Monday, July 31, 2017

Vic Gundotra, former Google SVP, praises the iPhone camera

Everyone is entitled to their opinions and everyone has the right to change them at any time. But some opinions, when publicly expressed, can be so damning if they come from certain people. That seems to be the case when Vic Gundotra, who held the position of Senior Veep for Social at Google until 2014, posted on Facebook his new profound admiration for the DSLR-like output, not of a Google Pixel phone or even an Android phone, but of the iPhone 7.

Granted, being a company executive in the past doesn't mean you're forced to always sing high praises of your former employer til kingdom come. Even Apple co-founder Steve "Woz" Wozniak continues to be critical of the company when he thinks Apple deserves it. If credit should be given where it's due, so should criticism and blame be.

In this case, credit is being given to the iPhone 7's photography chops. Specifically, the iPhone 7 Plus and its fancy new Portrait Mode function. In a nutshell, this camera mode utilizes the iPhone 7 Plus' dual cameras to make the foreground subjects pop out by blurring the background. Sort of like Bokeh, but utilizing software and algorithms to achieve the effect rather than relying simply on lenses.

In a post on Facebook, Gundotra describes how he managed to take two stunning photos of his kids using just his iPhone, without using the flash even. The ex-Googler decided to leave the real camera at home and still managed to capture brilliant photos. The end of the DSLR has already arrived. His words.

While iPhones have traditionally held the places of honor as far as mobile photography goes, some might argue that hasn't been the case in a long while. DxOMark doesn't even place any iPhone in the top 4 scores, much less the top 10 phones. Google's own Pixel once held the top spot, to be surprisingly displaced by the HTC U11. This song of praise from Gundotra probably isn't going to sit well with the Android faithful at all.

What's your take on this new "endorsement" of the iPhone 7 Plus camera? Does it match your own experience? Has Apple reclaimed its throne or did it never leave it at all? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.

SOURCE: Vic Gundotra


Source: Vic Gundotra, former Google SVP, praises the iPhone camera

Sunday, July 30, 2017

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Source: Get legit tools and lessons for screenwriting, coding, and more [Week's Best Deals]

Saturday, July 29, 2017

Mobile Photography & Art – ‘My Top Five Apps’ by Jerry Jobe from Georgia, United States

We are revitalising our Top Five Apps section to our Photo App Lounge column. This a section within TheAppWhisperer where we ask highly accomplished mobile photographers and artists to list their top five apps and to explain why they have selected them.

Kicking us off today is Jerry Jobe our incredible tutorial writer and passionate artist from Georgia, USA, enjoy! (foreword by Joanne Carter).

To read others from this series, please go here.

All photos ©Jerry Jobe

"I've covered over 150 apps since I started writing tutorials back in November of 2012. I might have another 150 that I haven't written about. So how am I supposed to pick just five of them?

The fact that there are so many apps to choose from is a good thing. That doesn't mean that they are all good apps. As the number of available apps grows, however, the number of really good apps grows also. Even if only one out of ten apps are worthwhile, that still means I have thirty apps worthy of consideration for "top five'.

I do have several apps that I use on a regular basis. These apps form my core, the ones that are versatile enough that I can perform many tasks easily. If an app is too specialised, it might be a favorite, but I can't call it a top five app. In no particular order."

Snapseed

Snapseed was an invaluable app when I first covered it over four years ago, and it has only improved. The ability to mask changes and step back through history has made it a go-to app, especially for final tweaks.

I wanted to show a particular feature, and why it is so valuable to me: Vignette. I find a good vignette can help focus the viewer's eyes on the subject, but I hate a heavy-handed vignette. Most apps merely darken the edges of an image, as in the picture on the right. But Snapseed does two great things with the vignette. It allows you to move the center of the vignette over the subject, and the vignette is applied in more of an Overlay blend mode rather than Multiply. Multiply darkens all underlying pixels indiscriminately, while Overlay darkens the lightest pixels less than the darkest. I prefer the Snapseed version, as shown on the left.

Free/download

iColorama

Surprise! Not really, to anyone who has been baying attention to the number of tutorials I've written on this queen of mobile photography and art apps. It has a steep learning curve, but its treasure-trove of features and masking capabilities (including reusable masks) make this the one app that nearly all of my images go through. It is also my blending app of choice for combining apped images back with the original to bring back detail.

Also, when I am creating an appstract, I often begin and end in iColorama. This appstract is called "Journeys End in Lovers Meeting".

$2.99/download

Stackables

I hate noise in photos, but a little bit of texture can't hurt. Stackables is my texture app of choice, because it combines ease of use like Distressed FX, with a ton of modifiable textures, like Mextures. Add in the ability to do tilt-shift effects and masking, and you have a finishing app worthy of a top-five inclusion.

$1.99/download

Brushstroke

There are many specialised "painting" apps out there, where the app does all the painting. I like to use them, since my brushing ability, like my sketching ability, is next to non-existent. Brushstroke offers the most varied and "realistic" painting that I have seen, at full resolution. Of course, if the result is too strong, you can always use them as part of a blend, as I did in "Putting Green".

