SNAPSEED MY MOST PREFERRED PHOTO APP ON THE iPAD 2

Snapseed for iPad makes any photograph extraordinary and is brought to you by Nik Software, the recognized leader in digital photographic products and technologies. With Snapseed, enhance your photos with one tap. Tweak photos to perfection with Tune Image or selectively adjust only a part of your photo with revolutionary Control Points. Add incredible effects with innovative filters like Drama, Vintage, and Grunge. Share photos with your friends and family with social network support, or print your photos directly in Snapseed. — Nik Software

I am a late adopter and as a former IT professional, I learned a long time ago to be cautious about investing in any version 1 product because first releases [of software and hardware] are usually buggy. For this reason I skipped the first generation iPad and got myself an iPad 2 a month ago and in a very short time discovered it to be life changing (not elaborating why this is so but it is very much so for me). Like many iPad users before me, I went through a number of paid photo editing Apps each offering a little something but there’s always something incomplete for the more seasoned pro.

Now, before I go on, you should know that I have worked with Nik’s products: Viveza and Colour Efex Pro and have found them to be absolutely amazing (for as long as the evaluation period remained valid). Sadly, I have also found costs to be somewhat prohibitive so I won’t be getting their Photoshop plug-ins any time soon. When Nik announced availability of Snapseed for the iPad 2 I was ecstatic and bought it right away. The Nik team managed to blow me away with a version 1 product, apart from certain useful features I would like to have, I could find no fault from a software so new that I just had to recommend a friend recently when we met for the first time. My perception of first has changed.

RT @Tetanus: During our coffee session, @janshim demo @Snapseed. Awesome image editing app w/ intuitive controls. I was sold in 5 minutes.

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JAN SHIM (@janshim) June 23, 2011

Snapseed App for iPad 2 from Nik Software | images © Nik Software

Be sure to read DPreview.com’s in-depth review of Snapseed if you’re not convinced.

Brightness, saturation and contrast are among a rich set of parameters that can be tweaked from a single control point. Image © DPreview.com

Below are examples of my travel photographs edited on the iPad 2 using Snapseed I’m delighted to share.

A photo of a chef at InterContinental Hotel Kuala Lumpur tweaked in Snapseed using Auto Correct for Contrast correction with Grunge effect.

Angelica Herb roasted duck lunch at VivoCity Singapore processed in Snapseed using Auto Correct and Grunge effect.

Coffee "tarek" at Food Republic, 313 Somerset, Singapore tweaked in Snapseed using Auto Correct for Contrast correction with Grunge and Organic Frames effects.

I have also been in touch with Nik Software with an immediate feature recommendation I hope to see in a future release of Snapseed.

Just made a recommendation to @Snapseed to include photo watermarking capability. This iPad photo editing App is so incredible! @Tetanus—
JAN SHIM (@janshim) June 23, 2011

http://twitter.com/#!/snapseed/status/85400510596780032

Because I use Snapseed very often, I also quickly discovered how it’s annoying to not be able to determine which of the 2, 3 or 5 photos of similar composition to open because the standard thumbnail box is so tiny. You know what I mean, there’s 3 shots you took, only one of them where all subjects eyes are wide open but not being to see them in the standard selection box means it may take you up to three times before getting the right one to work on. Glad @Snapseed recognizes this as ‘defect’ as an opportunity to improve.

@snapseed When opening an image, small thumbnails impossible to see subtle difference btwn similar photos. Instant magnification possible?—
JAN SHIM (@janshim) June 30, 2011

@janshim Good suggestion – nice touch.  Will pass along to the team.  ^KLR—
Snapseed (@snapseed) June 30, 2011

@snapseed The whole time I'm thinking no one's improved this bit before because it's a limitation with the OS. Would be really cool to have.—
JAN SHIM (@janshim) June 30, 2011

@janshim Amen!  Sounds like a really elegant solution to a common problem – I'll champion it and we'll see what happens. ;-)  ^KLR—
Snapseed (@snapseed) June 30, 2011