Photography

NoCrop is not an app you will want to use with any regularity. The barrage of ads is unyielding, but this free and universal iOS app is useful for those times when Instagram's framing constraint doesn't mesh with the composition of a rectangular photo on your phone.

For such instances, NoCrop lets you share the entire rectangular frame on Instagram. It pulls off this feat by adding a white border on either side of portrait-oriented photos or on the top and bottom of landscapes.

When you first launch the app, you'll need to allow it access to … Read more

If Instagram and Vine had a baby, they'd name it PhotoBlab. This free iPhone app lets you create and share short photo slideshows with audio.

After launching the app and signing up for an account with an e-mail address, the app will ask you to add a profile picture or you can choose to do this later via settings. At the bottom of the app are four buttons: Create Blab, Blab Feed, Popular Blabs, and Settings.

You can get some PhotoBlabbing ideas by browsing the Popular feed, while the Blab Feed lets you view so-called Blabs you've sent … Read more

Ready to add a little spice to your Instagramming ways? Over HD is a slick and universal iOS app that lets you add text to your photos before sharing them on Instagram or other social networks. At the time of this writing, it's currently offered for half price at 99 cents.

Launch the app and you'll see thumbnails of your recent photos, which you can tap on to edit. To load an older photo not in view, scroll down or tap the Camera Roll button. You can also take a photo using the app

When you load a … Read more

Some of us use our camera phones to take photos and edit them on the fly. Some others prefer to use a real camera and edit them professionally, using a photography software on their computers. Whoever you are, there is a solution out there for you, but this special giveaway I'm running today is specifically for PC users -- a free copy of Cyberlink PhotoDirector 3. What does it do? Well, good question - as the software title states, it puts you in the director chair and helps you manage your photos, edit, enhance and so much more.

Rated … Read more

Maybe I'm getting old. Strike that -- I'm definitely getting old. But maybe I can't remember when I snapped a particular iPhone shot because I'm getting old. Or maybe it's because of the sheer volume of photos I keep on my phone. I like to think it's the latter.

Regardless of the cause, there is a solution: Handy Album. This free iPhone app lets you view the Exchangeable image file format (EXIF) information of your photos, so you can see when, where, and how you snapped each shot.

Handy Album doesn't boast the … Read more

Split Pic is a photo app that is fun to tinker with, and it also makes a good tool to see if your Instagram followers are paying attention. This free iPhone app lets you split the frame into two or three sections so you can add a bit of trickery to your shot. For example, you can clone yourself or an object (say, your kid's meerkat stuffed animal) in the frame or add your dog's head atop your shoulders.

The first step is to choose a layout, either two or three sections arranged either horizontally or vertically. If … Read more

Have Instagram's filters begun to feel stale? If so, then give Wood Camera a go and add some freshness to your filtered-photo-sharing ways. This iPhone app (currently selling for 99 cents) lets you select from numerous filters and apply other effects before sharing on Instagram or the other usual social-media suspects.

When you first launch the app, you are greeted with a black canvas and a tutorial. Like most apps, you can snap a photo with the app or import a photo from your Camera Roll, albums, or Photo Stream. Unlike most apps, you can import multiple photos so … Read more

Worried the photos you share on your various social networks are being used without your permission? For iPhone photographers, Marksta is easily worth the $1.99. The app lets you add a watermark to your photos and provides a wealth of formatting options to protect your photos without ruining them.

To get started, tap the camera button in the upper-left corner to snap a photo or select one from your phone. Marksta will load your photo, below which are seven buttons to create a watermark.

From left to right, the seven buttons let you:

1. Add a border.

2. Change … Read more

On January 16, the photos you upload to Instagram can be used for third-party advertising. This change in Instagram's policy means that the photos you take of your kids, pets, family, or anything else, can be sold without even notifying you. If you decide to wait until after January 16 to close your Instagram account, your photos could still be used or sold.

Not really feeling the change? You're not alone. Many users are wondering what they can do with their Instagram account -- whether they can download all of their photos and preserve their privacy, or if … Read more