$3.99/download

Leonardo

Sooner or later, when working with images, you are going to want to layer images. You might want to create a collage, or be able to change eye color in a non-destructive manner (oh, I wanted blue instead of green). That's why I wanted to include my favorite layering app.

$4.99/download

Affinity Photo

Affinity is a brand-new app, with tons of promise. The final image at the end of the article, "Renaissance Lighting", uses Affinity. But it is only available for iPad Pro users, so I can't count it among my official top five at the moment.

Prior to June, when Affinity appeared, I did my layering in Leonardo. My example here is "Flashback to Hawaii", where I layered a caricature made in Moment Cam onto my own "painted" image I captured on a visit last year. The masking, crucial in collage work, uses the code found in Superimpose, a terrific app on its own. Leonardo adds a ton of features to the basics of masking, making it a definite top five pick.

$19.99/download

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Source: Mobile Photography & Art – 'My Top Five Apps' by Jerry Jobe from Georgia, United States

Friday, July 28, 2017

Mobile Photography/Art Pic of the Day (611) via Instagram

Here's day six hundred and eleven of our mobile photography/art Pic of the Day section via Instagram. Each day we will be selecting one image a day for our Pic of the Day section on Instagram with this hashtag – #theappwhisperer.

To ensure your image receives our attention, please upload it to Instagram with this hashtag – #theappwhisperer

Today, we congratulate @wstairs – Wayman Stairs, with this breathtaking image.

Please view more of his images here.

[Please visit our Artist Directory and find out how we can add you too!]

While you're here…

….we have a small favour to ask. More people than ever are reading TheAppWhisperer.com and we could not be more excited about that. We bring you ad-free journalism every day, so you don't have to close windows and be distracted with advertisements. We specialise in mobile photography and mobile art and we value all of our readers, writers, contributors and viewers but we do have costs and we do need to ask for your help. We at TheAppWhisperer spend many hours each day, each week and each month to bring you this high quality level of journalism. We do it because we are passionate about it and because we want others to be as passionate too.

If everyone who reads our website, who likes it, helps to support it, our future would be so much more secure. Please help us by offering a contribution or supporting us with a monthly donation of your choosing. Please will you help us?

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Source: Mobile Photography/Art Pic of the Day (611) via Instagram

Thursday, July 27, 2017

Mobile Photography – Portrait of an Artist – Twenty Fifth Video Showcase

We are delighted to present our 25th Portrait of an Artist Video Showcase. Huge thanks to our astonishing Editor for this group, Ile Mont, she has curated an phenomenal show, her discerning eye knows no bounds. Enjoy! (foreword by Joanne Carter).

"Welcome to our twenty fifth Portrait of an Artist Showcase! This Showcase complements our Portrait of an Artist Column edited by myself. Every few weeks I review and curate work that has been submitted to our dedicated Flickr group. In addition, Joanne Carter creates a showcase video which features a sampling of submitted work, we will also highlight a few images that have caught our attention… offering some thoughtful commentary about technique, composition and subject matter.

If you are not a member of our Facebook group… we highly recommend that you join us! This is our space for sharing newsworthy information and conducting discussions (what, when, where, why and how) regarding mobile portraiture and portraiture in general.

Please join our Facebook group for information sharing/discussions (link here)

Please upload your portraiture images to our Flickr Group for fortnightly showcase submissions (link here)

Many congratulations to the following artists for being featured this time, including:

Ade Santora, Greg Lakatos, Sara Kuhn, Giancarlo Beltrame, Vanessa Vox, Manuela Basaldella, Alex Paton, Louise Whiting, Jane Schultz, Katie Teixeira, Eliza Badoiu, Juta Jazz, Kate Zari Roberts, Marguerite Khoury, Nick Kenrick, TheiPhoneArtGirl – Meri Walker, JH MCBandy, Isabel Afonso, Angie Lambert, Aylin Argun, Giulia Baita, Lorenka Campos, Sukru Mehmet Omur and Damian De Souza.

Letters II ©Ade Santora

In the beginning it seemed to me like a photograph of a sculpture. Observing it in detail I was very surprised how the human face took shape in a very energetic mood. I also found very interesting the contrast of the elements combined to edit this image. A portrait worked out with letters! A witty abstraction in perfect balance. What a bold, refreshing and creative way of Ade Santora to represent  such an important part of what makes us humans too: expression through the word.

Her ©Greg Lakatos

It was the use of the negative space and the peaceful mood in this portrait that made it so attractive to me, even beyond the disquieting lack of the eyes. I find it a very interesting conceptual and minimalist proposal for a mysterious, yet undeniable beautiful portrait by Greg Lakatos, that keeps you obsessively longing to complete the image while wondering how would the eyes and expression of the subject will look like over the empty space.

Portrait of an Artist Video Showcase While you're here…

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If everyone who reads our website, who likes it, helps to support it, our future would be so much more secure. Please help us by offering a contribution or supporting us with a monthly donation of your choosing. Please will you help us?

