iRetouch Review
by Anna Bayacal
Description
iRetouch is a basic version of Photoshop for the iPhone/iPod Touch.
It includes all the necessary basic tools:
- Crop
- Striahgten
- Rotate
- Flip horizontally
- Resize
- Brightness/Contrast
- Black and White
- Color Temperature
- Invert
It also includes an array of precise tools:
- Clone Stamp
- Smudge
- blur
- Pencil
- Brighten
- Hue
- Color
- Desaturate
- Stamps
The functions of the app are self explanatory, however, navigating through the app is like a maze. It comes in handy for an on-the-go retouch (if you can't wait to post that awesome picture of you--minus the stain on your teeth), but be prepared to go through a trial and error process before getting your desired result. Thankfully, it never saves over your original photo.
Access
iRetouch is available on the Apple App Store. It comes in a free version with ads, or the full version for $0.99.
The difference between the free and paid version are:
- Custom resizing
- Larger canvas for precise tools
- Higher resolution photos
- No ads
I originally had the free version, then I upgraded to the paid version for the higher resolution. Unfortunately, the images are still a lower quality than I would like; there's not a significant difference from the free version so the $0.99 is not worth it!
Sample Usage
Precise tools at work--the only 3 functions worth using the app for:
Before and After using the precise tools
Tips, tricks, and tutorials
It's not very user friendly. If your aim is to use basic functions like resize, flipping images, cropping, or adjusting brightness and contrast, use a different, more organized app like AfterLight.
Tips and tricks:
- You lose your undo's once you click out of a tool, so make sure that you don't exit that tool unless you're sure you don't want to change it. That, or save.
- Use your undo's wisely. With the Precise Tools function, you have a maximum of 5 undo's.
- In the Basic Tools function, don't let the word "reset" give you anxiety; it just means undo. It doesn't mean all your work will be lost.
- To see your progress on the Precise Tools function, just click on the mini map on the top right. When exiting the preview, make sure you click on the general area of what you want to edit, because once you exit the preview, it takes you to the part of the picture that you selected. So if you're editing the drink, don't click on the straw, because this app doesn't remember what you're working on or your original selection.
What the Tool Does Well
The app gives you basic Photoshop functions that you can use on the go. If you want to post a picture but there is a huge stain on your shirt (or worse, a pimple) then you can do edit the unwanted images out on your phone and upload immediately, instead of uploading to your computer and editing there. It's convenient and it goes with the immediacy of social media.
What it Does Poorly
It is not very user friendly.
- When you click on a different part of the picture to zoom in, you lose all the information of the current tool you're using. For example: if you were using the clone stamp tool, once you resize, you must click on the tool again and the size, opacity, and softness information are reset.
- Once you click out of a tool, you cannot undo anything before that point.
- The directions aren't clear cut on what motions trigger the tools. It's kind of a trial-and-error process.
- It's very difficult to navigate. For example: the zoom out button is nonexistent within the precise tools; you have to exit to basic tools. It makes sense since precise tools works well with close up (hence the word precise,) but it doesn't even give you options.
- Even with the paid version, the app still lowers the quality of the original photo.
What happens when you...
It is a basic photo editing app, but for some, it can completely replace Photoshop. It has enough of the tools one needs from the program to be sufficient. Not everyone is a graphic designer; for most people, iRetouch fulfills their needs. And there is something about making programs mobile and convenient that converts people. Even if they needed a feature from Photoshop, the fact that iRetouch is more easily accessible makes it an easier choice.
It's like the shift from books to e-readers. For most, although books have certain aspects that e-readers cannot fill, the convenience and ease of e-readers cause people to switch over.
Additional Resources
Similar retouching apps:
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.