One of my favorite apps for my Android phone is ‘Vignette’. Also available for iPhones, Vignette offers dozens of looks which can be applied both during and after image capture. The free version only has a select set of effects enabled plus the image capture is restricted to small, web-sized files. The paid version is fully functional and permits full image resolution.

While the user can only apply one image effect and one border effect at a time, with so many possibilities and combinations this doesn’t seem to be restrictive. A nice feature is the ability to save any combination of effect and border as a favorite for easy replication.

The app easily integrates with all of the phone’s sharing options. Dropbox makes for easy transfer between phone and computer. Clipping the images to an email and sending to [email protected] – 45 minutes later our lab had my prints ready for me. And of course every possible social site.

Drawbacks to the app:

1. Like all of the other camera apps there is no such thing as a lag-free shutter click.
2. The buttons that change effects disappear after making your selection so you must touch the ‘Menu’ button each time you want to see what effects and borders are chosen.
3. Some effects change the aspect ratio of the image capture area. While it is possible to set the app to show crop lines that indicate aspect ratios, it isn’t a default setting.
4. Slow capturing picture to picture (framing rate). But then that’s more a function of the phone’s processor than the app. Between the shutter lag and the slow framing rate the app can be disappointing until the user has gotten used to the app’s performance.

Using this app I have been able to make outstanding 8X10 photographic prints through our lab. The black and white effects plus the tilt-shift effects alone make this app one of my favorites. There is a lot to explore and a lot of possible image effect and border combinations. For a $4.00 app though, I think that Vignette is a winner!

Below is a listing of the effects and border styles available in the paid app as of 12/8/11

CHOOSE ANY ONE EFFECT

Effects Choices:
1. None
2. Normal
3. Vignette
4. Portra
5. Velvia
6. Ilford
7. Toy Camera

•   Toy Camera
•   Toy Camera B&W
•   Leaky
•   Cross process
•   Redscale
•   Random

8. Vintage

•   Faded
•   SX-70
•   Summer
•   Colorized
•   Oversaturated
•   Yearbook
•   Sepia
•   Platinotype
•   Retro Red
•   Retro Yellow
•   Retro Green
•   Retro Cyan
•   Retro Blue
•   Retro Magenta
•   Retro Random
•   Random

9. Color Highlights

•   London
•   Paris
•   New York
•   Hightlight Red
•   Highlight Yellow
•   Highlight Green
•   Highlight Cyan
•   Highlight Blue
•   Highlight Magenta
•   Highlight Random
•   Random

10. Color Swap

•   Swap Red / Blue
•   Swap Red / Green
•   Swap Blue / Green
•   Rotate Hue CW
•   Rotate Hue CCW
•   Random

11. Tinted Monochrome

•   Sepia
•   Platinotype
•   Bleach Bypass
•   Night Vision
•   Redscale
•   Duotone Red
•   Duotone Yellow
•   Duotone Green
•   Duotone Cyan
•   Duotone Blue
•   Duotone Magenta
•   Duotone Random
•   Random

12. Lens effects

•   Dreamy
•   Tilt-Shift Landscape
•   Tilt-Shift Portrait
•   Tobacco Filter
•   Grad Tobacco Landscape
•   Grad Tobacco Portrait
•   Grad ND Landscape
•   Grad ND Portrait
•   Red
•   Yellow
•   Green
•   Cyan
•   Blue
•   Magenta
•   Random Filter

13. Cinematic

•   Action Movie
•   Technicolor
•   Scary Movie
•   Random

14. Cross-Process

•   X-pro Red
•   X-pro Yellow
•   X-pro Green
•   X-pro Cyan
•   X-pro-Blue
•   X-pro Magenta
•   Random

15. Miscellaneous

•   Bleach Bypass
•   Night Vision
•   Posterize
•   Fake HDR
•   Blackboard
•   Infrared
•   Rainbow
•   Negative
•   Invert
•   Random

16. Random

CHOOSE ANY ONE FRAME OR EDGE TREATMENT
Frame Choices
1. None
2. Fullscreen
3. Panorama
4. Quarter
5. 3:2 Snapshot

•   3:2
•   3:2 Bordered
•   3:2 Rounded
•   3:2 Oval
•   3:2 Black
•   3:2 Black Rounded
•   3:2 Black Oval
•   Random

6. 7:5

•   7:5
•   7:5 Bordered
•   7:5 Rounded
•   7:5 Oval
•   7:5 Black
•   7:5 Black Rounded
•   7:5 Black Oval
•   Random

7. 5:4

•   5:4
•   5:4 Bordered
•   5:4 Rounded
•   5:4 Oval
•   5:4 Black
•   5:4 Black Rounded
•   5:4 Black Oval
•   Random

8. 4:3

•   4:3
•   4:3 Bordered
•   4:3 Rounded
•   4:3 Oval
•   4:3 Black
•   4:3 Black Rounded
•   4:3 Black Oval
•   Random

9. 16:9

•   16:9
•   16:9 Bordered
•   16:9 Rounded
•   16:9 Oval
•   16:9 Black
•   16:9 Black Rounded
•   4:3 Black Oval
•   Random

10. Square

•   Square
•   Square Border
•   Square Rounded
•   Circle
•   Square Black
•   Square Black Rounded
•   Circle Black
•   Random

11. Instant

•   Instant Classic
•   Instant Wide
•   Instant Mini
•   Instant Square
•   Random

12. Grungy

•   Instant Transfer 1
•   Instant Transfer 2
•   Instant Transfer 3
•   Filed Carrier
•   Random

13. Film Effect

•   35mm
•   35mm Full Bleed
•   6X6
•   6X6 Full Bleed
•   Random

14. Random Border effects