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Source: Mobile Photography – Portrait of an Artist – Twenty Fifth Video Showcase

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Mobile Photography/Art Pic of the Day (609) via Instagram

Here's day six hundred and nine of our mobile photography/art Pic of the Day section via Instagram. Each day we will be selecting one image a day for our Pic of the Day section on Instagram with this hashtag – #theappwhisperer.

To ensure your image receives our attention, please upload it to Instagram with this hashtag – #theappwhisperer

Today, we congratulate @74danyy, with this breathtaking image "The dark version of a relaxing moment".

Please view more of her images here.

[Please visit our Artist Directory and find out how we can add you too!]

While you're here…

….we have a small favour to ask. More people than ever are reading TheAppWhisperer.com and we could not be more excited about that. We bring you ad-free journalism every day, so you don't have to close windows and be distracted with advertisements. We specialise in mobile photography and mobile art and we value all of our readers, writers, contributors and viewers but we do have costs and we do need to ask for your help. We at TheAppWhisperer spend many hours each day, each week and each month to bring you this high quality level of journalism. We do it because we are passionate about it and because we want others to be as passionate too.

If everyone who reads our website, who likes it, helps to support it, our future would be so much more secure. Please help us by offering a contribution or supporting us with a monthly donation of your choosing. Please will you help us?

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Source: Mobile Photography/Art Pic of the Day (609) via Instagram

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Mobile Photography/Art Pic of the Day (608) via Instagram

Here's day six hundred and eight of our mobile photography/art Pic of the Day section via Instagram. Each day we will be selecting one image a day for our Pic of the Day section on Instagram with this hashtag – #theappwhisperer.

To ensure your image receives our attention, please upload it to Instagram with this hashtag – #theappwhisperer

Today, we congratulate @sabinegromek – Sabine Gromek, with this breathtaking image entitled 'Tate Britain Art Gallery, London'. This image is even more special to me because I believe I was with Sabine that day when she took this photograph. I met her at the Tate Britain when she came to London to view the David Hockney Exhibition earlier this year.

Please view more of her images here.

[Please visit our Artist Directory and find out how we can add you too!]

While you're here…

….we have a small favour to ask. More people than ever are reading TheAppWhisperer.com and we could not be more excited about that. We bring you ad-free journalism every day, so you don't have to close windows and be distracted with advertisements. We specialise in mobile photography and mobile art and we value all of our readers, writers, contributors and viewers but we do have costs and we do need to ask for your help. We at TheAppWhisperer spend many hours each day, each week and each month to bring you this high quality level of journalism. We do it because we are passionate about it and because we want others to be as passionate too.

If everyone who reads our website, who likes it, helps to support it, our future would be so much more secure. Please help us by offering a contribution or supporting us with a monthly donation of your choosing. Please will you help us?

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Source: Mobile Photography/Art Pic of the Day (608) via Instagram

Monday, July 24, 2017

How 3D Live Photos App Movense Is Using Experiential Photography To Build Futuristic Tech

When Apple launched the iPhone 6 in September 2015, the world went gaga over its Live Photo feature, introduced for the first time in any smartphone. But, around the same time, two NSIT third year students – Himanshu Singla and Gaurav Vij were silently working on hopping to the next level – a journey to transport each individual in his/her own world of 3D Live Photos with their app – Movense.

The main idea of Movense is to allow people to create 3D content in a quick and hassle-free manner and then immerse themselves in it. The Movense app allows users to snap life, travel journeys, selfies, food, fashion in pictures with a new file format MOVE, that renders pics in 3D motion with reverse playback. These pictures remain static unless interacted with i.e. they become alive when one swipes on the image or flip his/her smartphone.

"We call these living images Moves. Moves allow gesture-based forward/backward motion flow. So now your fingers have the power to reverse the flow of waterfall in a picture or make the plane fly backward mid-air. People across the globe are sharing Moves in the Movense community," says Gaurav.

Based in Delhi, the founders made the official launch in March 2017 and is currently working with a team of six. Movense is currently running on Android and can also be accessed over the web. The startup is majorly active in Europe, specifically North UK, Russia, Bulgaria, and India.

The team has to date raised a funding of $40K and is backed by investors such as Arvind Jha, Nirav Choksi, and Rajeev Saraf. In their earlier days, they were also incubated at Nasscom for a six-month period.

The website and app combined have around 15,000 users, 5,000+ Moves and has registered over 5 Lakh Move views. A Move View is an interaction by the user with Move either through touch swipe or flip of a smartphone.

So far, the numbers may not be much to boast of, but the idea and the technology they are touting is quite remarkable. As shared by Gaurav,

"We are on a mission to create cutting-edge, immersive, mobile photography technologies for consumers and businesses by improving the way people interact with media. We want to grow as a globally recognised content creation hub from India and have positioned in the US among other countries. When it comes to creating AR/VR content, we aim to be the one stop platform for all artists providing them the required software, APIs, and plugins to create 3D content. We want to make 3D content creation so easy that even an individual can brag about it and can capture real life object/people in 360 degrees, create their 3D models and then view them without the need of any other hardware even if they didn't exist in the real time."

