Photo editing on iOS has come a long way since the app store started to take off. From the standard features that most photo editing and sharing apps offer like different filters, cropping, light balance; newer photo apps have worked off that and added more unique and newer features that set it apart from others. Kdan Mobile Software has developed a feature into their app, Pocket Snapper (Free, App Store Link) that has been a long time coming, the ability to take photos from recorded video.
Overview
Among the many other uses of Pocket Snapper, besides its ability to take and edit photos from record video, the app offers a great number of tools. In the camera view there are many options to select from before taking photos.
Just as in the standard camera app, you have the ability to set the flash to on, auto, or off, autofocus, front and rear camera view, and zooming in or out. The ability to zoom is a bit different than in other camera apps. Instead of using pinch to zoom, you use a slider on the bottom of the screen that works just as well if not better.
There is one great feature that the iPhone’s default camera app doesn’t offer, which is the ability to set the camera timer to 3, 5, or 10 seconds. You can also switch from video recording to taking a photo seamlessly like in iPhone’s default app.
In most third party apps, you have to switch from taking photos to the camera in the main menu. This way makes it a lot more convenient and makes the workflow smoother. There are other two buttons on the bottom of the screen, the bottom left goes to the main menu and the bottom right button takes you to the file management system.
In the file management you can do quite a number of things. If you choose the Photo library, of course all your photos that are in the default Photos app will show up as well as the photos you’ve taken within Pocket Snapper. If you choose a photo, then “edit” at the bottom, there are 5 options that come on the screen. You can rotate the photo or crop it, which you can do in the standard Photos app.
There are a few more options that give you photos a unique look. Under “effect”, you can give your photo different filters by choosing “special”. There is also an option to choose from a great number of textures and atmospheres. Under the “Frames” tab, you have the ability to choose from basic or styled frames. There are 24 total to choose from.
Other than that, you can choose from four dialog boxes and text within them, then attach them to your photos. The developers didn’t seem to hold back from adding any amount of photo editing capabilities. If you choose a photo and then “layout” in the photo library, there are 4 different collages including a clothesline, mixed photo collage, and a brick collage that seems to be so popular now.
In the iModel menu, you can practice taking shots with the three models that are available or you can start taking photos from your own video you’ve shot. There is a slider on the left to make your photos lighter or darker depending on your preference. To take photos, you just use the button on the right. If you were able to use the physical volume button on the phone, that would have been a good addition, but it’s not that much of a deal.
Conclusion
Pocket Snapper is one of the best photo editing apps I’ve had the chance to use. There are so many features to your disposal that this photo app can replace all your others. You can also share your photos by signing up with Pocket Snapper’s membership, SnapLife. If you have a Flickr, Twitter, Picasa, Youtube, or Facebook account, you can sign in with any of those or create an account with Kdan Mobile.
This is another aspect of the app, which the developers put heavy focus on and it shows with all the ways to connect and view the public gallery. In a future update, you’ll have the option to upload your videos and share them so other users can take photos from them, which makes you the iModel. Now that Pocket Snapper is free, it’s clearly one of the top photo editing apps on the app store.
Price: Free, App Store Link
Rating: 4.5/5[rating:4.5]
Pros:
- Take photos from recorded videos
- 73 Filters, 24 Frames, and 4 Collages to choose from
- 3 different iModels to practice shooting your photos
Cons:
- Interface takes getting used to
- Can’t take photos with the shutter button on the iPhone
