Digital Masterpieces iOS App Photo Contest Extended until 18th December 2023 and Apps to Giveaway!
Digital Masterpieces iOS App Photo Contest Extended until 18th December 2023 and Apps to Giveaway!
We are delighted to inform our community that we have extended the deadline to our photo contest with Digital Masterpieces iOS Apps until 18 December 2023 – that means you have even more time to submit your masterpieces. If you need any assistance with that don’t hesitate to reach out and if you need codes, just drop us a line and we will forward them to you.
We’re thrilled to share the exciting news about our ongoing Photo Contest in collaboration with the App Developer, Digital Masterpieces. For those who may have missed our previous announcements, we’ve covered the competition details in a dedicated section on our platform, here. Additionally, we recently hosted a podcast featuring Digital Masterpieces, offering a deeper insight into their innovative approach, if you missed that, please listen to it by clicking here to go to our Apple Podcast channel. Today, we’re delighted to present a written interview with Digital Masterpieces, providing valuable perspectives on the current entries and their thoughts on this remarkable moment in the world of digital photography.
Hailing from the dynamic photography scene in Germany, Digital Masterpieces has established themselves as trailblazers in iOS photo art development. Their suite of applications reflects precision, professionalism, and aesthetic excellence, earning international acclaim. Photographers and artists alike cherish these apps for their unparalleled ability to transform ordinary snapshots into captivating visual masterpieces.
We hope you’ve been enjoying the wonderful images some of our community have been creating with your apps. Do you have any comments to make on them?
Certainly! It has been an absolute delight to witness the incredible creativity showcased in the submissions from our community. The diverse array of motives and styles utilized truly made the experience enjoyable. Many submissions demonstrated a thoughtful idea and execution in taking the initial photo that is followed up by a comprehensive editing using our apps. I especially liked the edits that utilized our more advanced features such as Auto Retouch or the Retouch Tools, enhancing the subject’s distinctiveness in the editing process. This highlights the innovative ways our users are engaging with the tools provided, which makes us in turn very, very happy and grateful. The vibrant and imaginative work from the community reflects not only their talent but also the effectiveness of our apps in enabling and inspiring such artistic expression. I eagerly anticipate more exciting contributions and the continued exploration of creative possibilities with our apps!
What else would you like to see in terms of content entered into our competition?
Actually the submitted content already spans a wide array of motives, ranging from very intriguing portraits, over manmade objects or architecture shots, still life and beautiful nature scenes. So, there is not much to ask for when it comes to diversity. Nevertheless, I really would love to see more architectural imagery or artwork created from photos depicting manmade objects.
Do you feel that the community are utilising your apps fully?
Actually it is hard to deduce from just looking at the images, what features and tools the user have used to create their artwork. We had some entries that used the basic, free version of our app that already did a great job, by choosing the most appropriate style for the image and let our app do the rest.
For users that have been using the paid version, one could clearly see how their creative usage of color and canvas filters as well as the many possibilities to fine-tune all filter aspects with our Adjust tool led to a more unique style and a more beautiful image.
The most striking artworks have even used more advanced features to aid and highlight the initial composition of the photo. Two entries from Clip2Comic used the Color Splash Auto Retouch feature to combine a black & white background with a colored main subject. This really made the subject pop out. We also noticed a few entries that used the Retouch Tool to locally adjust the level of detail or style specific parameters, such as brush thickness or contours.
To summarize, we are super happy that the community adapted our apps and their tools at so many different levels and created beautiful and unique digital masterpieces.
This reflects our commitment and dedication to enhancing features and providing additional resources and tools for our users to implement their creative ideas at different levels of proficiency. We hope that the current tools, features and future improvements will serve as a catalyst for users to create even more beautiful art and continue to enjoy the creative possibilities our apps offer.
What more could they do? Are there untapped possibilities you’d like them to explore?