This kind of futuristic tech reminded me of Minority Report and Iron Man as I delved more into Movense- an experiential photography enabling company, as the founders call themselves.

Movense Founder's Journey: From Building A 3D Video Sharing Platform To 3D Live Photos App

The date July 27, 2015, is pretty well known for OnePlus 2 worldwide launch in VR. But for Himanshu and Gaurav – this was the day they were left mesmerised on the power of virtual reality (VR).

Both Gaurav and Himanshu come from tech backgrounds. While Himanshu excels in creating software, Gaurav had earlier worked on a solar-powered electric vehicles project. As Gaurav reminisces, "It was a two-year-project and I was heading a 20-member team. This was my first experience on both the tech and non-tech fronts. While, on one hand, I learned the intricacies of an electric vehicle, on the other hand, I learned how to get things done from people amidst closing deadlines." Although it was a college-sponsored project, Gaurav was able to raise funds from Ministry of renewable energy in his third year of graduation i.e. 2015. "All this helped us a lot in understanding the aspects of actually running a venture in the real world," he added.

While tinkering with new ideas to start their entrepreneurial journey, the OnePlus 2 launch made them stop on the Virtual Reality (VR) segment. As Himanshu explains, "They used VR headsets, Google, and their own OnePlus Cardboard page to allow people sitting across the globe to experience a 360-degree view of the launch event. This immersed the users in the environment.". This was the time when only YouTube was known as a platform to showcase 360-degree videos. Even Facebook was not into it. "So, we thought of doing something similar," adds Himanshu.

Within a week, the duo built a prototype website which allowed users to view 360-degree videos of popular travel locations. They partnered with content creators from France, Switzerland, Bulgaria, etc. to upload their content on the website. Although they got visibility and traction they soon realised that this concept would not work in India. "For a 2-minute video, the file size was 250-300 MB, which, combined with the slow Internet speed in our country, takes forever to download. Plus, there was No Reliance Jio that time, so data packs cost a lot," opines Gaurav.

As their purpose was to build something that can be adopted at the mass level, their focus shifted to photography. As Gaurav says,

"We live in a selfie age. People love snapping their moments and building memories and creating a gallery of content for themselves and their future generations. We thought to add an immersive and interactive effect into it, making the static photos live. At the same time, we aim to be different from the formats of images and videos that exist in the current scenario and create something better than a photo, but lesser than a video. Thus, Movense was born."

How Movense Works?

The founders created a separate file format MOVE To let users create Moves (images that move) in a 3D format as well as make it interactive. After clicking a picture, the snapshot is stored in the Movense gallery under the MOVE file format and each Move taken is pre-processed and post-processed in a matter of microseconds. This allows the user to see the picture in both forward (left to right) and backward (right to left) motion, unlike the traditional GIF or JPEG files which can be played in only one direction, forward.

As Gaurav explains, "Let's say a video of three seconds has n no of frames. To play that video in reverse effect, you have to reorder all the frames in reverse and then re-encode the file. However, MOVE file format, allows dynamic gesture based forward/backward motion flow in a way that everything is happening in microseconds. Right now, moves can be captured for a maximum duration of four seconds."

He further adds, "For playing these Moves, we have built our own player, where these Moves can be played. So, at present, when you share the MOVE file with others, the other person gets a link, which he/she can either open directly on the web browser or can download the Movense app and watch on our community."

The Tech Behind Movense: How It Is Different From Others

Traditionally, the first thing to be recalled when it comes to playback is the way we used to forward and reverse our age old video cassettes in VCRs. Even today, television sets (with the help of DVRs) have the functionality of forwarding and reversing a picture in motion.

The Apple iPhone 6S took this feature a notch higher in a more-advanced version. It introduced the feature of taking live images which record what happens 1.5 seconds before and after a user take a picture. Sports replays are another contextual example, as well as live 3D wallpapers which are available for both the web and mobiles.

While the Movense player is negating these traditional concepts of playback and modern version of live photos, how does it claim to be different from them? Gaurav explains, "3D Live wallpapers have a built-in format and a common user cannot create them instantly. Next, in cricket, for example, what they have is the raw files on which they have created some APIs and file formats of their own just like we have created our own. The technology might seem similar but the user has no control over it. What if we can create a Move of a sixer by MS Dhoni, and a cricket lover can see it back and forth as many times he wants. Thus, Movense is about giving control in the hands of the end user both for creating as well as interacting with the content."

He further explained that what Apple has created is essentially a short video which plays over the picture and, like all others, videos only play in the forward motion. They have just built real clean UI that gives the impression that a photo is moving. "But in essence, when someone is capturing the photo, a video is captured in the background. Plus, those videos are very heavy in size and are not shareable," he adds.

The Movense team has recently launched a feature wherein a Move can be added as a 3D live wallpaper on a user's mobile screen. Also, they have converted SD quality Moves to the HD quality version.

This instantly made me recall another movie series. Remember the moving pics in The Daily Prophet in the Harry Potter movies?

