App Review: Pro HDR

This last weekend, I had the pleasure of using Pro HDR from eyeApps on my new iPhone 4.  I have to admit this was my second time to have seen the application in the Apple app store.  The first time I looked it over I was put off by the low quality of the graphics and general interface design that I was afraid to buy it thinking it must have been a gimmick.

Should I go into my Rant about why a high quality interface can double or triple the sales of a good or decent application?  Should I explain yet again that perception is reality in the customer’s mind, even if perception is not reality?  Why haven’t the majority of app developers caught onto this simple truth?  Wow them first with the look and feel of your app, get them hooked because it’s a great app.  Do both right and you’ve got a winner.

This past weekend a good friend of mine posted a picture on his facebook profile of an HDR pic and I thought it was impressive! At least impressive for the simple fact that it came from in iPhone 3GS camera if for no other.

The picture is of a building in the Fort Worth area, taken in what appears to be a fairly bright day.  Amazing I thought to myself!  I immediately shot my friend Adam an email asking which iPhone application he used to take this excellent picture.

To my surprise it was Pro HDR!  I immediately went to the App store and grabbed it.  My impression of the App was still the same.  I didn’t like the interface, but after taking a few pictures, I did like the results!

I set out taking a few pictures and I love this application!  The application itself is fairly simplistic with just enough features and options to be powerful, but not overly complex.  To take an HDR photo with Pro HDR you simply take two pictures, a slightly over exposed picture and a slightly under exposed picture.  The application takes both pictures (or lets you import them).  During the photographing process you simply select a light area and a dark area and let Pro HDR stitch the two together.

As you can see in the picture of the pool in gallery below, a steady hand is a must as the stitching software isn’t perfect.  However, I find the results to be amazing.  You’re not going to win any awards with an iPhone photo, but you can really do some pretty amazing stuff.  Go get it!

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Link to iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pro-hdr/id347104281?mt=8
Link to Publisher: http://www.eyeappsllc.com/

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