The last few weeks have been prolific for gel-style photo apps. Tinge is a simple app that lets you easily add colored overlays to your images, giving them a very early 1970’s stark, mod style — almost a Warholesque Pop art style.
It’s similar to Geló, another gel-style app I’ve previously covered, but works just a little differently, making it worth a look for its subtle differences. I’ve got a short review — and some FREE copies of the app to give away — after the jump. >>>
The App Store description is lean and not very forthcoming. It starts, “Tinge is a camera and a photobook for capturing moments with style and beauty….” and there’s not much afterwards, making it easy to overlook this app. That’s too bad. Although it’s a minimal photo app, Tinge creates some pretty nice modern effects.
It’s another gel-style photo app. It applies overall color overlays to your image from a palette of 11 vivid and timely colors. You can either import images from your photo library or shoot them in-app. It’s a square format photo app and the camera provides a viewfinder matte, making it easy to compose your image. Tinge centers imported images with no way to adjust the position or crop, so you will want to crop and prep images in another app beforehand. I’m not thrilled with that, but I already use Squaready Pro for precise cropping and positioning.
Colors range from bright reds to orange to green and pinks — it’s pretty much the spectrum of primary colors. I really like how Tinge converts your image to a stark monochrome before applying color. It’s a very 70’s Mod-style effect — almost similar to Andy Warhol’s silk screens. Other than the color choices, there are no tools to fine-tune the conversion. It’s a quick and easy workflow.
Comparisons will be drawn to Geló — a more versatile photo app. Tinge is similar, but the effects are just a little different. Tinge is not nearly as full-featured as Geló. While Geló gives you more control over your image’s conversion, I think the black and white conversion of Tinge is full of contrast and is very stark, which I like. Its grayscale conversion reminds me of shooting with a very fast black & white film. Combined with the overprinted color, it makes for a very modern effect that is subtly different than other, similar apps. If you like this style, Tinge is worth a look based on the high contrast base images it creates. In the sample image above, I combined several Tinge images in a multi-frame app for a cool, mod four-panel quadtych.
The user interface is modern and minimal. It really looks slick! Sharing options are limited, but the app has good integration with Tumblr and Instagram. Tinge supports full-resolution square images — 2448×2448 pixels on an iPhone 5 and 4S. It strips out most EXIF data including location data. It won’t save your original image when shooting with the in-app camera.
Tinge is not for everyone, but if you like Pop art and the looks Tinge creates, it’s a solid, funky little app that’s worth a look.
I’ve got copies of Tinge to give away below. If you’d rather try the app now, it’s on sale for a very limited time for only $0.99 — that’s down from its normal price of $1.99. Requirements: Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), iPod touch (5th generation) and iPad. Requires iOS 5.0 or later. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.
Tinge Giveaway
Today, I’ve got several promo codes for Tinge to give away. To be eligible to win a copy, simply enter the giveaway below. If you follow us on Facebook and Twitter, you’ll have additional chances for a free copy.
Cut-off time to enter is 11:59 PM Eastern Time, Friday, January 4, 2013. Winners will be determined by Random.org. One code per reader, please.
Winners will be notified by email, Facebook message or Twitter direct message — be sure to check your spam filter. If you enter, be sure your email info is correct or your code will go to someone else. Your email address is used for contest entry and for contacting the winning entrants only. We will not use or sell your email address for any other purpose.
(If you’re having trouble viewing the giveaway widget on a mobile device, try viewing this page in landscape mode on your iPhone.)
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