Camera apps are a dime a dozen in the iTunes App Store, and some are definitely better than others. However, Camera Awesome, developed by the folks behind SmugMug, is one of the best I’ve ever encountered. What’s more, it’s totally free.
Camera Awesome offers some advanced features that many compact cameras don’t even allow. The combination of clever software and the app’s intuitive interface unleashes the true potential of your iPhone camera. Now, this all may sound like empty rhetoric, but seriously, check it out for yourself and you’ll likely agree.
Once you launch the app you can apply some neat things to help you compose your shot better, like an intuitive horizon leveller or the rule-of-thirds grid. Touch the screen once and you can set where you want to focus, touch the screen again and you can set the area where you want to take the exposure reading. This feature is fantastic and allows shots in mixed light that can often be over- or under-exposed to be metered properly for a much better shot. There’s also image stabilization and fast burst modes which can be handy when capturing quickly-moving objects. A useful countdown timer is great for group portraits, too.
Once you’re done taking a shot, the app’s ‘awesomize’ button will correct your image’s colors and levels, but if that’s not to your liking, a bunch of post-processing filters are offered so you can fine tune the effects as you choose. In-app purchases allow you to download yet more filters and frames should you need them.
Sharing is easy too, with the ability to upload your photos quickly to SmugMug, Twitter, Flickr, Facebook, Picasa and Photobucket or videos directly to YouTube. And talking of video, one very cool feature up Camera Awesome’s sleeve is revealed when you start shooting a video. Using some technical wizardry, the app can capture five seconds of video before you even hit the ‘record’ button while you’re still setting your iPhone in place. This is a very cool idea and might just help you capture that important moment the regular video camera app (and alternatives in the App Store) may have missed.
This really is an excellent app and fully deserving of our praise. Whereas I’d usually be reticent to use words like ‘game changer’, as a photography fan, this is one iPhone app that’s genuinely worthy of that epithet, even besting personal favorites like Snapseed ($4.99), Camera+ ($1.99) and Tadaa (Free). The only thing I see missing is a tutorial or walkthrough to explain all its advanced features, which could be useful to new iPhone users. However, the app is so fun and easy to play around with, that experimentation should see even laymen pick things up quickly.
