Take the perfect shot with Blux Camera

Blux Camera is an iOS app from Yin Xue. It's available now as a $2.99 download from the App Store, and also in a more limited, ad-supported format for free. The $2.99 "Pro" version is currently featured in the "New & Noteworthy" section of the App Store front page. Blux Camera is an app that allows real-time filtering and adjustments to be applied to the iPhone camera prior to taking a shot rather than adjusting the image after it has been taken. It features a minimal, futuristic aesthetic and an intuitive swipe-based interface and is designed to be both intuitive to use for new users while allowing more experienced photographers the flexibility to carefully analyze their shots and make them as good as possible before pressing the shutter release -- which, it's worth noting, is only available as an on-screen control and cannot be triggered using the volume up button as in the default iOS camera app. Blux Camera's swipe-based interface is split into four main components. Swiping from left to right reveals saturation, contrast, brightness and sharpness controls that can be adjusted in real time. Optionally, the user may display a real-time histogram on screen while adjusting these settings to ensure their levels are set as they wish. Swiping from right to left, meanwhile, reveals a series of filters and presets. Filters are all named after cities and generally adjust the color temperature and white balance of an image. Some also apply vignetting effects. Meanwhile, the presets include settings for macro, food and portrait photography along with settings for various different weather conditions. There are even settings to compensate for backlight or for taking clear images of whiteboards, and those who just want a random effect can use a "shuffle" button to pick a random combination of filter and preset. Swiping from top to bottom brings up the app's settings menu, which is represented as a 3D hexagon. On some faces are settings which can be adjusted (including the ability to take photos in a 4:3 aspect ratio if desired) while others carry tutorial videos, information about other Blux apps and the option to share the app with friends via email, iMessage/SMS or QR code. Finally, swiping from bottom to top reveals an album of images taken using Blux Camera. These images can be shared to a wide variety of destinations including Facebook, Sina Weibo, Qzone, Twitter, Tumblr, Renren, Flickr, Picasa and Tencent Weibo. Additional on-screen buttons provide access to Blux Camera's other features. Most notable among these is the "PEAR" system, which analyzes the current scene and location, provides information on local weather and other conditions and recommends an appropriate combination of filters and/or presets to apply to get the best possible looking image. All the information that PEAR provides is spoken using some very clear speech synthesis. The recommended preset can be immediately applied by tapping on the PEAR icon after it has suggested something. The PEAR function requires an Internet connection and seemed a little erratic as to whether or not it would work -- when it did work, it made good recommendations that made for nice-looking photos, but on several occasions during testing a tap on the PEAR icon would simply result in a "PEAR unavailable" message. Other on-screen buttons allow the interface to be customized with the aforementioned histogram along with "rule of threes" guidelines and an artificial horizon that uses the device's gyroscope to help the photographer determine if they are holding it straight. Tilt-shift effects of two different types (linear or radial) may also be applied in real time, though these do not appear to be customizable. One particularly interesting aspect of Blux Camera is its compatibility with another app called Blux Lens. Using the combination of Blux Camera and Blux Lens, which can be paired together on two separate devices using an on-screen QR code, users may take remote photographs using the device running Blux Camera as the controls and Blux Lens as the device which actually snaps the photograph. Blux Lens is not a free app -- it's $0.99 -- and some App Store reviewers have criticized its relatively limited functionality -- the chief complaint being the fact it only takes images up to 5 megapixels rather than the iPhone 5's native 8. It also (perhaps understandably) only works when both devices are connected and visible via the same Wi-Fi network -- there's no Bluetooth support. On the whole, Blux Camera is an excellent camera app that adds a considerable amount of functionality to the standard iOS camera while wrapping the whole experience in an attractive futuristic interface. The PEAR function is a nice idea that could do with being a bit more reliable, but even without it the selection of filters, presets and adjustments on offer that can be applied in real time all combine to make it very easy to produce good-looking results with relatively little specialist knowledge required. Meanwhile, those a little more experienced in composition, lighting and color balance can make use of the app's more specialized features to customize their experience and turn the iPhone into a very viable replacement for a point-and-shoot digital camera. You can follow Blux Camera's progress with AppData, our tracking service for mobile and social apps and developers.

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Take the perfect shot with Blux Camera

Pete Davison

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Pete Davison