Review fxPhotoStudio Pro 1.0 - Mac Store

One of my first iP4 images captured last fall in NH

Now that I have a MacBook Pro the natural progression would be to try out apps in the Mac Store and since fxPhotoStudio is one of my favorite go to apps I decided to start with it.

For today's blog I played with various FXeffects along with familiarizing myself with the many other options such as the many adjustment sliders and the ever so important sharpening tool.

I found fxPhotoStudio Pro easy to learn, especially if you are a current iPhone or iPad user. The ever so popular 'rolling of the dice' is available as is a wide variety of effects I use frequently. There are the very important slider controls to chose the strength of the various effects and the addition of the compare option for side by side comparison - a very helpful tool. Another wonderful addition to this version is a target pointer when adding blur effects to your image. You can now chose where the explosion blur, for example, radiates from.

The addition of a real time preview allows you to see your image and how it will look with a selected effect before you choose it, very cool. Of course if you like what you see in the preview, you can then fine tune the effect using the sliders.

Having the option to sharpen your image within fxPhotoStudio is a real bonus for me. Since I usually use PerfectPhoto for this option (another MacPhun app) I found this to be a natural addition. Sharpening is so very important to take your image from muddy to crisp and clear.

The first version of this app is very impressive. I do miss a few of my favorite effects such as crumpled paper, burnt paper and all the frames but I have been told that many more effects and frames will be added soon.

The above image was created exclusively within fxPhotoStudio Pro 1.0. I processed this image using B&W Grayscale, Ancient Canvas, Derby, Warm and Ancient Canvas. I finished it with the sharpening tool and added a bit of saturation. The preset code is 78DC52AF. This code will only work on the Mac version of this app. To use the code go to FIle (on the top bar)  - Add Preset Via Code.

This image was captured at ESP (Eastern State Penitentiary) in Philly 

When discussing this Mac app with my friend and longtime iPhoneographer Dick Maclauchlan this evening he shared a preset with me that I used in the above image. I also added a few color additions to the preset since the image was a bit drab. Sorry no preset code with this one even though it was exclusively processed in fxPS.

As always don't forget to play and have fun. Test out the extremes of the effect by moving the sliders all the way to the right and all the way to the left before deciding what works best.




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If you would like to learn how to capture and process iPhone images beyond a basic snapshot take an Online iPhoneography Course with Teri Lou. Two courses are available iPhoneography 101 and iCreativity. Click on the direct links in the upper left hand column of this blog for information, pricing and schedule.