We all have been to that vacation clicking dozens of photographs and later not being able to manage editing them. Thanks to Picasa(really sad to see its demise) we do know that not every camera-crazy individual needs an Adobe Photoshop to achieve edited photos. And the apps you edit your photos with are as important as your smartphone’s camera quality.
Having the right app to spruce up your memories is then, a must. Today, we might as well find out whether Fotor is worthy of your precious phone screen real estate or not.
Fotor is an image editing app, and rather advanced one at that, developed by Chengdu, China based Everimaging Co., Ltd. The app is available for free (it has in-app purchases though) on iOS, and Android platforms. This review, upon special request, is based on the app’s Android v3.2.1.
The ProRev Verdict
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You’ll be greeted by a photogenic screen showing a set of different photos to keep you ‘engrossed’ during the significant boot time(we’re not really complaining, this is the case with most apps out there).
The first thing you’ll appreciate is the aesthetic sense that is involved in designing the app,and why not, after all, it’s a photography platform app. That’s right, it hasn’t got a steep learning curve thanks to the de-cluttered interface.
The interface has four headings: Editor(where you create and edit photos), Events(more on this later) Inspire and Suggestion(which is nothing but a blatant way to advertise related apps. A simple “plus” icon lets you take photos through camera, edit existing ones or create a collage.
The camera mode features fix photo-taking modes, with features like Grid, Big Button, Burst, Timer, Stabilizer, and Square. A ‘Focus’ mode attempts to achieve SLR-like results.
On the editing front, you’ll be satisfied no matter whether you’re a mobile pro or an amateur. The app sports 13 different scene modes, brightness, contrast, saturation and exposure and the slightly advanced ones vignetting, shadow, highlight, temp, tint, RGB, curve.
The Inspiration section lets you view photos tagged with #fotor and images by fellow Fotor users. I’m pretty sure you’ll keep scrolling down once you start viewing this section.
The collage mode lets you use 9 pictures and choose from tons of templates while customising background, border, spacing etc. You can also add stickers, texts and frames.
The settings page is pretty much the usual, with options to set data limits, resolution, and set the startup screen as homescreen or the camera itself.
Events
That’s the latest initiative from the developing team, providing Fotor with an edge over the rest. It definitely deserves a special mention in this review. It’s a feature that lets you post your photos and have then critiqued by professional photographers across their growing network.
It doesn’t just end there. The page conducts weekly contests(updates for which are sent through the Message section) across diverse photographic subjects. You will need to sync Facebook or Instagram to use this though. On the plus side, they’re not making it mandatory for you to create a Fotor ID.
Stuff We Like
- Loads of editing options, ranging from the basic to the advanced tools(can’t be compared to Photoshop though, obviously).
- Dedicated scene mode and collages are useful additions
- Simplified and comparatively easy to grasp UI
Stuff We Dislike
- As is the case with an umpteen number of editing apps out there, your filter settings(even the downloaded ones) don’t get transferred/synced between devices.
- In the age of video broadcasting, Fotor doesn’t support video making/editing yet.
- We reported app crashes over prolonged periods of usage, something that continues to be a paint point for most Android developers out there, courtesy of fragmentation.
The Verdict
Instagram seems to be losing its desirability factor among the serious photography(some casual ones too) and that is where Fotor with its social networking capabilities is thrown in. Fotor’s results are phenomenal, and for the moment I’m considering replacing it with the default camera app. You might argue it has in-app purchases, but you’ll find yourself satisfied with the free preloaded content as well. Truth be said, this app would be worth it even if it was a paid one. Trust me on that one!
Fotor is surely well on its way to become the photographic creative person’s mecca!
You can download the Android version from here and the iOS version from here.
