Instagram’s camera function is extremely limiting; instead, opt to use your handsets regular camera app. This will allow you to zoom, add a grid to ensure your photos are straight, and crop your pictures how you like.
2) Use other apps
Instagram’s filters are great, but sometimes they don’t quite provide enough control. That great effect that just slightly over exposed part of the photo can often be irritating; the answer: use a different app. Snapseed is a favourite of ours at Social Gadget. The app offers a great choice of filters that can be completely customised by simply sliding your finger from left to right. The ‘strength’ of the effect varies from 0%-100% depending upon how far you slide, it’s that simple. In addition, you can add multiple filters to your photos making for some outstanding combinations.
Aside from filters, other apps can provide more interest to your pictures. Colorsplash for example, allows your to add drama to a photo by converting it to black and white, leaving only your chosen details in colour. InFrame Cut [iTunes download link] allows you to create split screen, multi-photo images with customisable frames, and Pic Collage allows you to create great looking collages, using photos on your device or from Facebook and the web.
InFrame Cut can really help your pictures describe your surroundings
3) Shoot with good light
In the UK this isn’t always the easiest I know, but it’s worth trying your best to take your shots in good, natural light if you really want them to look killer on Instagram. Smartphone cameras, by comparison to regular cameras, have pretty small sensors which only allow in so much light. Do you best to help them out by using natural light where possible. Also, using the HDR function (if you’re an iPhone user) will really help your pictures pop when applying filters later.
4) Look at what other people are doing via Hashtags
There are some truly incredible photographers on Instagram; take inspiration from them by looking at what they’re up to. Hashtags are keywords on instagram; if you’re about to take a shot of something such as a ‘tree’, search for photos hashtagged #tree to see how others compose their pictures; you might just find a neat new perspective that makes your photo stand out.
5) Cheat, and use a high end DSLR and Photoshop
Ditch your phone altogether and take some great shots using Canon or Nikon’s latest offering; tweak it until perfection in Photoshop, then quickly upload it to Instagram like nothing ever happened…
Any other tips? Let us know in the comments below, and feel free to share your photos with us on Facebook and Twitter
The hotly anticipated follow up phone to the Samsung Galaxy S2, the Galaxy S3 seems to have shown it’s face a day ahead of it’s official launch in London tomorrow.
credit: SamMobile
The image, posted by SamMobile, shows the S3 boasting a massive 4.8″ screen thanks to a newly located and slimmer home button. The device is also rumoured to be thinner than it’s predecessor, running on the latest Android firmware (4.04) in addition to packing a tasty 12Mp camera!
Will this be the new design for the Galaxy S3 or is it possibly a dummy casing ahead of launch? All will be revealed tomorrow at the Samsung Mobile Unpacked event tomorrow.
Android users can follow the event using the official Samsung Mobile Unpacked app on the Google Play store
Android owners across the world rejoice! You too can now be as hip as those flashy iPhone users by filtering your pictures to look like there has been no progression in photography for the past 40 years!
Instagram for Android is now fully available assuming you are running one of the more modern handsets (ver2.2+) with the vast majority of features found in the current iOS build. It has of course been a long time coming, Instagram has built up a massive 27 million user base while being iPhone exclusive, and although inevitably some fanboys will snark at the fact the little green robot and his crew are now in on the act, the release of an Android version is sure to build upon this user base exponentially.
Excited about Instagram for Android or peeved it’s lost iPhone exclusivity? Let us know in the comments, on Twitter or on Facebook
Welcome to Industry Interviews, the newest feature on Social Gadget where we delve into the world behind the apps. Starting things off we turn our attention to Conjure, racking the brains of it’s founder and managing director, Sam Clark.
Hi Sam, tell us a little bit about Conjure.
We’re a digital agency specialising in mobile and facebook applications. We create branded and product based applications for a diverse range of clients including Cadbury, Beko and Ripley’s Believe It or Not. We’re three years young and have eight staff spread between offices in London and Reading.
How did you find yourself in the business?
My background was in web design and I’d always wanted to build an agency that focused on design and technical innovation over run-of-the-mill “me too” websites. Luckily right before the launch of the first iPhone I was designing prototype apps for the then cutting edge Nokia N95 (How times change!) The iPhone launched and blew everything else out of the water, I saw my chance to create a new type of agency and so back in 2009, I took the plunge and founded Conjure.
How did you go about building up a client list?