Technical Glitches To Improve And Ideas In Pipeline

As Himanshu says, "It took us 10 months to create the MOVE file format and we have improved it a lot. When we started out, the initial Moves were 20MB apiece. Now we have optimised the size on the basis of quality and compression and we are now providing MOVE files at 2 to 5 MB. This has improved viewing and has reduced the buffer time, but there is still a lot to improve."

For instance, after creating a Move, it is automatically shared on the Movense Community. This is a major drawback as, for the current Millennials, privacy is the biggest concern. So, they are working on adding privacy settings to the Movense app.

Another glitch that the Movense team is currently working on is making a Move shareable across platforms. As Gaurav explains,

"Right now, a user is redirected to a web browser or the Movense app for seeing the shared Move. We are trying to make it like a GIF file, which can play automatically on different platforms. In that way, if a person is sharing the Move on WhatsApp, it can be played there itself. Our aim is to completely eliminate the Movense player to view the created Moves and make the content platform- agnostic."

In this regard, during the recent One Plus 5 launch, the Movense team collaborated with tech media firm Digit.in. There they created a Move for the OnePlus 5 smartphone and integrated it into one of Digit's articles. So, whenever a reader comes to that page, he/she can see the smartphone in a 360-degree angle without the use of any external hardware.

Furthermore, they are in talks with Smartphone OEMs to integrate Movense directly into mobile phones. "The idea is to integrate Movense as an option in the Camera feature, just like you right now get features like Prisma, Panorama, and more. Once there, the Move will be stored in the user's gallery and can be shared across different platforms," says Gaurav.

Also, they recently added color filters to the Movense app. "For instance, PRISMA has eight filters. We are bringing something similar too so one would be able to edit their Moves so it could have an appearance like a painting in motion," he adds. In the long-term, there is also a vision to work in AR where images can be separated from their background and allow the user to view them in a free environment. For example, the image of a person can be separated from his background and can be converted to a 3D object moving in all directions, without any external hardware.

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For once we can even quote Indian cinema here. Recent movies such  Makhhi, Bsahubali have done wonders with 3D technology and motion capture but the best example is the movie Jeans.  In 1998, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan starer movie 'Jeans' showcased a similar concept. In the song below, the original and duplicate version of Aishwarya dance together, while in reality there was no duplicate and the song showcased the use of motion capture technology.

Movense: Monetising While Placing Entry Barriers

As of now, the Movense team is not looking at monetising and the entire focus is on building the user base and making them fall in love with the product. In coming times, they will monetise through advertisers' sponsored content and possibly also charge integration fees from prospective partnered OEMs.

With tech players like Facebook and Google having an eagle eye on technologies all around the world, how does Movense hope to place entry barriers? To this Gaurav gives an honest reply. "When Prisma came, within 3 months Facebook had the same feature. We understand that while new players might have difficulty to cope up with the funds and energy we have already spent, big players do not. They have a large pool of funds as well as resources and they will not take as much time to adopt new technology. But there are ways in which we can combat them."

As Gaurav describes further, the first thing they are counting on is their code for the MOVE files. "We have projected our technology in such a deeply integrated manner that it is very difficult to extract the code. But even if someone does so, he will have to spend the same energy on creating the same level of user experience that we have incorporated after several iterations."

Next is, the MOVEs are easily shareable across their own file format like popular JPEG files. Gaurav explains as follows. "For instance, Snapchat has stories. It took Facebook five-six months to bring something similar to the platform.  These stories are essentially videos. But since we have our own file format, we are at a potentially greater advantage. If we are able to partner with even 10K companies, and then Facebook comes up with this feature, they have to again go through the same process of integrating, which in real-time is very time and cost consuming. And there are like 100 Mn websites globally, so we have an opportunity to make every website show Moves on their platform."

In Conclusion

Tech startups which are front runners in disrupting existing technologies are at an advantage and disadvantage. The advantage is that they are going to create something brand-new and change the way existing technology and, by extension, the market behaves. If executed well, these companies go on to become Snapchat, Instagram and more. Movense, with its potentially game-changing technology, has the same kind of potential.

But, Movense is also bound by the disadvantages that come with being a frontrunner at disruption. The startup has to achieve immense scale and a critical mass of users by increasing brand adoption and awareness. This means, that their visibility cannot be limited to just the Movense app.

It also depends on the partnerships the company is able to build with smartphone OEMs, which again depends on the validity of use cases based on the number of users as well as the sophistication of the product. For now, the founders consider building these partnerships as their prime challenge. They do consider global players like Fyuse – a 3D Spatial Photography Company, live photo tool Polaroid Swing (limited to the American region) and even Instagram as threats in the digital photography community. Also, the competition gets fiercer with the existing players building the advanced versions with new feature integrations. For instance, art filter photo app PRISMA added video support, while Snapchat recently rolled out world lenses continuing its push in the augmented reality (AR).

