waltersanford's photoblog

Showcasing some of my digital photography and videography.

ToonPAINT app, Take 3

I revisited ToonPAINT app ($1.99 plus in-app purchases) in my last blog post. In summary, I said I think the "ToonColor" output is too dark for both test photos. In order to illustrate my point, I used Aperture to adjust the brightness of the images, shown below.

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For both galleries (shown above and below), Photo 1 is the Aperture output, Photo 2 is the "ToonColor" output, and Photo 3 is the original photograph. Toggle back-and-forth between Photos 1 and 2 and I think you'll agree with me that the brighter images look much better.

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Bottom line: I think ToonPAINT app -- including ALL the bells and whistles -- works remarkably well. That said, I have an issue with in-app purchases and I'd like to have options for a little more control over the "ToonColor" output. I suggest the developers add sliders to adjust the "ToonColor" output in the same way there are sliders that enable the user to adjust the shading of the "MagiSketch" output (default black-and-white), shown below.

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Photos © Copyright 2012 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved. www.wsanford.com

ToonPAINT app redux

I reviewed ToonPAINT app ($1.99 plus in-app purchases) in my last blog post. In summary, I posed the question, "How much more "awesome looking" would these cartoon-paintings be if they were in color rather than black-and-white?" My first impulse was to say, "Who knows? I'll never buy the 'ToonColor button' add-on feature." Well, curiosity killed the cat and I am nothing if not curious so I purchased the auto-color option. I'm thinking the folks at ToonPAINT must be saying to themselves, "Gotcha, sucker!" Anyway, how does "ToonColor" output compare with the standard black-and-white output? You be the judge.

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Photo 4 of 4 in the preceding gallery shows the descriptors for ToonPAINT's two optional add-on features. Can anyone tell me what "Photo Brush" does? I can't tell from the descriptor and I don't intend to be suckered into buying the feature in order to find out!

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I think the "ToonColor" output is too dark for both test photos. Sure, I could use an application like Aperture to brighten the images (or perhaps another image editor for Apple iOS) but that defeats the purpose of using ToonPAINT app, doesn't it? ToonPAINT promises that "it's as easy as paint-by-numbers," so I shouldn't have to post-process the output in order to get it right!

Photos © Copyright 2012 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved. www.wsanford.com

ToonPAINT app

The description of ToonPAINT app at the Apple iTunes App Store says, "ToonPAINT allows you to easily create awesome looking cartoon-paintings with your photos." Really? Decide for yourself by comparing and contrasting the cartoon version with the original photo in the following galleries.

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In the preceding gallery (shown above), the ToonPAINT output and the original photo are both 1024 x 1024 pixels square. In the following gallery (shown below), the original photo and the ToonPAINT output are both 557 H x 420 W pixels.

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How much more "awesome looking" would these cartoon-paintings be if they were in color rather than black-and-white? My commentary can be found in the following "Tech Tips."

Tech Tips: "ToonPAINT" app currently sells for $1.99 at the Apple iTunes Store. The App Store descriptor says, "Even if you have never drawn or painted before, ToonPAINT sets you up for quick success by providing a MagiSketch that you can simply color in. It's as easy as 'paint-by-numbers,' but using your own personal images." However the quality of the "MagiSketch" output is limited unless you spring for two in-app purchases that cost $0.99 each: 1) "The ToonColor button is an optional add-on feature for ToonPAINT that will automatically color your Toon for you." 2) "The Photo Brush is an optional add-on feature for ToonPAINT that will allow you to paint directly from your source." In other words, "ToonPAINT" actually costs $3.97 for all the bells and whistles! I'm not a big fan of apps featuring in-app purchases because they will not fully function as advertised unless you make all available in-app purchases. That's misleading and in a very real sense a form of false advertising. I say apps should come fully-loaded and sell for one price point -- that way consumers can decide fairly whether the full price is fair!

Photos © Copyright 2012 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved. www.wsanford.com