effects

Fotor Photo Effect Studio 1.0.0 Review

Android photo editing apps come in all shapes and sizes, but few can call themselves "all-in-one." Fotor Photo Effect Studio tries to hold that title, but comes up a little short in one category. The photo-editing and filtering features are fine, but the app's camera is too unstable to be used.

This app lets you take, edit, and filter photos in the same app. Sadly, the app's camera produces some shockingly bad images. Despite having a cool zoom feature, the photos come out as a pixelated mess more often than not. You don't have to … Read more

Great photo effects, but substandard workflow

FX Photo Studio (iPhone | iPad) lets you edit images on your iPhone, add multiple effects, then add stylized text for a unique look. The app includes all the basic image-editing controls such as brightness, contrast, and color balance, along with cropping and rotation tools.

But where FX Photo Studio shines is in the amount you can do with your photos by selecting from an enormous number of effects. As of this writing, FX Photo Studio includes 190 high-quality effects you can add to your images. You can also combine effects for virtually limitless combinations. But while the app features a … Read more

Halo still in effect: Apple sees iPads as gateway to Macs

When the iPod first came out, Apple hoped it would help drive sales of the Mac. The reason was simple: at first, you needed a Mac to use the svelte little MP3 player. The phenomenon was dubbed the halo effect because customers would be expected to gravitate to Apple's other products.

Of course, what ended up happening instead was that Apple soon made iTunes and its music store available for Windows users, switched from Firewire to the more ubiquitous USB, and went on to sell millions of iPods, dominating both the digital music and MP3 player markets in the … Read more

Photo Collage App Maker Effect 1.0 Review

A number of applications exist to work with photos on a mobile device. Photo Collage App Maker Effect's usability problems and programming bugs make this photo application a less desirable download.

The initial download and installation of Photo Collage App Maker Effect completed quickly. There were no user instructions and it was unclear if technical support existed. The initial menu was difficult to decipher and had four small buttons along the bottom that were hard to read. When we selected the first one for background images, the program prompted an additional 20MB download, which took 15 minutes to complete … Read more

Focus Effect 1.0 Review

The large amount of photo editing software currently on the market makes this genre very competitive. Focus Effect, however, stands out among the crowd. It delivers just what it claims to deliver: high-quality images. Users will be amazed at the artistic photos that can be created with an easy-to-use mobile application.

At 6MB, Focus Effect is not an incredibly light application, but that is expected from image editing software of this caliber. Download times may be extended if the user is not connected to a Wi-Fi network, so a high-speed connection is recommended. The user interface is very clean and … Read more

Camera 360 1.0.1 Review

If your smartphone has become your point-and-shoot camera, you're probably missing some of your go-to shooting modes. Camera 360 will help bring them back and add some cool effects, too. It's a big shift from what you're used to in Android's default camera, but it's a switch worth making.

This app does away with the translucent viewfinder tools you'll find in most camera apps. That means there's not as much room for you to actually frame your shot, sadly. It's even worse when you factor in the ad that the app floods … Read more

Crazy Photo Booth 2 Review

Increasingly, the iPhone and iPad are becoming go-to devices for taking, editing, and sharing photos. With powerful, built-in cameras and Internet connections, you don't need a second device or a computer to take photos and share them with friends on the go. Filter apps like Crazy Photo Booth 2 take this to the next level by providing multiple ways to transform or add effects to your photos. Is this particular app worth the download, however? It depends on what types of filters you need.

Crazy Photo Booth 2 is free and features the standard ad bars that are found … Read more

Photo Effects Pro 1.5 Review

Since most Android devices have a camera, it is only natural that photo- editing applications are in high demand. While the market is full of programs trying to help users enhance or alter their images, most of them don't allow you to edit the photos but simply apply a visual effect filter over them. Photo Effects Pro falls into this category as well, but its ease of use will appeal to the casual user.

The installation of Photo Effects Pro is extremely easy, requiring no advanced settings or registration. This app is obviously designed to be simple and easy … Read more

The 404 1,246: Where we kick rocks (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- EA awarded "Worst Company in American History" for second consecutive year.

- Next Xbox won't be backward-compatible, report says.

- CNET How-to: How to make a video game patchbay.

- Warner Bros. Montreal developing Arkham City prequel starring "unrefined" Batman: Arkham Origins.

- 404 news: We're starting to break segments out into shorter clips that are easier to share. Help us blast these out to your friends, won't you? The first one is our report on the list of NSFW movies the Vatican is watching right now!… Read more

Split up an image with artistic results

Split Pic Pro is a fun photo-editing app that lets you clone yourself (in a manner of speaking), create collage-like projects, add effects, then share your work with your friends.

To get started, you need to select one of the 12 different layouts. You have the option to move each of the bars that separates your layout for a little customization, but it really seems like it needs more default layouts. Fortunately, even with the small assortment, you'll be able to make some really cool projects.

The next step is to fill each of the panes with an image … Read more