iOS – TOUCHLOOK HD – Review
Developer: COLORTIVE
Price: $0.99/£0.69/download here
Version: 1.0
Released: February 29, 2012
Size: 7.7 MB
App reviewed on: iPad 2
Compatibility: iPad 2 only, requires iOS 4.3 or later
Rated: 4+
Our Ratings
Graphics/Sound: 3 out of 5 stars
User Interface: 2 out of 5 stars
Gameplay: N/A
Re-use/re-play value: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
What Is It?
A photo editing tool for use with the iPad 2.
Is It Easy To Use?
Not really, we actually found it quite awkward to use and not terribly intuitive. Essentially, you start work on an image, either that you have taken with the iPad 2 itself or one that you have opened from your camera roll. With the image uploaded into the app you then have three color control modes to select. HSL Mode controls hue, saturation and lightness, RGB Mode controls the red, blue, green primary colors and BMW Mode to control blacks, mid-tone and white.
There are three control points and each control mode consists of three circular controllers. One circle controller applies a different effect on a mode by dragging the point. In HSL mode you can select and turn the controller to adjust Saturation and Lightness together.
There’s also a Before and After icon allowing you to check the color correction on/off. You can also adjust the Sensitivity of the controllers too, either to increase or decrease the sensitivity. If you like the Vignette effect, there’s an icon to switch that filter on/off too.
Somewhat strangely there does not appear to be a simple crop tool, we’re not sure why.
Is It Fun?
No, we would not describe this as fun. If you do become confused and go to the Help section the whole app seems to lock up and you cannot go back to your editing. It is actually quite frustrating. We had to reinstall and uninstall this app several times as it kept locking up.
Is It Pretty?
No, it’s not going to win any design awards, the developers have tried to be creative and we value that but it just doesn’t reach the high standards of its competitors.
Should You Download It?
We would not recommend you download this app, this is a very tough market, there are a stack of notably excellent photo editing apps and this one is just not good enough, at the moment. With the release of iPhoto by Apple and Adobe’s Photoshop Touch, this app has a lot to live up to and sadly it doesn’t. Hopefully the developers can pull out all the stops and step this up by adding some more features as it does have good potential.
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)