We greatly value the vibrant creativity exhibited by our community. While users are making excellent use of our apps, there are exciting possibilities that could be explored further. Leveraging our Auto Retouch capabilities, as mentioned earlier, can be one such avenue for users to delve into. To enhance the creative toolkit, users can consider the possibility of adding color filters and combining artistic styles with unique magic filters (while using BeCasso), to provide users with even more ways to express their artistic vision. Moreover, a creative inclusion of vignettes and canvas types can add an extra touch to final rendition, allowing for a nuanced and polished finish.
I would also love to encourage the community to do slightly more wild, exotic or unexpected edits. Just for example, I love to do double edits: First I use Oilbrush to transform an image into an oil painting, adding additional structures. Afterwards, I load the oil painting into BeCasso or Clip2Comic to apply one of our comic filters, to emphasize these structures. The Masking and Magic Style features of BeCasso can also be pretty helpful to create more abstract or surprising edits.
What trends are inspiring our artists do you think?
When considering the photos utilized by our community, there are two noticeable trends:
One is the usage of AI generated imagery or more arty and abstract image compositions and the second one is actually not a trend, but a reminiscence on classic motives from nature or portrait photography. These two trends are combined with the technical innovations that photo-to-art filters have to offer. Although these filter try to mimic the timeless allure of oil, the classic charm of pencil sketches, and the ethereal qualities of watercolor, they are pushing these classic medias into the digital domain and adding a certain touch that has not been able to be produced with analog media.
As a result, the competition entries not only showcase the versatility of our apps but also highlight the enduring appeal of traditional techniques in the digital age. It’s truly inspiring to witness our artists embracing these trends, weaving them into their creations, and contributing to the evolving landscape of artistic expression within the community.
What do you think of the way our community are using other apps and integrating your apps into their final creations
I love it. The App Whisperer community uses our apps slightly differently from what we know from our social media channels or from direct contact with our users. Although during the contest only apps from our company were allowed, I really love how users creatively use multiple apps to implement their creative goal. We know that our apps are really good at transforming images into artwork, but they lack features when it comes to changing the composition, combining multiple pictures into one collage or when it comes to more advanced color control. We will improve on this in the future, but we are aware that there are so many great app tools out there, that do an awesome job already today. Thus, we strongly encourage everybody to use the tools that works the best for them to implement their ideas.
Are you excited about the expected flurry of new entries as we approach the deadline?
Absolutely, we are genuinely enthusiastic about the anticipated surge of new entries as we approach the deadline for photo submissions. The prospect of welcoming creative contributions from the community is always exciting. We’ve already witnessed a remarkable display of talent and innovation thus far, and we are looking forward to even more.
Can you share any success stories or notable instances where artists have pushed the boundaries of creativity using your apps?
Definitely. We’ve witnessed remarkable instances where individuals have transformed their digital artwork into tangible products, such as unique clothing items available for sale. Additionally, some users have harnessed the power of our apps to curate and sell their photographic creations as printed art, framed to perfection. Moreover, there are poignant stories of users using our tools to create impactful comics, sharing their personal journeys and coping with challenges like depression. I especially love the heart touching stories, where our apps have brought complete families together to work on creating their own visual novels and stories. I am very grateful to see how our apps connected grandparents with their children and grandchildren implementing creatives ideas together.
These success stories exemplify the diverse and profound ways in which our community leverages our apps to not only express themselves creatively but also to turn their passion into tangible, meaningful outcomes and we want to say thank you.
In your opinion, what distinguishes outstanding entries from the rest? Any tips or advice for participants looking to elevate their submissions?
Distinguishing outstanding entries often lies in the ability to convey a unique narrative or perspective through creative elements. Attention to detail, thoughtful composition, and a strong connection between the chosen content and the application of our apps’ features can make an entry stand out. Tips for participants seeking to elevate their submissions include exploring diverse content, experimenting with different artistic styles, and taking full advantage of our app’s capabilities. The winners of our weekly company photo contest mostly won by improving the image composition in addition to finding the perfect styling. For this, I can strongly encourage using the Retouch Tools or the Auto Retouch feature to highlight the main subject, while toning down less relevant picture elements.
