VSCO: A sharing friendly editor
Platforms: iOS and Android
Price: Free
Ratings: 4.4(Android), 4/5(iOS)
T
hough there are numerous
choices available for photography
lovers these days, there’s always a
room for an app like VSCO Cam
which combines photo taking, photo
editing and photo sharing. With it’s
robust assortment of editing tools
producing elegant photo effects,
VSCO Cam makes it to Chiiz app of
the month, this edition
The Oakland, California, based VSCO lets users use its gorgeous
filters and editing options to turn their otherwise boring pictures
into masterpieces. Plus, like instagram, you can create a profile
on VSCO Cam and follow other users, although it is essentially
a more artistic and curated version of Instagram. VSCO Cam,
which is available as a free app (with in-app filter purchases) on
both iOS and Android stores, is a great option among artistic
and photography-focused users. Its minimalist interface lets you
to create great-looking shots in only a few steps. It might take a
little time getting acclimatised to its over-simplified and wordless
iconographic interface, but once you learn its working, it is a joy
to use.
VSCO is a versatile app that lets you shoot with its built-in camera
interface while allowing you to import images from your phone’s
gallery. VSCO camera toolbar lets you toggle the flash, change the
display (you can select a square preview, ‘rule of thirds’ or nothing).
Though most of the features available on both iOS and Android
platforms are similar, but only iOS users can apply the two-finger
swipe to set different locations for focus and reading the exposure.
The iOS users also have access to a white balance lock which allows
them to apply the color temperature of one scene to another.
Editing Tools
The editing part of this app is where things get a little odd and
somewhat fascinating too. When you tap on a photo to edit it,
you’ll find a dozen of filters called “presets” that you can apply to
provide a different look to your pictures. These Presets doesn’t have
any fancy names — they’re simply called B3, F2, C3, P5, X1 and so
on — so you are expected to just try them out and see what you can
make out of it. Presets are not a one-tap and done affair, instead
they’re applied as layers and can be used in different intensities.
Going one step further, you can also edit “traditional” aspects of
your pictures like exposure, contrast, straighten, crop, sharpen,
saturation, highlights save, shadows save, color temperature,
tint and fade. With all of these tools, you could easily spend
hours editing photos for different looks. Edits that you apply are
completely non-destructive, meaning you can backup your last
edits — one at a time — or completely remove them all — even
after you’ve “saved” an image with edits to it.
Sharing
VSCO Cam also provides a Grid - its social network platform -
where you can browse photos, follow users and share pictures and
there’s no spammy likes, comments or other cruft getting in the
way like other platforms.When you are finished working with your photos, you can share
them on other apps like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Google+,
email, etc. which are installed on your phone or tablet. While if
you share your images on VSCO’s Grid, it’s not necessary that they
will be displayed to the public because only high-quality images are
curated on the platform.Chiiz Opinion
VSCO Cam is a great camera and editing app with a half-baked
online sharing experience bolted onto the side. The editing tools
and filters are better than what you’ll find in many other apps, and
most of the experience is free (you only need to pay for additional
filters). And while the sparse icon-driven UI is initially confusing,
it’s easy to figure out. VSCO needs only to find a way to smooth
the rough edges in its interface to be a truly essential camera app
alternative.App of The Month
Joel Hiekha
[email protected]
A patient and an open minded guy, Joel is madly in
love with Electronic Dance Music. He is an ardent
game lover and a fashion enthusiast who loves to try
out latest trends.Vol 2 79