Apple has done a solid job of slowly integrating cameras into its range of impressive products such as the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. The cameras are useful for video chatting, and even better, for snapping quality photos. While the integrated cameras themselves are solid, you can take your photo-snapping experience to an entirely new level with the use of some quality apps from the App Store. This list will detail some of the best photography apps around for the iOS platform. Some of them will cost you a fee to install, but don’t worry. The costs are small in comparison to the enhanced functionality you receive in return.

Adobe Photoshop Express

You have probably heard of Adobe Photoshop and think of it as more of an application meant for use in a desktop environment.  Luckily, the developers at Adobe have decided to bring some of its program’s functionality to the mobile arena with the Photoshop Express app for iOS.

It’s not the most complex photo app you will find, but it does offer a lot of the basics that will come in handy from time to time.  Best of all, Photoshop Express is easy to use.  A variety of one-touch effects are integrated for quick editing to allow you to crop, straighten, rotate, and flip photos in a flash.  Contrast, exposure, saturation, and other color settings can be tweaked to your liking, and you can apply filters like Sketch, Soft Focus, and Sharpen as well.  The app also offers a nice range of effects and borders that you can add to transform your photos from ordinary to extraordinary.  If you happen to make a mistake or don’t like the final result, you can always undo your changes to revert back to the photo’s original version.

The basic app is free, but there are some in-app purchases to make it more powerful.  For instance, there’s a noise reduction feature that can be applied to iron out any flaws.  The self-timer is another useful add-on worth mentioning and can give you some extra time before each photo is snapped. 

360 Panorama

If you are a fan of taking panorama style shots, 360 Panorama is a must-have app for your iOS device.  Now, you may not be too experienced with photography and have seen panorama shots before and wondered just how they were achieved.  With this app, you no longer have to wonder, as you will be able to do the same using your nifty little iOS device.

360 Panorama takes the power from within your iOS device and uses it to stitch images together with ease for the desired panorama effect.  All you have to do is pan your camera and the app does all of the dirty work.  You can use your device’s gyroscope for cool 360 degree viewing too.  Since most of your panorama shots are probably of places you want to remember forever, 360 Panorama also comes equipped with GPS tagging.  Your new panoramic skills can be showcased by sharing with others via email and social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.  The app’s website is another feature worth mentioning, as it allows you to upload and store your panoramas to your account for viewing in a mobile or desktop setting.  The site will even re-touch your panoramas over time for enhanced quality.  All of this functionality comes at a bargain cost of just $0.99.

Camera+




Camera+ is a great photography app for beginners and advanced users.  The app has been praised for its pleasing design, but its feature set is where it Camera+ really stands out.  Simply put, it takes the standard camera app and kicks it up one hundred notches. 

Camera+ has a 6x zoom that gets you closer to your subjects without sacrificing quality.  Tired of blurry shots?  Use the stabilizer feature to keep things crystal clear.  Tired of crooked pictures?  Line them up using the integrated grid system.  Shots are easily controlled with touch exposure and focus controls.  There’s a photo flashlight that can be used as a fill light for better photo quality, or you can use it as a flashlight whenever you need extra light.  Digital flash helps with lighting as well. 

The app offers a variety of scene modes that would make a standard digital camera user jealous, including Beach, Backlit, Portrait, Night, and Sunset.  Once your photos are snapped, fix them up with an easy to use cropping tool or spice them up with a handful of special effects and borders.  To show off your new photography skills, share with others directly from the app via email, Facebook, Twitter, or Flickr.  If you are in need of a photography app that pretty much does it all except snap the photos for you, take a strong look at Camera+.

Pocketbooth



This app may not be ideal for anyone looking to take serious photos, but if you are looking to have fun with your iOS camera, you should definitely check it out.  It’s called Pocketbooth, and it functions as a virtual photo booth small enough to fit in your pocket that allows you to take classic pictures you’d normally find at a carnival or other entertaining event. 

Pocketbooth makes use of either a front-facing or rear-facing camera, depending on what your iOS device has.  It uses flash for improved quality and you can even spruce up your photos with a host of different effects such as black and white, antique, color, and more.  The app can store information on where you took each photo, and it also is compatible with AirPrint so you can print your photo strips for sharing.  This makes the app ideal for parties and get-togethers.  As with most other photo apps, Pocketbooth also employs sharing via social networks like Facebook and Twitter, as well as traditional email sharing.

The sheer size of the App Store means it has many more photography apps in its catalogue, but the aforementioned ones are a good place to start to help you get the most out of your iOS device’s camera.

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