Spending time with your loved ones during the holidays means many chances to make memories. So why not have fun recording these memories with one of the many great camera apps on the Android Market? Here are five of my favorites to help you get started:
There aren't any complicated menus to master here so you can start shooting photos right away. The main menu allows you to pick from different lens effects such as colors, mirror images, distortion and frames. This is the app you can easily share with your family and friends without having to provide a 10 minute lecture on how to use it. Excellent for families with young children who might want to help with the picture-taking process.
If you want a little step up from #1, this is the app you should check out. There are an abundance of specific filters that Camera360 will allow you to easily apply to your photos. This is one of the only apps to have many different settings for outdoor photography. If you live somewhere that the conditions outdoors are still suitable for gatherings, this might be your best chance at beautiful, vibrant pictures on a mobile phone. But don't be fooled, this app still snags some awesome indoor shots, too. The “colorful” and “dreamlike” filters are my top choices.
Take a step back into the days of old... cameras, that is. This app is sure to please those who love the nostalgia associated with old cameras/photography. Upon opening this app you can choose a camera to take pictures with and then proceed to capture images the way that camera would have long ago. After you're done taking pictures, you can visit the dark room with the touch of a button. There you will find all your photos strung across a line, as if they were just developed. You can easily save photos as you take them and also share them later with family and friends.
A fan-favorite since the first Android phones, PicSay is more of an app that's used to spice up the photos you already have. Really, the possibilities are endless with the plethora of choices that this app provides. You can add word balloons, titles, stickers (yes, they have holiday themed ones), and even special effects to your photos. One great feature of this app is that it saves a new version of the photo you're editing so you can make as many versions of it as you like. Children and adults alike will enjoy the massive sticker collection that is easy to add, re-size, and move around any photo. The free version supplies enough features to satisfy your craving for photo fun.
Admittedly, I didn't know about this app until I set out to write this article. Wow, was I missing out! This is like the best kept secret of masterful camera apps on the Android Market. There are so many filters you can apply to your photos that I almost didn't finish writing because I was taking a picture with each (I wish I was kidding!). Inside each menu of filters are sub-menus of other filters, placing Vignette in a whole new level of Android Camera apps. I could write five more paragraphs about the features of this app, but for now I'll mention one of the most impressive: photo sizes. You can actually take photos in specific sizes so they will be correctly proportioned for prints. Amazing.
Honorable mentions: Camera Illusion, FxCamera
Do you use a camera app that you love? Is there something that tops Vignette or packs more fun than PicSay? Please share it in the comments!
