4Blend HDR, a high dynamic photography option for Windows Phone 8

4Blend HDR

4Blend HDR is the latest Windows Telephone 8 photograph app to enter the HDR ring. The app has a uncomplicated layout, several filter options beyond the bones HDR, and taps into the Nokia Imaging SDK.

HDR, short for High Dynamic Range, photography is a process where multiple images are taken of the same subject at varying exposure values. These images are then stacked on meridian of 1 another to offer a greater range of tonal particular. HDR images seems to have a little more popular, sometimes in dramatic fashion.

4Blend HDR does a nice chore of adding a creative flair to your Windows Telephone photography but at that place is a little fine-tuning needed before 4Blend HDR can shine.

When you first launch 4Blend HDR, a series of introductory screens will announced to walk yous through the app. Once you swipe through the intro screen (or just tap the Back button to skip), the app's viewfinder volition appear. The viewfinder has your filter choices running along the left side, your camera/HDR settings along the top and your shutter push resting on the correct side of the viewfinder.

4Blend Viewfinder
4Blend HDR Viewfinder

There is a three-dot menu that will give you option to access to 4Blend'southward settings, to toggle betwixt the rear and front cameras, view the intro screens, and to send feedback to the developer. Settings allow you to save all the pictures taken to build the HDR prototype, turn on the capture after manual focus feature, turn on/off the Rule of Thirds filigree, and set the microphone sensitivity (for vocalization commands).

Filters include Basic HDR, Colour Boost, Cartoon, Sketch, Milky, Automobile Levels, Blur, Lomo, Sepia, Solarize, Postage stamp, Negative, Contrast, Effulgence, Temperature, Tint and Ruby. But tap and highlight the thumbnail to choose the filter. Filters can be stacked for added effect. Just be conscientious, the highlight is a faint gray that does not stand up out much. It is easy to stack filters past fault.

4Blend HDR's ISO Settings Wheels

4Blend HDR captures three images at varying exposure settings then stacks them to make one image. Y'all can command some of the camera settings from the height of the viewfinder. Camera settings include:

Gamma
Focus
ISO
Shutter Speed
Exposure Compensation

Y'all also have a vocalization control pick that when enabled volition let yous activate the shutter past phonation. There is not a specific control to take a motion-picture show and I did find that background noises would activate the shutter from fourth dimension to time. It is a squeamish concept just needs a specific trigger discussion to avert accidentally triggering the shutter.

When y'all tap on a setting to suit, a pinwheel will appear (much like what we see with Nokia Camera) to make your adjustments by. The ISO, Shutter Speed and Exposure Compensation will have three pinwheels, one for each image captured.

4Blend HDR Handheld Photo Sample - Alignment issues

When you printing the concrete shutter button or the on-screen shutter push, 4Blend HDR volition circumspection you to agree the camera steady and volition then capture the images. Equally with any of the HDR photograph apps, we recommend using a tripod to avoid any photographic camera movements. Continue in mind that part of the imaging process includes adjustment the separate photos. While you can use 4Blend HDR handheld, without a tripod, any slight movement can screw this alignment up and foul upwards your terminal image.

In one case the images are taken and the processing complete you tin review your prototype with the options to delete or share the final paradigm. When you are ready to capture another image, tap the dorsum push to pull up the viewfinder.

4Blend HDR Photo Sample

4Blend HDR lacks the ability to set the epitome resolution with the final image sized at 3072 x 1728 pixels at 96 dpi. Image quality was nice but you will probably need to tweak the HDR settings a little to get that HDR pop. Maxing out the Gamma setting created some dramatic effects and the filters definitely give 4Blend HDR a artistic touch. I would not listen seeing a little boost in contrast in the concluding production but you tin ever increase the dissimilarity with a little mail-processing.

4Blend HDR Gamma Setting to the Max

While 4Blend HDR makes a prissy impression, a few issues hold this app back. For starters, a stability upshot causes the app to crash when starting time launched. You lot also have a bug that hampers any other camera app from launching smoothly afterwards you utilize 4Blend HDR. Until these glitches tin can be ironed out, patience is the key to using 4Blend HDR.

I too would non listen seeing the filter selection highlights being more noticeable and hidden when not needed. The viewfinder is a little on the cluttered side that gives yous a 4:iii attribute ratio view. The image is captured at 16:nine ratio and the ataxia makes information technology tough to frame your moving-picture show with any accurateness.

4Blend HDR Photo Samples - Stacked Filters

4Blend HDR definitely has potential only merely needs a little work. HDR imaging apps can be challenging to develop and we take seen our share of these apps needing a few updates after the initial launch to get-go hit on all cylinders. In discussing the app with the developer, they are currently working on updates to amend stability that should pass certification any day. Information technology is our understanding that additional updates are in the works to fine-tune and add together new features to 4Blend HDR.

4Blend HDR is a free app that is available for Windows Phone 8. You tin find your re-create here in the Windows Phone Store.

QR: 4Blend HDR

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