KitCam Lovefest, Take II

16 Jan 2013

An ‘everything-you-need, everything-you-want, everything-you-wish-for and everything-else-you-can’t-think-of’ camera app.

If you just weren’t convinced that KitCam is the granddaddy of camera apps from my first article (really?!), there’s more! The Basics are great (aspect ratios, focus lock) and the Extras divine (multi-exposure, video) but here comes the Crème de la Crème!

If you missed the first article, check out the awesome basics and extras here: KitCam Lovefest, Take I.

The Effects

KitCam packs in so many features it’s hard to believe they could get effects in there too. They must have some mad skills because these are certifiably stunning!

15 lenses

Truly fantastic lenses such as Vignette, Blowout, Pinhole & Bonne Nut
Pinch or twist to cycle through the effect options (change light leaks, adjust tilt shift, etc.)
In-app purchase of $1.99 gets you Fisheye, Kaleidescope & 3D (try before you buy)

32 films

Mouth-watering film options such as Iced Tea, Brooklyn, Antique & Newspaper
If you are a PhotoForge user, you get a bonus film for free (Menthol)
In-App purchase of $1.99 gets you Summer ’57, Mono ’51 & Technicolor (try before you buy)

20 frames

Various frame options including Ansel, Capa & Lange
In-App purchase of $1.99 gets you Karsh, Vivian & Margaret

Using The Effects

Each effect can be applied separately or in a combination. And they can be administered in various ways. All can be found in the ‘tool box’ in the bottom right corner.

Live preview

See a live preview of the effect(s) you have chosen before taking your photo (for live capture). Don’t forget your interactive gestures for lens variations (twist for changes in light leaks, pinch to enlarge vignette).

Apply ‘after-the-fact’

You can take a photo any time without an effect. Then you can edit later if you wish. (Hint: Tap on the effect again to deselect.) You can also import photos already on your device and edit with glee!

Non-destructive editing

Your original photo is preserved so slap on a new lens or try a new film. You can always revert to the original. (Note: This is for photos only, not video.)

Importing Photos

One of the most important features wih any app that has awesome filters/effects is the ability to import photos from your device. KitCam added this option quickly after it’s initial release.

To import, tap the far left ‘square’ on the bottom for view mode (this will be black and very hard to see upon start-up but it’s in the same place as the native camera app). Once you enter view mode, drag the screen down, then tap the icon that resembles a film roll. You can select multiple photos at one time for import.

After you’ve imported a photo, tap on it then choose ‘edit’ on the top right. You’ll get a menu for shot tools, undo, pro tools (don’t worry, they are free) and a film strip which is a ‘show original’ button. You have your standard crop, rotate, clarify and even exposure/white balance controls here. But the super-power is the third icon which appears to be a half film/half lens. (Took me a few to figure that out, did you recognize it straight away?) Tap that and now you can slap on those array of lenses, films & frames.

Additional Features

Auto Archiving to camera roll or Dropbox/FTP/Flickr. Available for pics and/or videos. Default is to save to camera roll (also saved within the app). Default for videos is Off so turn this on in settings if you want them backed up as well. (Share and backup setup options are housed in Settings.)

Sharing options galore from Facebook to Instagram, Flickr to Tumblr. If you want to share it, KitCam has you covered.

(Hint: To get to settings – go into view mode, tap the icon in the top right and choose settings. Here you can turn off auto-back up to camera roll, turn on auto-back up for videos, etc. To get back to view mode, tap the icon again and then tap ‘photos’.)

My Experience

This app replaced the previous camera app on my dock within 10 seconds. It’s just that good. A complete lovefest from install – multi-exposure, effects, even time lapse! But then I imported a photo and discovered that this app is beyond magical.

After import, I skipped right over the tools and straight into the goodies. Lens – oh yeah. Film – slam dunk. Frame – why not? Then I decided the shot would look better cropped (bathroom stalls aren’t that attractive). Which meant I had to start over right?

But wait. It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No it’s KitCam. Able to crop edited photos without the headache. I was able to crop the Photo and only the photo. Not the lens light-leak effect I’d added. Not the frame. The photo! My effects were preserved. Holy Smokes! (Okay, I might have wept a little.)

KitCam is more than worthy of it’s $1.99 price tag. From video to live filters, multi-exposure to volume shutter; this app does it all with class.

Win KitCam Free

Think this app is superlative but lacking some funds after the holidays? You have until January 19 to tweet @notDelilah_ using the tag #kitcamlove and your favorite KitCam feature. I will choose two winners at random to win a free download of KitCam courtesy of GhostBird Software.

Let us know what you think of KitCam by sharing with us on Instagram using our #photocruncher tag, tweet us @photocruncher or share via Facebook.

Tested on an iPhone 4S running iOS 5.1 and an iPad 4th generation running iOS 6.0

About Marsha Bezzina

Marsha Bezzina has always enjoyed writing. But photography was mostly relegated to annual trips until the acquisition of her first smartphone, the iPhone 4s. Now this self-declared ‘mental crafter’ is a data hog – capturing moments, hoarding photo apps and editing with abandon. She is @notDelilah on Instagram but had to settle for @notDelilah_ on Twitter. Or check out her site, www.notDelilah.com