UPDATED
This weekend, there’s news from Photogene and a couple of app updates. Photogene4 for iPhone and iPad has been “released.” Photogene2 for iPhone has been updated. Both iOS 7 compatible.
Here’s your chance to get some free in-app purchases and a discounted Photogene4 if you have the iPhone version want to upgrade to Universal.
Photogene is one of the first iPhone photo apps ever available in the App Store. It has matured well since its introduction.
Photogene is among the top image editors for iPhone. Both versions feature a powerful tool set with many advanced tools, including a clarity slider to adjust midtone contrast, sharpen, denoise, a great Shadows and Highlights tool and much more. It has an easy-to-use effects masking brush. There is a vignette tool that I like a lot. Although more of an image editor than a one-click app, there are also numerous filter presets.
With this new Universal build, the old Photogene for iPad is no longer available in the App Store. Photogene4 for iPhone and iPad takes its place. It isn’t really a new app per se, although it’s sort of being priced as one for some users.
Right now, it looks like there’s feature parity between the two versions. Other than Universal support which means it’ll run great on both iPhone and iPad, I could not find any differences between the two versions of the app.
An update to Photogene2 for iPhone was also recently released, which includes compatibility for iOS 7. Both versions run great in iOS 7. They are both fast and stable.
Also in this update for both apps are enhanced RAW support. Says the apps’ developer Omer Shoor, “We added enhanced RAW support. Most iOS apps only load the embedded jpeg from inside the RAW file (usually in low res). Photogene is now one of the few apps that actually decodes and loads RAW files in full res. We’ve also made special efforts to make sure this happens quickly. So that even very big RAW files load in just a few seconds.”
Here’s a list of the other new features for Photogene 4:
– Photogene is now a universal app for both iPad and iPhone.
– iOS 7 compatibility for both apps.
– New look for iPad user interface. New icon for Photogene4.
– The PRO features are now free! Everyone has been upgraded to PRO.
– Flickr export: can now choose a set.
– New feature for exporting XMP sidecars.
– Various bug fixes.
The update for Photogene2 is a free update for current owners of the app.
Photogene4 normally sells for $2.99. It’s on sale now for only $0.99 for a limited time. If I were buying Photogene for the first time, I’d purchase Photogene4, especially for a buck. I contacted the developer and they plan to support development for both versions of the app, although they encourage new users to download the Universal version.
“We made the iPad version universal so that people no longer need to purchase Photogene twice,” says Mr. Shoor.
Photogene is a good image editor and the Photogene4 update is not a game-changer like some are saying, but it is a good one, not only for the iOS 7 compatibility but the ability to now run one version of the app on any iOS device.
Free Photogene Go PRO In-app Purchases
Right now, the Go PRO upgrades for both Photogene apps are free. This add-on originally costs $6. No word yet if this is a permanent price reduction or a limited-time discount. The App Store still lists the Go PRO IAP as $5.99 for both apps.
Photogene2 for iPhone is $0.99. Compatibility: Requires iOS 6.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This app is optimized for iPhone 5. It’ll run on an iPad in emulation mode, but it won’t take full advantage of the iPad’s larger screen.
App Store link:
Photogene4 is on sale for $0.99 for a limited time. It’s normally $2.99. Compatibility: Requires iOS 6.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This app is optimized for iPhone 5. This is a Universal app.
App Store link:
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Update 01: Clarified the part about vignettes and filters a little better.
