I’ve been exploring photography apps for the iPhone. I got excited about taking and altering photos on the iPhone thanks to an excellent book, Create Great iPhone Photos by Allan Hoffman (which was sent to me by the publisher, and is no longer available from them but is available secondhand at Amazon or AbeBooks.).

Here are my top 10 photo apps for the iPhone. Prices vary.

1. CrossProcess: Alters the colors in a photo.
2. TiltShiftGen: Allows you to select a portion of the photo that’s in focus, and blurring the rest.
3. PS Express: Photoshop’s mini version of their app, which allows you to do basic editing like crop, sharpen, and change contrast and exposure.
4. PhotoForge: Like PS Express, it allows for basic editing.
5. PictureShow: Includes various effects including color changes, frames, light leaks, “noise” on the photo, and vignetting on the corners.
6. Postagram: For $0.99 it will print and mail an actual postcard to any address, using a photo on your phone.
7. Mill Colour: Allows you to make detailed changes on lift, gamma, gain, and saturation, plus includes you to choose from a number of preset color changes.
8. SlowShutter: An alternative to the Camera app that comes with the iPhone, it waits to snap a photo when the camera is still, thus minimizing blur and fuzziness.
9. PhotoStudio: Includes hundreds of effects you can add to your photos, including textures, glow, “color fantasy,” and blur.
10. Hipstamatic: Acts like an old-fashioned camera, allowing you to choose different “film,” “flash,” and other options before you shoot.

And, going to 11: Snappy (jailbreak only, available via Cydia): Even when the iPhone is locked, allows you to go directly to the camera app by tapping and holding the very top of the screen.

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