Tilt-Shift Camera: For Shutterbugs

Tilt Shift photos make the world look like a miniature model. This is achieved traditionally by manipulating depth and perspective of a view using dedicated Tilt Shift lens in a dSLR. However the miniature effect can also be mimicked using Photoshop and other tools. Tilt Shift Camera is an application that can be used to click Tilt Shift Photos easily. 

The application is simple to use and easy to control to achieve desired results. You can move the focus area up or down, control the size of focus area along with controlling the color saturation and filter radius of the photo. This helps you to get different results for different environments. However the application does not let you zoom into the view. 

The application also allows you to edit already taken photos to add tilt shift effect over them and the obtained results are as good as any. These edited photos can then be saved to your gallery. This application works perfectly for its description and is a must try for photography enthusiasts.  I have included some camera samples below. 

Essential Instagram Tricks to know!

Essential Instagram Tricks

Instagram is first of its kind photo sharing social network that has come a long way since its launch in 2010. Starting only with square photo sharing, Instagram has evolved by introducing numerous features and sharing of videos as well as gifs on its platform.

Here are some essential Instagram Tricks that would make the app even more accessible: 

Tap and Hold Camera Button to directly jump to Camera Roll

To be frank there is none of us who use Instagram’s native camera to click those mesmerizing photos that we share, but every time we want to post a photo we click on the camera button at the middle and that annoying camera opens. To skip it, you can just click and hold on that camera button to directly go to your camera roll.

                        

                          

Hold on to a username to directly mention them in comments

If you are a regular Instagramer then you know the pain of replying to the people commenting on your photos by searching them in the comment box, but there is a trick to skip that. Just hold on to any username you want to mention in the comments and it would appear in the comment box. You can then directly reply to them and they will get the notifications. You can also slide to the comment to reveal more options for the users.

                       

                                                   

 Rearrange and Hide filters according to your need

There are some filters we just love on Instagram. And finding them every time among the list is a pain. To avoid that you can just hold onto any filter and drag to rearrange and hide them as per need. Don’t worry the hidden filters are not going anywhere you can get them back by the manage filters button.

                     

                             

Fix Angle and Perspective of your photos

Sometimes those beautiful photos you click require slight adjustments of angle and perspective. You can do that easily by using the Tools menu in the app and adjust the angle and perspective on your photos. Not only does it help to fix your photos but also enhances it.

               

                                      

Get all your liked photos

How many times has it happened that you want to show your friends that one photo you liked weeks ago on Instagram but just couldn’t find?  Well under the settings menu you’ll find ‘Posts You’ve Liked’ inside which you’ll find all the photos and videos you have liked under one roof.

                       

                                   

 Hide sponsored Advertisements

You must have come across the annoying advertisements on Instagram, one can recognize these posts with Sponsored written on the top. They may use cellular data, so if you want to hide these Sponsored ads just click on the ‘Sponsored’ written in blue above the post and select ‘Hide This’. Then it would ask you for a reason to hide it, select any of the reason and the post would be hidden from your feed.

                         

                            

Embed Instagram photos on the web

Like an Instagram photo so much that you want to embed it on your website or blog? You can do that by visiting www.instagram.com  on the web. Select the photo you want to embed and click the three dots below it. You’ll see and option to embed it, from there you can copy the code and embed the photo on your website or blog.

            

 

           

Get Your Website URL below your name

This is an interesting one. Ever wondered how you see website names below usernames on the Instagram feed. That is an excellent way to promote your website or blog. It’s a two step process.

First, go to your mobile Facebook app and click on check in. Write the name of the website you want to promote(You cannot use http). Next click on Add the place to map. After this you will be asked to select a category for the place you are adding, you can just select ‘Just For Fun’. You’ll also be asked to give a location to that place and photo and other info. After giving all the info you want create the Place. Now this place is added to the map of where you are.

                             

       

Second, now go to your Instagram app and select the photo you want to share and add location to the photo and search for that place and now you can add the URL as a location below your username. Neat, right?

Get a Backup of all your instagram photos

Want to store all your Instagram photos on your Local Disk on the computer? Now you can do that easily by www.instaport.me it’s a website that allows you to sign in with your instagram account and get a backup of the photos you’ve uploaded on Instagram. You can select the photos you want for eg. All the Photos or the Photos between specific dates.

                                      
                                    

Make Cool gifs with Boomerang

Later last year Instagram launched an app Boomerang to create and share gifs on the Platform. It is easy to use and makes excellent gifs. It helps to create short videos which are then looped to make gifs and then can be shared on Instagram.

PS: These tricks have been tested on iOS and may not work for other platforms.

Follow me on Instagram @nomadhd

Take A Look: Photo Editor Apps

Photo Editor Apps for Android and other platforms

1. Aviary[Android]

Aviary is a nice photo editor that comes with a lot of customization options. You can always chose from numerous effects to add to the original photo. There are a lot of plugins available for effects most of which are free but you might have to buy some if you need all the effects, that said i would say that you might not need to buy any because there are already a lot of options to chose from. Then there are stickers and overlays which can be added to the photos. You can add text, draw and blur the images. In short it has a lot of options to try and a lot of cool effects. One other feature called Meme is given however it just gives an option to add upper and bottom text to the photo to make it a meme as known in popular internet culture. It has a very nice UI and sharing options once you are done with editing photos.

       

2. Adobe Photoshop Express[Android][Windows Phone]

This is an app by the masters themselves. Adobe has released this app to mobile platforms to make the task of photo editing even more easier and on the go. However the app is heavy on the size. This has a comparatively lesser effects than Aviary and you have to buy premium effects. It has only some editing options available for example cropping, red eye removal, blemish removal etc. (No stickers). Frames can be used. The UI is basic. All in all the app does the work it is supposed to do, but it could have been better. One of the feature available is that you can edit the images stored in your adobe account from the cloud. 

 

3. Autodesk Pixlr[Android]

This is the app that i found most promising. Its light weight (only 11mb), however it will download plugins for effects and everything else(Yes! it pretty much downloads everything so you can download everything according to your need). The UI is great and sharing options too. The app also lets you create collages with changing layouts and effects. If you are looking all for one app this is the one. You don't need to go any further.