Ultimately, originality, creativity, and a genuine connection to the themes contribute to the exceptional quality of an entry.
Beyond the competition, are there upcoming updates or new features in Digital Masterpieces that users can look forward to?
We are excited to announce an upcoming feature in the apps (namely for Graphite, Oilbrush, Waterbrush and Clip2Comic) set to launch in mid-December called “Custom Styles.” This feature empowers users to personalize their creative experience by allowing them to craft and save their unique artistic styles. With “Custom Styles,” users can finely adjust specific elements within their selected preset, create a distinct style that resonates with their vision, and then conveniently save and reuse it for future photos. This enhancement is designed to provide users more efficient tooling and the possibilities to customize our apps to their own needs, making the Digital Masterpieces experience truly their own.
This feature will also become available in January for BeCasso together with a first UI redesign that will make BeCasso even more effective and efficient.
Besides that we have just launched Wishlists in our apps where users can post and upvoted missing features. We are looking forward to building our updated roadmap for 2024 around these requests and sharing it with the community in January.
Please add any further comments that you would like to make
I would like to express our sincere gratitude for the insightful questions and the opportunity to share more about Digital Masterpieces. The ongoing engagement and creativity of our users continue to inspire us, and we are dedicated to enhancing the platform based on the valuable feedback received. We look forward to the upcoming “Custom Styles” feature, which we believe will further empower users to shape their artistic journeys. Additionally, we appreciate the collaborative spirit within the community and the remarkable stories of success and creativity that have emerged. Please feel free to share them with us, since that’s the actual fuel that keeps us going. We will remain committed to fostering a dynamic and innovative environment for all users. Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm!
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Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter, creator of the world’s most popular mobile photography and art website— TheAppWhisperer.com— TheAppWhisperer platform has been a pivotal cyberspace for mobile artists of all abilities to learn about, to explore, to celebrate and to share mobile artworks. Joanne’s compassion, inclusivity, and humility are hallmarks in all that she does, and is particularly evident in the platform she has built. In her words, “We all have the potential to remove ourselves from the centre of any circle and to expand a sphere of compassion outward; to include everyone interested in mobile art, ensuring every artist is within reach”, she has said. Promotion of mobile artists and the art form as a primary medium in today’s art world, has become her life’s focus. She has presented lectures bolstering mobile artists and their art from as far away as the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea to closer to her home in the UK at Focus on Imaging. Her experience as a jurist for mobile art competitions includes: Portugal, Canada, US, S Korea, UK and Italy. And her travels pioneering the breadth of mobile art includes key events in: Frankfurt, Naples, Amalfi Coast, Paris, Brazil, London. Pioneering the world’s first mobile art online gallery - TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com has extended her reach even further, shipping from London, UK to clients in the US, Europe and The Far East to a global group of collectors looking for exclusive art to hang in their homes and offices. The online gallery specialises in prints for discerning collectors of unique, previously unseen signed limited edition art. Her journey towards becoming The App Whisperer, includes (but is not limited to) working for a paparazzi photo agency for several years and as a deputy editor for a photo print magazine. Her own freelance photographic journalistic work is also widely acclaimed. She has been published extensively both within the UK and the US in national and international titles. These include The Times, The Sunday Times, The Guardian, Popular Photography & Imaging, dpreview, NikonPro, Which? and more recently with the BBC as a Contributor, Columnist at Vogue Italia and Contributing Editor at LensCulture. Her professional photography has also been widely exhibited throughout Europe, including Italy, Portugal and the UK. She is currently writing several books, all related to mobile art and is always open to requests for new commissions for either writing or photography projects or a combination of both. Please contact her at: [email protected]
