Photography

Mess with your Instagram followers with Split Pic

Split Pic is a photo app that is fun to tinker with, and it also makes a good tool to see if your Instagram followers are paying attention. This free iPhone app lets you split the frame into two or three sections so you can add a bit of trickery to your shot. For example, you can clone yourself or an object (say, your kid's meerkat stuffed animal) in the frame or add your dog's head atop your shoulders.

The first step is to choose a layout, either two or three sections arranged either horizontally or vertically. If … Read more

Snap, filter, and share photos with Wood Camera

Have Instagram's filters begun to feel stale? If so, then give Wood Camera a go and add some freshness to your filtered-photo-sharing ways. This iPhone app (currently selling for 99 cents) lets you select from numerous filters and apply other effects before sharing on Instagram or the other usual social-media suspects.

When you first launch the app, you are greeted with a black canvas and a tutorial. Like most apps, you can snap a photo with the app or import a photo from your Camera Roll, albums, or Photo Stream. Unlike most apps, you can import multiple photos so … Read more

Watermark your photos before sharing online with Marksta

Worried the photos you share on your various social networks are being used without your permission? For iPhone photographers, Marksta is easily worth the $1.99. The app lets you add a watermark to your photos and provides a wealth of formatting options to protect your photos without ruining them.

To get started, tap the camera button in the upper-left corner to snap a photo or select one from your phone. Marksta will load your photo, below which are seven buttons to create a watermark.

From left to right, the seven buttons let you:

1. Add a border.

2. Change … Read more

How to back up your Instagram photos and delete your account

On January 16, the photos you upload to Instagram can be used for third-party advertising. This change in Instagram's policy means that the photos you take of your kids, pets, family, or anything else, can be sold without even notifying you. If you decide to wait until after January 16 to close your Instagram account, your photos could still be used or sold.

Not really feeling the change? You're not alone. Many users are wondering what they can do with their Instagram account -- whether they can download all of their photos and preserve their privacy, or if … Read more

Getting started with Flickr's new iPhone app

Flickr updated its iPhone app today, ushering in a new design and features, including photo filters similar to those the world has fallen in love with over at Instagram. Allow me to walk you through the radically changed Flickr for iPhone app.

When you first launch the app, you'll need to sign up via Facebook or sign in to your account via Yahoo, Facebook, or Google. After logging in, you'll see a layout akin to Instagram's. Running along the bottom edge are five buttons to navigate the main areas of the app. From left to right they … Read more

Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals on software, games and more

I admit it. I love deals and I love researching for the best deals out there. In addition, as much as I hate to admit it, I have been one of those people, who wait overnight on a cold Thanksgiving night for the store to open at 4am the next day, so I can get that super-sized deal on a laptop, a TV, more SD cards, external hard drives I really don't need, DVDs I will never watch again - anything electronics-related all excited me on Black Fridays. Actually, what typically happens is that I end up calling all … Read more

Getting started with Pixlr Express for Android

Generally the addition of "Express" to the name of any program means that it is a light or less feature-packed version of the original. However, in the case of Pixlr Express, the amount of options packed into the app doesn't make it feel like a light version at all.

The company behind this app is Autodesk, which also makes Pixlr-o-Matic and AutoCAD. Think of Pixlr Express as a beefed-up version of Pixlr-o-Matic; not only do you get all of the vintage filters, but another 600+ effects can be applied in the new app.

Get started by grabbing&… Read more

Mastering panoramic photography in iOS 6

Apple certainly didn't invent panoramic photography, but if you recently upgraded to iOS 6, and have an iPhone 4S or an iPhone 5, the added feature might have sparked a newfound interest in this photography technique.

The basics Enabling panorama mode is easy. Launch the camera, tap Options, and select Panorama. Keep your iPhone in portrait mode, but before you begin the panorama, do the following:

Decide where to end. Though panorama mode is equipped to capture a 240-degree angle, you can stop at any time. That being said, decide where the photo will start and end. Change directions. … Read more

How to simplify sharing your panoramic photos

Sharing a panorama taken with iOS 6 on your iPhone is easy, but takes some work on the recipients end to view. The photo isn't all that tall, it's wide and only provides a general overview of the entire photo unless you pinch and zoom. Then you'll need to swipe back-and-forth until you can view the entire photo. It works, but it's not fun.

The next time you have a great-looking panorama you'd like to show off, use TourWrist, a free iOS app (download link) available in the App Store. Once you sign up and … Read more

DIY macro lens for your phone's camera

I came across this tutorial last week that showed how you can turn an ordinary phone camera into something capable of capturing extreme close-up macro photos. You know, the ones where you can see the hairs on a fly's head.

After the dust settled on the iOS 6 release, over the weekend I dug through the junk drawer in my kitchen and found an old laser pointer. I then located a bobby pin in the bathroom and some painter's tape in the basement. I now had the three necessary ingredients and the time to see if this thing … Read more