But, as Gaurav aptly concludes, "Every product has its own lifespan and we will have a lifespan of two to three years. In that phase, we have to scale it up and keep building something new over it. Our product is unique and we do have the potential to scale globally, but all we need to do is keep on simplifying the integration procedure and make the API integration a few minutes game to run Moves anywhere, be it – websites, apps, smartphones, or social media platforms."

For Movense, the future looks especially bright with even an acquisition from a bigger player not ruled out, but the question remains. How far and fast will it be able to scale live 3D photos and the MOVE file technology to move the needle on user adoption to bring about a true disruption in the field of art and photography?

Note: We at Inc42 take our ethics very seriously. More information about it can be found here.
Source: How 3D Live Photos App Movense Is Using Experiential Photography To Build Futuristic Tech

Sunday, July 23, 2017

5 Tips How to Be Happy in Photography

Saigon, 2017

Some ways I've been able to find more happiness in my photography:

1. Don't take photography too seriously ERIC KIM x HENRI NECK STRAP

First tip, don't take photography too seriously. Have fun. Remember, the point of life isn't to be a good photographer – it is to live a good life.

Saigon, 2017

To me, photography should REMOVE stress, anxiety, and frustration from our life.

2. 15 minute walk can boost your mood Saigon, 2017

Walking around the block with your camera is a good natural way to release stress, and to enjoy fresh air. I used to go for 15 minute walks as a natural stress relief at my day job. Even 15 minutes with my camera was able to get me 10 photos that made me happy, and to also delay responding to the 50 unread emails in my inbox.

3. Less uploading and sharing photos Saigon, 2017

Ask yourself:

Do I make photos for myself, or my followers?

I started off at age 18 to make photos for myself. But then, I got addicted to social media, and would only hunt to get more favorites, likes, followers, and external affirmation.

Now, I deleted my Instagram, and I feel ZEN. I'm making more photos for myself, than trying to please others. As a result, I'm more joyful and happy.

4. Make more snapshots Saigon, 2017

Don't just take "serious" photos. Make snapshots of personal memories. You'll be glad that you did, to look back and reminisce on nice memories.

5. Put the camera away Portrait of GORDON PARKS, one of my new favorite photographers.

The best tip, know when to NOT make photos.

I don't take photo of fireworks, I enjoy the moment with Cindy. I don't shoot my food, I enjoy the taste before it gets cold. I don't take selfies with friends, I enjoy their presence.

Saigon, 2017

Ultimate photography ZEN: don't even need to make photos and enjoy your life.

BE STRONG,ERIC

HAPTIC PRESS BOX – Photo by @captivatingtheunseen

To celebrate our love of books, we present to you HAPTIC PRESS BOX. The box includes all of our current HAPTIC PRESS books:

Only a limited number of HAPTIC PRESS BOXES will be available. We print in small artisanal print runs from California, so pick up a box before they run out.

HAPTIC PRESS BOOKS FILM NOTES by HAPTICPRESS

Empower yourself:

  • FILM NOTES
  • STREET NOTES: PAPER EDITION
  • PHOTO JOURNAL
  • See all HAPTIC products >

    HAPTIC PRESS BOX x CINDY NGUYEN fulfills her childhood dream of a box company BUY BOOKS, NOT GEAR

    "Buy Books, Not Gear" by Eric Kim:

    I love gear as much as the next guy. I always get suckered into thinking that if I buy a new camera, a new lens, or some new gadget– I will somehow be more creative, and inspired.

    In reality, it never happens. All of my big breakthroughs in photography have been practicing (shooting a lot) and studying the master photographers. Especially buying photography books (lots of them). You are what you eat, if you look at lots of inspirational photography books, you will become inspired to make great images. I've regretted buying a ton of gear in the past, but have never regretted investing in photography books.

    To learn more, read my original post: "Buy Books, Not Gear" and also see a list of my recommended photography books: 75+ Inspirational Photography Books You Gotta Own.

    Also as an added bonus, here are some non-photography books which have influenced my life deeply:


    Source: 5 Tips How to Be Happy in Photography

    Saturday, July 22, 2017

    Mobile Photography/Art Pic of the Day (606) via Instagram

    Here's day six hundred and six of our mobile photography/art Pic of the Day section via Instagram. Each day we will be selecting one image a day for our Pic of the Day section on Instagram with this hashtag – #theappwhisperer.

    To ensure your image receives our attention, please upload it to Instagram with this hashtag – #theappwhisperer

    Today, we congratulate @carganbrown – Cargan Brown, with this breathtaking image.

    Please view more of her images here.

    [Please visit our Artist Directory and find out how we can add you too!]

    While you're here…

    ….we have a small favour to ask. More people than ever are reading TheAppWhisperer.com and we could not be more excited about that. We bring you ad-free journalism every day, so you don't have to close windows and be distracted with advertisements. We specialise in mobile photography and mobile art and we value all of our readers, writers, contributors and viewers but we do have costs and we do need to ask for your help. We at TheAppWhisperer spend many hours each day, each week and each month to bring you this high quality level of journalism. We do it because we are passionate about it and because we want others to be as passionate too.

