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February 25, 2014

Get creative with Nokia Imaging SDK 1.1



Listen up, beloved developers; as from today you’ll be able to download the latest imaging SDK update to add even more amazing features to your apps.

As Nokia Lumia phones become ever powerful, our brilliant developer community is taking advantage to bring consumers truly impressive imaging apps. When we launched the first Imaging SDK in July 2013, more than 1500 apps soon appeared employing the technology.

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However, with the new update, even more Lumia owners are in store for increased photographic potential, as outlined by its key features:

Support for Windows 8.1 – desktop and RT

  • With the Lumia 2520 tablet (running Windows RT 8.1) now part of the Nokia family, the shared API now allows Windows 8.1 desktop computers to create compatible software using the SDK.

Optimised performance = smother running

  • Thanks to the SDK, developers can now embed features usually reserved for ‘higher-end’ Lumias. This means, zooming and rotating in a much more fluid fashion on devices such as the Lumia 520.
  • The ability to add Lens Blur (or ‘Bokeh’) and ‘Single Image HDR’ effects to images

The same Nokia technology is used by all imaging apps.

  • From the team that created apps such as Nokia Storyteller and Creative Studio, this library brings the same underlying technology to developers.  With a single API call, developers can build similar ‘wow’ experiences such as the Lumia’s ability to effortlessly reframe and freely rotate pictures taken with a 41MP camera.

Oh, and one more – it’s free!

  • The Nokia Imaging SDK has been made available to Windows and Windows Phone app developers free of charge.
Sami-Pippuri

We spoke to Director of Nokia Lumia Developer Product Marketing, Sami Pippuri, to get his view.

“The main thing here is that developers will be able to create new kinds of experiences for consumers. They will also be able to create apps that will run from device to tablet as well as desktop PC, with the same code.

“It’s the same technology used in Nokia’s own apps that we’re bringing to the SDK. Our team has really been able to optimise the technology so that the kind of image-centric functionality seen on higher-end Lumias is now possible in a very fluid fashion, even on a device like the Lumia 520, which is quite remarkable in this industry when you compare to some of the competitors.  This tool blurs the line between products such as the Lumia 1020 and the Lumia 520.

Conversations also asked Sami about his vision for the future of imaging apps.

“Starting today, we’ll be talking about combining imaging, location, pattern recognition and context. We’re exploring what people can do when they take a picture, rather than just taking and sharing a photo. How they’ll make use of their context at that particular moment will be a very exciting prospect for this year and a trend in the industry.

“I’d love to see more innovation in the area of combing different data sources, where things just happen without the person having to think about it. From a consumer point of view, they’d get smarter experiences; the app anticipating what the person might be doing next or providing quick flashbacks to what they’ve done in the past, in a very seamless fashion.

“This SDK will help developers to achieve these things, but it still requires that they think outside the box. They need to find solutions to problems that consumers don’t realise even exist, yet”

The Imaging SDK is available now for download.

What imaging apps and features would you like to see on your Lumia? Let us know in the comments, below.

Or even better, whether you are a developer or not, get creative with the Nokia Imaging SDK yourself and take part in Imagin8 Mission competition for a chance to win some breathtaking prizes. More information available here.