AutoPainter App for iPad Mini-Review ~ I Love Gadgets

Wednesday, 4 May 2011

AutoPainter App for iPad Mini-Review

06:00

Tom

I often write news items about iPad apps I think might interest you, and usually I find just a screen capture and a couple of sentences are enough.� The AutoPainter app for iPad is so much fun that I thought it deserved a little more.� The iOS versions (also available for iPhone) have been ported from the Mediachance desktop application called Desktop Auto Painter.� You?ll need to see some photos to see what this app can do.� In a nutshell, AutoPainter takes a photo and turns it into a ?painting? in the style of a famous painter.� (The above photo shows a photo in mid-transformation.)� Click through to learn more and see some of my paintings.

All of the pictures in this article can be clicked for a full-sized view.� The pictures have not been edited.

The description for AutoPainter says it differs from other ?paint? applications because it doesn?t just shift a few pixels around; it uses your picture as a reference and creates a new photo using different brushes in the style of real-world artists.

There are four styles available, each best suited for a particular style of photo.� Aquarell is good for flowers, landscapes, buildings, or even people.� Benson enhances works best on sunny landscapes and outdoor photos.� Cezanne works well for flowers and still life compositions.� Van Gogh is inspired by his Starry Night painting and works well for ?night life photography and landscapes, especially if water reflection is involved.?�� After the transformation is complete, you can save the image to your iPad.

Mediachance says AutoPainter even works well with lower-resolution pictures, big pictures, small pictures, even pictures from your iPad camera or from your most expensive DSLR.� You can even use this to help refine your photo composition skills.� Use the app to reduce your pictures to the most basic elements so you evaluate your photo without being distracted by tiny details.

I am utterly fascinated by the application.� I love watching the painting emerge as the app works through the three-step process.� I have tried every style on most every picture I have on my iPad.� The next update for the app promises dramatic improvement in portrait paintings.� I?m excited to try the update, because I think Rachel?s portrait lacks details in her face ? despite having selected her face as the region the app should use more details when rendering.

Here are some examples of my ?work.?� First, a picture of Rachel as seen by my camera and as transformed by the Benson style.

Here is my ?lottery house? ? you know, the house I?ll knock on the door, hand the owner a check and tell him he has 24 hours to vacate my new property if I ever win a big lottery. �I didn?t include the before photo, because I didn?t take it ? I downloaded it from the internet.� The top photo is in the Van Gogh style, and the bottom is in Benson.

Finally, some pictures of Teddy (who is doing amazingly well after surgery!).�� You?ll see the actual photo, the Benson style, and the Van Gogh style.� (Yes, Benson and Van Gogh are my favorites?)