Fotor has always been one of the premier camera and photo editing apps. It’s just released version 6, and this version is free, and all the in-app purchases are free too.
Even more interesting, the app has a method for you to submit your favorite photos, taken or edited on Fotor, and let some experts have a look at them, while you compete for some cash prizes.
Fotor calls the submissions ‘Events’ and it features weekly competition, topics and activities. It’s a unique ideas, and Fotor has the clout with iPhone users to see that it gets some traction.
I’ve always liked editing photos with Fotor, and this new version has all the features of previous paid versions, like 6 picture taking modes, 13 scene presets to adjust the lighting on your finished photo, and a lot of the usual took like cropping, vignettes, shadows, curve adjustments, and a host of filters. There are also a wide assortment of frames and options for adding text captions. When you are in the app, some of the options appear as add-in purchases, but when you download them, at least for now, there is no charge.
The collage tools are quite strong, and there is a ‘magazine’ option to let you access built in magazine-like templates.
About the only thing I don’t like about Fotor is that it’s stuck in portrait mode. If the editor allowed me to work in landscape mode, I’d have a bigger image. It’s really the only negative I’ve seen in the app, other than the lack of HDR processing, but Fotor has a separate HDR app. Still, for completeness, I’d like to see it migrated into the main Fotor app.
The in-app purchase modules, as mentioned, are now free, and there are 10 of them. No restrictions on downloading them, but I can’t guarantee they will remain free forever.
The idea of contests and having pros look at your photos will certainly appeal to some people. It’s not the same as getting ‘oooooos’ and ‘aaahhss’ from friends.
The help and comments may push you in directions that you never expected to go. In my own photography, I am always glad to have a fresh set of eyes take a look. There are plenty of online forums and photo sharing sites for this, but Fotor has come up with a unique approach.
For free, Fotor is certainly worth a download. It’s a capable camera controller, and a really fine editor. The ‘Events’ feature is icing on the cake.
Download Fotor
App Store link: Fotor Photo Editor & Cam – Chengdu Everimaging Science and Technology Co., Ltd
Fotor Photo Editor & Cam 6.0.0
Effects Quality/Toolbox
Resolution and Image Quality
User Interface
Price/Value
For free, Fotor is worth a download. Its collage tools are strong. It's a capable camera controller, and a really fine editor. The 'Events' feature is icing on the cake.