    If everyone who reads our website, who likes it, helps to support it, our future would be so much more secure. Please help us by offering a contribution or supporting us with a monthly donation of your choosing. Please will you help us?

    Tweet Mobile Photography/Art Pic of the Day (596) via In... Lumiè – Our Daily App Giveaway Mobile Movies – An Interview with Dani Salva... APPart – Mobile Art – Pantone Color of the Day – '... Film – browse Instagram photos – Tempo... Photo Competition – Ultimate Music Moment Ph... Carmignac Gestion Photojournalism Award Laureate a... Mobile Art – APPart Artist Interview with Di...
    Source: Mobile Photography/Art Pic of the Day (606) via Instagram

    Thursday, July 20, 2017

    Mobile Photography/Art Pic of the Day (605) via Instagram

    Here's day five hundred and eighty five of our mobile photography/art Pic of the Day section via Instagram. Each day we will be selecting one image a day for our Pic of the Day section on Instagram with this hashtag – #theappwhisperer.

    To ensure your image receives our attention, please upload it to Instagram with this hashtag – #theappwhisperer

    Today, we congratulate @eslieber – Erik S Lieber with this breathtaking image entitled "Escalator Love 199/365".

    Please view more of his images here.

    [Please visit our Artist Directory and find out how we can add you too!]

    While you're here…

    ….we have a small favour to ask. More people than ever are reading TheAppWhisperer.com and we could not be more excited about that. We bring you ad-free journalism every day, so you don't have to close windows and be distracted with advertisements. We specialise in mobile photography and mobile art and we value all of our readers, writers, contributors and viewers but we do have costs and we do need to ask for your help. We at TheAppWhisperer spend many hours each day, each week and each month to bring you this high quality level of journalism. We do it because we are passionate about it and because we want others to be as passionate too.

    If everyone who reads our website, who likes it, helps to support it, our future would be so much more secure. Please help us by offering a contribution or supporting us with a monthly donation of your choosing.

    Tweet Mobile Photography/Art Pic of the Day (575) via In... Mobile Photography/Art – Pic of the Day (346) – vi... Mobile Photography/Art – Pic of the Day (92) – via... Optimized Apps For Your Brand New iPad 2 iUnarchive – Our Daily App Giveaway DecoSama Vintage – Temporarily Free Cheapest iPhone 4S Deal Yet (In The US) – Fr... iColorama – Our Daily App Giveaway
    Source: Mobile Photography/Art Pic of the Day (605) via Instagram

    Wednesday, July 19, 2017

    Lightroom Mobile Gets Big Update | Adjustment Brush, Android Interface, & Details

    Lightroom Mobile got a new and eagerly anticipated update today that brings in a few key features to help round out the feature-set:

  • Adjustment Brush
  • Details Tab
  • New iPad Interface
  • Android Revamp
  • Over the past year we've seen LR Mobile evolve from some useless primordial being into a fully capable mobile photography utility that is easily integrated into a desktop Lightroom user's workflow. Lightroom Mobile now supports raw editing from a spread of cameras; can capture raw images right from the app; do local adjustments, and sync all your edits with your desktop via cable or cloud. In essence, LR mobile was 70% as powerful as the desktop, and with the new features it's made another significant leap to that line.

    [REWIND: Your iPhone & iPad Can Shoot Raw As Of Today, With Lightroom Mobile] Adjustment Brush

    The local adjustments were a nice additive to LR Mobile but without the brush it felt stunted, so this is a welcomed addition to the mobile feature set. The implementation is actually quite good, if a little clumsy before you get it set right. For example, the default is to have red masking as you paint and should you want to delete a brush point you be scratching your head for a while before you figure out how to do it. Fortunately, both issues are solved from the same menu.

    Simply click the dots in the top right hand corner and you'll be able to turn the masking off (mostly), and you'll also remove a brush, duplicate it, and reset current adjustments all from right there.

    But the brush functionality also extends beyond the actual dedicated brush tool and overlaps into the other local adjustments which you can now erase with a 'brush' like on the desktop. If you're a Lightroom user all of this will come relatively intuitively to you. Keep in mind again, that each edit you make will sync back to LR on the desktop if you have Adobe CC, and those local adjustments are fully editable on your main rig.

    Details

    In addition to the Local Adjustment Brush feature there is now a Details tab which gives you "global control over sharpening and noise reduction. These advanced tools are often used to add the finishing touches to photographs by controlling noise and enhancing image details.

    As per the iPad update? Well it's clean, and sensible, but not alone in its facelift as LR Mobile for Android has also been entirely revamped. It's clear that Adobe is betting on mobile and these continual updates are great.

    The last major vestige that has Lightroom Mobile users aching over is desktop preset functionality and integration. A big reason people are so entrenched in Lightroom aside from familiarity is the presets and the investments they've made into some great preset systems.

    As of now there is no easy way to get your presets to seamlessly match your desktop but if today's release was any indication, it's just a matter of time.


