New Imaging Apps for Windows Phone 8.1
Downloaded the latest Lumia updates? A bunch of imaging apps have also benefitted from the refresh…
New Nokia Camera
The updated Nokia Camera now includes a simplified user interface, with an easy access to manual controls, video, smart sequence and improved Camera Roll.
The Camera Roll now includes inline playback of videos, Cinemagraphs, smart sequences and Refocus images. And Living Images, available on Lumia 930, Lumia 1520 and Lumia Icon, brings a fresher way to view and relive your photos.
Facetune
Selfies: the bane of modern life or a fun part of today’s society? Whatever your stance, there’s no debating the quality of Facetune, which has just arrived for Windows Phone.
In its most basic form, Facetune will tidy up photos of people – whitening teeth, removing blemishes and smoothing skin. However, under the bonnet you’ll find it’s a powerful image-editing tool with features usually reserved for magazine cover directors.
While the app is easy to get to grips with – everything is done with finger taps and swipes – the more you practice the better a re-toucher you’ll become.
Take time to learn its tricks (Facetune’s YouTube channel has a wealth of walk-throughs) and you’ll be able to widen smiles, change eye colour, heighten cheekbones, reshape a nose, re-colour grey hair, add volume to eyelashes and blur backgrounds.
When you’re done, surprise a friend by sharing your refinements through social media.
Pair Facetune with the Lumia 930’s imaging focus and you have a hugely powerful tool.
Walgreens
This might be a U.S.-only app, but a great example of how the big guns are using Windows Phone to make shopping easier.
Alongside the ability to search for local stores, scan your reward card and even transfer pharmaceutical prescriptions, Walgreens has a neat Photo-printing option.
Straight from your Camera Roll, Facebook, Instagram, OneDrive and Walgreens.com albums, you can edit, order and pick-up prints, posters canvasses in super-quick time from your local Walgreens store.
Speaking of being fast, hurry now and our U.S. readers can get a discount on summer photo prints until the end of August. Enter POSTER25 for 25% off mobile-order Poster Prints and CANVAS25 for 25% off mobile-order Windows Phone 8 Canvases.
SNAPCAM
You can read our in-depth SNAPCAM run-down here, but here’s the top line: take great shots, create a digital photobook on your Lumia and send them to friends and/or family.
Your Lumia’s brilliant optics are well exploited with SNAPCAM’s 2400 x 2400dpi printing resolution.
SNAPCAM is free to download and is designed to work on all Nokia Lumia devices, such as the Nokia Lumia 1020, Lumia 928, Lumia 925, Lumia 630 and Lumia 530, and more.
SNAPCAM has also given Conversations a voucher code that can be used for your first photobook order. Just type ‘SNAPPY’ into the ‘Voucher Code’ box at the Order Confirmation screen to receive a 50% discount.
For SNAPCAM voucher code terms and conditions, please click here:
PhotoMart
The idea behind PhotoMart is a simple one – order high-quality prints straight from your Lumia and pick them up at a Walmart store (this is another U.S.-only app) within the hour.
And it’s easy enough to do; select photos from your Camera Roll, choose your photo size and quantity, enter your credit card details and Hey Presto! Your physical photos will be ready in less than 60 minutes.
Prices start at $0.29 for a 6 x 4-inch photo and the app is free to download.
Creative Studio 6
The new Creative Studio 6 makes editing your photos faster and more fun. A brand-new interface holds the key to a smattering of new filters that you can apply to your Camera Roll shots.
In addition, there’s more picture control, allowing you to adjust shadows, clarity, vibrancy and colour tone. For a quick enhancement, use the auto-fix feature.
CS6 also supports dual-capture reframing, meaning you can rotate, straighten and change the aspect ratio of any image after you’ve shot it. You can do this as many times as you wish without any drop in image quality.
In a similar vein, CS6 incorporates ‘non-destructive editing’, which means you can edit, then edit your edit, then edit your edit’s edit, while always being able to revert back to your original image.
In short, it’s the best upgrade to date.