I get asked this lot, and in truth there’s no one answer. A combination of industry press coverage, speaking at events, networking and social media activity all play their part, but word of mouth referral is probably still the number one way of winning new business.
credit: Conjure
How do you ensure a solid user experience when building an app?
You’ve got to build the application from the user needs up, not the clients wants down. It’s all too easy to add a plethora of features thinking you’re increasing the value of the application, when actually a handful of focused, well executed features is often all the user really wants.
From a process perspective we make sure we do extensive usability (UX ) planning before we begin actual development, which involves creating detailed wireframes of each screen, mapping the user journey and ensuring information and features are intuitive and easy to find. Once the application is built we move to usability testing where we trial the app with a cross section of users and include feedback in subsequent app builds.
Do you encounter any difficulties developing for cross platform? Do you ever find a build is perhaps better on one platform over the other due to limitations in software or hardware power?
Cross platform application projects can pose all kinds of challenges. The first step with any new project is to decide which platforms the content is best targeted at. As a lose rule if you have large volumes of image and word based content and don’t require advanced handset features such as accelerometers or cameras then a cross platform application is often the most cost effective way of reaching the largest number of users. If on the other hand the client is looking for an advanced application that requires the full power of a handset then a natively built app (an app written specifically for a targeted device) is often the better option. Hardware wise the experience is pretty universal these days, with Nokia and Android offering devices that compete in quality terms with Apple. Its only Blackberry that are still lagging behind and the jury’s still out as to whether they’ll challenge the other smart phone heavy weights.
How far after the release of an app do you continue to support it? How important is user feedback to this process?
We always allow at least 30 days post launch to ensure the users are having a positive experience and there is no unforeseen issues or problems with the app. A classic is surprise software or hardware changes from the manufactures. Back when Apple released the iPhone 4 we knew it was coming but didn’t anticipate the doubling in screen resolution. That meant after the launch we had to quickly update all our current apps with higher res graphics to take advantage of the new retina displays.
Feedback from the users themselves is always really important as they give you real world insight into how your application functions in the wild. They can often surprise you with great feature suggestions or criticism of functions we predicted would be useful or entertaining.
credit: Conjure
How do you feel the market is developing and what would you like to see?
The mobile space is progressing at tremendous speed which makes it an incredibly exciting place to work. Smart phone penetration is only going up so there is plenty of growth still to be had in the apps market place. I’m really looking forward to eventual rollout of NFC (Near Field Communication: think London Oyster card) enabled handsets, that’s going to open up a world of new opportunities for brand and product owners over the next few years. Internet and application enabled TVs will also be huge over the next five years and Conjure will be poised to take advantage of these emerging technologies as they break into the mainstream.
What apps (in any genre) have stood out to you most?
Word Lens by the guys at Quest Visual is simply amazing: it’s an augmented reality app that translates foreign words on screen in real time. Technology like that has the power to break down language barriers globally. Also the Formula 1 iPad app is another favourite. It shows the power of 2 screen entertainment, watching the race live on TV while tracking race stats, car positions and performance metrics live on your lap. It’s a safe bet that dual screen viewing will become the norm over the coming years.
Proudest achievement to date?
We created an iPad children’s book called The Lost Journal which became a top 10 downloaded book app, up there with the likes of kindle, Toy Story and the Marvel comic app. That was a great feeling!
Anything you wish you had made?
Angry Birds
What’s in conjure’s future, anything exciting?
2012 will see Conjure continue push the boundaries of what we can achieve with applications both on mobile and online. Image Recognition technology is maturing and looks set to replace QR codes as the new way to unlock content from printed graphics. We’re currently working with a big entertainment brand to bring IR to a huge audience. We’re also poised to launch our own location based social app called Mixer, which will connect you to the local communities around you, I’m really looking forward to getting that out there and building a great mobile based community.
Our thanks go to Sam and his team at Conjure, be sure to check out their work at Conjure.co.uk
Stream giant of the States, Netflix has finally brought its services to the UK this week. While only offering streaming services (direct to home DVD rental is not an option) it still provides a tantalising alternative to what is becoming a now crowded market. With alternatives such as Amazon owned LoveFilm and Sky’s Sky Go services already established, is there room for Netflix to slot into the market? Having lived with it for a few days now, I’m inclined to say yes!
Perhaps what is most striking about using Netflix is it’s gorgeous, clean set up. Having felt that other services are often a little too cluttered when trying to chose what you would like to watch, Netflix does away with this, simply showing the genre and the appropriate cover art for titles. Where this again succeeds is that this implementation is used across the board, regardless of the platform you’re viewing from.
