Best iPad Photo Applications

Photogene for iPad - Photogene does the routine photo editing stuff and adds a level of fun tools to mobile photo editing. You can crop, straighten, sharpen, adjust saturation and curves, resize, apply a variety of effects, and set macros to apply a combination of commands (macros are a really nice feature for the more technically inclined).

Photogene is a great companion to the camera connection kit. It supports multiple RAW formats. Photogene can open up for editing very large files and supports an export resolution of up to 8 MP (21 MP on iPad 2). Photogene also allows you to export several photos at once and it supports a wide selection of export destinations, including Flickr, Dropbox, Facebook, Twitter, Picasa, FTP and mail.

Filterstorm is, in my opinion, the most advanced of the iPad photo editiors (so far). Filterstorm was designed for the iPad from the beginning, and is a study in the smooth interface of the iPad. The intuitive touch interface is all it's cracked up to be, and filters can be applied via brush, color range, or image-wide. You can also apply curves, filters, or other adjustments on a gradient, rather than at full strength over the entire image.

Sure there are some limits. The effects/filters are standard photo-editing fare - not as fun or cute as other editors and the output size is limited to 1800 x 1200 pixels maximum - but I suspect these limits will fade away with a future upgrade.

It's easy enough top crop a photograph when you left to much space around the the subject. But what about the other way around - wWhen you shoot too close? Now, it's just as simple, with a new universal iOS called AntiCrop. It does one thing: un-crop your images.

If you've ever taken a hasty photo on your phone and didn't leave enough room on the outside, AntiCrop is the app can uncrop those photos by filling in the edges with just a few swipes. AntiCrop uncrops your photos by extending the picture's background. Similar to tools which remove blemishes from photos by using information from elsewhere in the picture, AntiCrop uses that same technique to uncrop your photo from the edges out, so you can get a bit more of that beautiful sunset in the photo, even if you didn't get it in the original shot.

PhotoForge1 was ported over from the iPhone and was among the first photo applications for the iPad, but it began to show it's age as others came along with more features. However, PhotoForge2 was rewritten from the ground up and puts this application back among the top photo editors.

Edit full resolution photos just like on your desktop. True layers support means you can now composite multiple photos into amazing works of art. Tools like curves and levels allow you to manipulate your photos with ease. Amazing filters and effects will allow even a beginner to transform their photos into masterpieces. Once your photo is ready to be seen by the world, easily send to friends and family directly from PhotoForge2. PhotoForge2 is a must have app for any photographer: easy enough for beginners to start getting creative, yet powerful enough for the professional on the go.

Masque lets you edit photos in a truly unique and fun way! Thanks to the Multi-Touch capabilities of the iPad, Masque is immediately useful and fun to work with for photo editing professionals and those new to photo editing alike. Masque exports to your iPad photo library, Flickr, or Facebook - and focuses on social media and fun. Combine up to four layers for any effect, and apply intuitive - and innovative - gradients, defined by the number of fingers you use to create them. Masque does not replace a full fledged photo editing software as it focuses on fun multi-touch photo-editing experience.

The PhotoPal interface is heavy on informative iconography which provides an interface where it is quite easy to find things. The app has plenty of editing features, including Spot Healing tool, De-noise and Gamma adjustment. Its Levels histogram is much easier to use than the one in PhotoGene. Some nice features are that with sharpen and de-noise, the app zooms in close to allow you to see the effect of the adjustment more easily. There are eight preset effects and you can crop, resize, straighten, flip and rotate your images. Once you're done, you can share the photos on Flickr, Facebook or Twitter, as well as email them.

PhotoGoo lets you turn your photos to Goo! Create hilarious facial expressions out of your friends faces. Make a work of art from your favorite downloaded images. When you are done you can save your work to your iPad or iPhone and show your friends! In this version you can upload your photos to Facebook albums and show your friends your handywork!

Photo Shack Pro for iPad is a photo management companion for the avid photographer. You can file, sort, organize, title, comment, zoom, rotate orientation, map, view detailed photo metadata (date taken, camera used) , slideshow, email, and file share your photos via iTunes. The feature I like best is that Photo Shack Pro runs off of your iPad's photo library, so you don't use up valuable space with two copies of each photo.

Make sure to download the new "Getting Started Guide" directly from within Photo Shack Pro's Help screen to get all the latest information on the current version of Photo Shack Pro. This is one of the few iPad apps to have this kind of support.

Photo Shack Pro is more expensive than most iPad apps - but it is a comprehensive and well supported app.

I love editing photos, but when you have the photos say from a wedding, a reunion or a graduation you might want a professional touch. Tucia can add a person into a family portrait or remove an unwanted stranger from your photo. They can digitally open up closed eyes or fix hair. They can also offer glamorize and digital cosmetic enhancement options - get a tan, clear acne or remove braces. Simple touch-ups such as digital camera mark or red eye removal and cropping are also available.