $, lighting, and smileys.
The UI is clean and Bokeh Booth is easy to use. Just about anyone can add great-looking bokeh (and sometimes not-so-great looking — iPod bokeh? Okay….). The app saves at pretty low resolutions, though. Portrait images save at 764×1024 pixels — about 0.78 MP. Landscape images save even smaller at 800×600 pixels. Both are fine for online sharing to Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr, but not usable for decent sized prints and enlargements.
More pixels please! Bokeh Booth would be a great utility for adding this light effect. Higher resolution would definitely broaden its appeal for many users. As it is now, it may be fine for users who simply want to add this attractive lens effect to online images.
Bokeh Booth is $0.99 in the App Store. Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 4.1 or later.
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