Pixiq

There are times when one app doesn’t provide enough control to create the image you see in your mind. As you become proficient with the apps in your toolkit, you’ll probably find that you like different features in different apps, depending on the type of image you want to create. For this reason, I might start with an image I shot using the native camera and edit the image by layering multiple apps. Here’s a two-app process I used to make this image of a clementine just moments before my son consumed it.

1. Shoot and Process with ShakeItPhoto 

Attracted initially by the shape and color of the peeled clementine, I chose to shoot the image with the ShakeItPhoto app because I like the rich, blended color effect and I wanted the image to have the lightly textured, off-white signature square border of ShakeItPhoto images. 

I launched ShakeItPhoto, composed the image (approximating how it might automatically crop into the square format after processing) and shot it. Happy with the shot, I tapped “Use” and shook it. (Though shaking is fun, it’s not required for the image to process.)

After studying the image, I decided I wanted to play up its texture, so I chose to sharpen it using Photoshop Express.

2. Sharpen the Image with Photoshop Express   

I launched Photoshop Express and opened the image from my image library. To apply an overall sharpen filter to the image, I selected “Sharpen,” placed my finger on the image and dragged it to the right to increase the sharpen amount, and to the left to decrease the sharpen amount, setting on a mid-level sharpen value of 46. I moved my finger off the image and tapped “OK.” I then saved the image to my image library.

Alternative Processing Option: Had I wanted to focus the viewer’s eye on the texture of the clementine, I would have chosen the TiltShiftFocus app to apply a shallow depth of field on the fruit and blurred the surrounding image elements, including the texture of the paper towel.