Frankly, I can’t remember the last time I picked up my digital camera. Since a smart phone is always on me, either in my bag or back pocket, I use its camera constantly while my perfectly capable point-and-shoot sits on a shelf at home gathering dust.
I know I’m not alone. As cell phones have gotten better and better, their built-in digital cameras have advanced immensely. While they’re still not as good as dedicated cameras, smart phones have a couple of big advantages on their side: they run third-party software, and they have Internet access.
That means I can add applications that let me manipulate photos in interesting ways, using the phone’s touch screen to go beyond the “black and white” and “vivid color” modes of dedicated cameras, and then share the results.
Here’s a look at some noteworthy apps that can make your photos pop:
Instagram (iPhone, free): Instagram is as much of a social app as it is a camera app, and it makes it easy and quick to share artistic shots with your buddies.
After downloading the app and signing up, take a photo or choose one from your photo roll. Then, choose from more than a dozen “filters,” or manipulation schemes, that are conveniently previewed at the bottom. The filters generally give photos an old-fashioned look — not surprising since the team behind the app, Burbn Inc., cites Polaroid cameras as an inspiration. (The language of old-school photo buffs permeates the apps. Photographers who shot on film used to manipulate their photos with clear glass “filters” they put in front of their camera lenses.)
You can add a description and location to your photo, and then add it to your Instagram photo feed, which shows the photos you and your friends have posted. You can publish your photos to a number of…