Categories: Photography

New Photo Toy

OMG, I think I am in love! Another blogger recommended this new app (snapseed) that works on either my iPad or my iPhone, and it is such a delight. It is not free. It runs $5.99, but so worth it, and I haven’t even tapped all that it can do. And easy? My word is it easy. It is all done with swipes and or taps.

Remember this photo from a few days ago?

Here is one thing I did with it:


All I basically did here was adjust the white balance and the saturation, and then crop it. Easy peasy.

In the one below, it was like being back in the dark room during my film days. I converted to black and white, adjusted the contrast, played with the grain, cropped and framed it, and here you have it:

One chooses the effect one wants to use (in this case black and white), then chooses the filter by swiping up and down, then chooses the degree of filtering (in this case how much contrast and then grain one wants) by swiping left and right.

Either one of these photos is better than the original, according to the photographer. Now my iPad or iPhone will not replace my Nikon, and snapseed is not photoshop, but it is a heck of a lot cheaper, and so much easier to use.

Here are a few more snapseed processed photos. There are so many possible combinations of processes, and the degree of each …

One of the majorly significant tools is the ability to increase or decrease exposure in different parts of your photos, like we could do in the darkroom. No other digital software has seemed to mimic my old-fashion darkroom to the extent this one does, and now I realize how much I missed that.

Oh, and did you notice I finally figured out how to change the alignment of my photos to make them visually more appealing, when I am writing from my iPad? Just had to change a little code, is all. 😉

bigsurkate

Appointed appellate counsel for indigent defendants (retired.) I have lived in Big Sur since 1984, first on the north coast, and on the South Coast since 1989.

View Comments

  • Thanks for the tip. I checked the website and for those android users an app for that platform is under development. Can't wait to try it!

  • I have been able to do these adjustments with Picasso... its a free google application. Don't know if it is "mobile" app though... I admit to being a bit of a dinasaur when it comes to these things!

  • Excited by your excitement, Kate. Nothing matches finding something that works and fills a missing gap, tool wise. It sounds really interesting. And yes, I miss the range of earlier photography. I think digital cameras pick up too much information. The subtlety of film was beautiful, the depth of shadows.

Share
Published by
bigsurkate

Recent Posts

Full Overnight Closure near Pt. Sur extended one more night for Monday 7/27/26

Date:Friday, July 24, 2026District:05 – Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz…

1 day ago

10 years ago today:

Screenshot

3 days ago

Campfire Restrictions Reminder

Photo by viewer

4 days ago

Found Dog, 7/19/26 near Gorda – OWNER FOUND

I love a happy ending. Dog owner found and put in contact with person who…

6 days ago

Photo Sunday, 7/19/26

This is a photo of a bumper sticker I had made up 5-7 years ago.

7 days ago

Road and Lane Closure Scheduled for July 19-July 25

Date:        July 17, 2026 District:     05 – Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito, and Santa…

1 week ago

This website uses cookies.