This leads to another strength, Netflix is accessible anywhere. With full support for the 3 major consoles, internet TV, iOS and Android and of course PC and Mac – Viewable on up to 2 devices at a time, Netflix’s library is truly available to you wherever you may be. The library, however is sadly not as strong as it might be.
Sky has exclusivity to the newest films in the UK and this probably won’t change anytime soon. Sadly though, Netflix does seem to suffer beyond this limitation with the majority of it’s titles being from 2006 or prior (at least this is what I have seen over the few days I have been using the service). On the plus side, Netflix have managed to land themselves some great TV show titles which are bound to prove a popular selling point. The film library, whilst not the most up to date, does have some stellar titles among it. A step above the competition is that a healthy chunk of these titles are available in HD. Having tested the service on a fairly modest internet connection I can say that movies do look great, perhaps not Full HD, but certainly a step above SD. Deciding what to watch is handled brilliantly thanks to a well conceived rating system.
quick, simple rating system helps find the best of the library for your needs
When you first sign up to use the service, you’re prompted to take a couple of seconds to suggest a few genres you are interested in viewing. This is worth doing as it allows Netflix to begin instantly tailoring it’s library to you. By taking a few seconds after viewing material to review it on a simple 5 star system, it allows for the library to be further adjusted to your needs; suggesting similar films, films by the same director and so forth. It works brilliantly and what’s more with full Facebook integration you can see what films your friends have been watching also. Don’t worry you don’t have to share this information should you happen to watch material perhaps a little “questionable” to be displayed to your friends *cough*
Right now, Netflix is available on a one month free trial at www.netflix.com/uk after such time the service will come in at £5.99/month on a cancel any time contract for unlimited, ad free viewing. Netflix dominate the US market in this field and you can bet they look set to do the same in the UK. This will undoubtedly mean that they expand upon the library to match if not surpass that of the competition making it a very appeal service indeed. While it’s free with no obligations to continue to use the service at the end of your trial, I thoroughly recommend taking a look for your self.
The computer company formerly known as Hewlett Packard, HP have announced that they are giving up support for smart phone/tablet operating system; webOS.
Having acquired webOS from Palm last year, the operating system found itself on the HP Touchpad and Pre smart phones. Praised for having the simplicity of iOS and the flexibility of Android, webOS certainly showed promise as a contender in the smart phone/tablet market. Sadly support for webOS was meagre at best compared with the two giants dominating the market.
Entering the market late is always a huge risk and it would seem HP are cutting their losses in pulling out now. With HP leaving the game it will be interesting to see how the other minority players in the market fair; will the likes of RIM and Windows Phone do the same?
There is no denying that mobile gaming is big, in fact it is probably bigger than it ever has been before. During the daily commute it is almost a guarantee that along side the dishevelled youth treating the bus to the latest Chipmunk release from his mobile phone, there too will also be a handful of people painstaking hurtling birds at a group of green pigs. In essence, whether they lay claim to the fact or not, nearly everyone nowadays is a gamer.
Infrequently though, do I see people gaming on the go using a dedicated console. The introduction of the iPhone and Android has brought mobile gaming to the masses. With a huge collection of top notch games, available instantly for only a couple of pounds, it brings into question the necessity for a dedicated handheld. This seems to be echoed in recent news of Nintendo, the giants of handheld gaming, who sculpted it from inception to where it is today, having to dramatically drop the price of it’s latest release; the Nintendo 3DS.
The 3DS has had a troublesome time since it’s launch in late March with a relatively weak offering of launch titles, all at a premium price (twenty times the cost of the average iPhone game). Of course, the games were all of a much higher production cost and complexity than most found on either iOS or Android so the premium price is to be expected, but the initial (and sadly the continuing) games released for the system have been somewhat lacklustre. It is truly a bad sign when the only game that could justify purchasing a system is an aged 15 year old title, yes Zelda, I’m talking about you!
Sony, who entered the dedicated handheld console market back in late 2004 with the PSP clearly still believe there is a place for it, with the upcoming release of the PlayStation Vita in 2012. Sony clearly know that mobile gaming is hotly contested by the smartphone and so has taken it upon itself to pack the Vita full of social applications to stay in the running. Let’s hope it proves more successful than the infamous ‘PlayStation phone’: the Sony Ericcson Xperia Play…
Do you think there is a place for dedicated handheld consoles anymore, or has the smartphone taken over the market? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
