TiltShift Generator – Fake Minature – iPhoneography Review
Developer: Art and Mobile
Version: 1.55
Updated: July 09, 2011
TiltShift Generator – Fake Minature – $0.99/Download here
TiltShift Generator – Fake Minature is a cool little app that apes the hugely popular miniature-look to photos, an effect usually created by pricey tilt&shift lenses and view cameras. Originally available as a web service using Adobe Air, TiltShift Generator is now available for the iPhone and iPad.
Although TiltShift Genator – Fake Minature can apply the effects to any images on your Camera Roll, it’s particularly useful with the more portable iPhone however, as the app integrates seamlessly with the built-in camera and the effects can be seen in seconds.
If you’re not up on the tilt&shift effect it works best when photographing people or cars, boats, trains or planes from above. But you don’t want to be placed too high for the best effect, and the angle is important.
The app isn’t difficult to use at all, though. There some optional automated adjustments made, but if you get stuck the developer has added a rather handy user manual under the settings.
From the tool bar, simply select the camera icon and take a snap with the built-in camera, as you would do normally. The app shows a preview and asks if you want to use the photo or retake it.
As and when you decide to use a suitable photo, the app automatically adjusts and applies the effect. Indeed you don’t have to do anything but you can adjust the effect afterwards or reset the adjustments with a shake. Those particular set-up options and more can be found in the settings tab.
Under the upper tool bar you’ll find a second with options for blur, colour and vignetting. The majority of the adjustments are made using strength sliders, although the mask’s control point has options for radial (circular / elliptical) or linear blurring and the slider adjusts the feathering.
The default is circular (radial), but linear blurring is the more accepted, classic look. Not only can you alter the angle of linear blurring but you can precisely control the position and area of sharpness simply using the iPhone’s dragging and pinching gestures.
While you can still adjust the colour and add vignetting (corner shading), all that remains is to save the file to your Camera roll or share the image, via e-mail, Twitter, FaceBook or SuperPopCam.
At $0.99, TiltShiftGen – Fake Minature is bargain priced, but there are some points we would like to see added in the future. Like rival apps, TiltShiftGen – Fake Minature would benefit enormously from being able to zoom into the images to see the effects of the individual adjustment.
This isn’t a deal breaker at all, as most of the time the results are good, provided you’re using a suitable picture in the first place. But it does mean you can’t see it in detail on the iPhone’s screen before saving. Nevertheless, TiltShitGen – Fake Minature is an extremely well-rounded app that’s not only fun to use but is entirely capable of producing very effective results.
Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter is a British photography journalist, editor, curator, and the founder of *TheAppWhisperer.com*, one of the world’s leading platforms dedicated to mobile photography and art. Since its launch in 2009, TheAppWhisperer has become an international hub for artists of all levels to discover, learn, exhibit, and engage with contemporary photographic practice.Built on principles of inclusivity, accessibility, and artistic excellence, Joanne has spent almost two decades championing mobile photography as a serious artistic medium. Through interviews, critical essays, exhibitions, competitions, and education, she has helped shape and document the evolution of mobile art on a global scale.Her work has taken her internationally, lecturing on photography and mobile art at institutions and events including the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, alongside appearances in the UK and Europe. She has served as a juror for international photography and mobile art awards across Portugal, Canada, the United States, South Korea, Italy, and the UK.Joanne is also the founder of *TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com*, one of the first online galleries dedicated exclusively to collectible mobile art, connecting artists with collectors across Europe, the United States, and Asia.Before founding TheAppWhisperer, Joanne worked extensively in print journalism and photographic publishing, including roles at a paparazzi photo agency and as deputy editor of a leading photography magazine. Her freelance journalism, criticism, and commentary have been published widely in both the UK and the US, with bylines in *The Times*, *The Sunday Times*, *The Guardian*, *Popular Photography*, *NikonPro*, *DPReview*, *Which?*, *Vogue Italia*, *LensCulture*, the *BBC*, and more recently, the *Financial Times*, where her published letters on photography continue to contribute to wider conversations around the medium.Alongside her editorial and curatorial work, Joanne’s own photographic practice has been exhibited internationally across the UK, Europe, South Korea, and the United States. Her work increasingly explores themes of grief, loss, death, memory, and the body.Her current research interests centre on grief, death, and poverty, with forthcoming postgraduate study leading towards doctoral research in these areas.Joanne is currently developing new long-form writing and photographic projects and is available for commissions, editorial projects, speaking engagements, and collaborations.Contact: joannetheappwhisperer@gmail.com)