    Source: Lightroom Mobile Gets Big Update | Adjustment Brush, Android Interface, & Details

    Tuesday, July 18, 2017

    Kodak's smartphone EKTRA is just what photography enthusiasts have been waiting for

    Kodak's smartphone EKTRA is just what photography enthusiasts have been waiting forNEW DELHI: Kodak on Monday announced that its photography-led smartphone EKTRA is now available in India on Flipkart for Rs 19,990.

    To be available from July 18, the EKTRA smartphone is already available in the US and Europe and is tuned for the best-image quality and media management.

    "The KODAK EKTRA Smartphone is all about capturing the moment, telling a story and revelling the experience of photography. Our latest features and performance adjustments include RAW support, all of which will help drive our customers' creativity," Peter Stephens, CEO Bullitt Group, a Kodak licensee for mobile devices, said in a statement.

    The smartphone has 21MP fast-focus camera sensor with f2.0 aperture and 13MP front-facing camera with Phase Detection Auto Focus (PDAF) and f2.2 aperture.

    The custom-built camera app is controlled by an intuitive haptic touch, SLR-style 'Scene Selection Dial' where adjustments are made in real time via a range of settings, including HDR, landscape, portrait, macro, sport, night-time and panorama.

    The camera blends high-quality low-light photography, utilising "ARCSOFT Night Shot" technology combined with a Kodak-certified lens coating that enables more light to reach the sensor and reduces the ISO noise.

    The device runs on Helio X20 Deca core processor that powers the Android Marshmallow OS and includes editing software from SNAPSEED


    Source: Kodak's smartphone EKTRA is just what photography enthusiasts have been waiting for

    Monday, July 17, 2017

    Mobile Photography/Art Pic of the Day (602) via Instagram

    Here's day six hundred and two of our mobile photography/art Pic of the Day section via Instagram. Each day we will be selecting one image a day for our Pic of the Day section on Instagram with this hashtag – #theappwhisperer.

    To ensure your image receives our attention, please upload it to Instagram with this hashtag – #theappwhisperer

    Today, we congratulate @holgajen – Jennifer Henriksen, with this breathtaking image.

    Please view more of her images here.

    [Please visit our Artist Directory and find out how we can add you too!]

    While you're here…

    ….we have a small favour to ask. More people than ever are reading TheAppWhisperer.com and we could not be more excited about that. We bring you ad-free journalism every day, so you don't have to close windows and be distracted with advertisements. We specialise in mobile photography and mobile art and we value all of our readers, writers, contributors and viewers but we do have costs and we do need to ask for your help. We at TheAppWhisperer spend many hours each day, each week and each month to bring you this high quality level of journalism. We do it because we are passionate about it and because we want others to be as passionate too.

    If everyone who reads our website, who likes it, helps to support it, our future would be so much more secure. Please help us by offering a contribution or supporting us with a monthly donation of your choosing. Please will you help us?

    Tweet 'Nikon Lenses' – iPhone App Mobile Photography – Tip Of The Day – ... Olloclip – Black Friday to Cyber Monday Spec... Women in Photojournalism – Panel Discussion ... APPart – Mobile Art – Pantone Color of the Day – '... TitleFx – Temporarily Free APPart – Mobile Art – Pantone Color of the Day – W... Latest Vogue Column Article Published with Remi Re...
    Source: Mobile Photography/Art Pic of the Day (602) via Instagram

    Sunday, July 16, 2017

    HAPTIC PRESS BOX: Street Notes, Photo Journal, Film Notes + Free Street Notes Mobile Edition

    HAPTIC PRESS BOX – Photo by @captivatingtheunseen

    To celebrate our love of books, we present to you HAPTIC PRESS BOX. The box includes all of our current HAPTIC PRESS books:

    Only a limited number of HAPTIC PRESS BOXES will be available. We print in small artisanal print runs from California, so pick up a box before they run out.

    > Purchase your HAPTIC PRESS BOX here.

    HAPTIC PRESS BOOKS FILM NOTES by HAPTICPRESS

    Empower yourself:

  • FILM NOTES
  • STREET NOTES: PAPER EDITION
  • PHOTO JOURNAL
  • See all HAPTIC products >

    HAPTIC PRESS BOX x CINDY NGUYEN fulfills her childhood dream of a box company BUY BOOKS, NOT GEAR

    "Buy Books, Not Gear" by Eric Kim:

    I love gear as much as the next guy. I always get suckered into thinking that if I buy a new camera, a new lens, or some new gadget– I will somehow be more creative, and inspired.

    In reality, it never happens. All of my big breakthroughs in photography have been practicing (shooting a lot) and studying the master photographers. Especially buying photography books (lots of them). You are what you eat, if you look at lots of inspirational photography books, you will become inspired to make great images. I've regretted buying a ton of gear in the past, but have never regretted investing in photography books.

    To learn more, read my original post: "Buy Books, Not Gear" and also see a list of my recommended photography books: 75+ Inspirational Photography Books You Gotta Own.

    Also as an added bonus, here are some non-photography books which have influenced my life deeply:


    Source: HAPTIC PRESS BOX: Street Notes, Photo Journal, Film Notes + Free Street Notes Mobile Edition