CRITIQUES

Process bills itself as the non-linear photo editing app. That would then assume that most typical apps are linear in workflow. You move through each filter or adjustment in a linear fashion. Process is individual process oriented in workflow with multiple adjustments available within each process. Process is a universal app and is nondestructive to your photos. 

INTERFACE

Bring your photo into Process through your choice of app camera or camera roll. Then pick from a choice of 12 default processes to edit your photo. 

Processes available include: 

Auto Enhanced 

Black & White 

Crush 

Curve

Dynamic

Golden Ticket

Inverted Vignette

Mission

Pop

Seven

Slide

Soft Cross

Your actual editing takes place in the chosen process. Each process has a default set of adjustments. The adjustments use rolling wheel type adjustment switches in the edit screen. You can add adjustment sets to each process. 

Adjustments available include: 

Color Controls - Saturation, Brightness, Contrast

Exposure

Gamma

Invert (one step process, no adjustment)

Monochrome

Sepia

Shadow & Highlights

Tone Curve

Vibrance

Vignette

White Balance

WORKING WITH THE APP

Load your photo, then choose a process by tapping the Process icon. Once you have chosen your desired process, tap the three line menu button to use the default adjustments. In the adjustment screen tap the + button to add more adjustments to the process. Tap the edit button to eliminate an adjustment or to change the order of the layered adjustments. 

To exit the process/edit screen, or to see your photo full screen, simply pull your photo down with one finger. To return to the process/edit screen push your photo back up. With your photo pulled down to the main screen you can save it or share it by tapping the save arrow. If you open your photo in a different process than the one you have been editing your photo in, your previous edits will be discarded unless you have saved your photo to the camera roll. This app is all about using one process at a time while adding or deleting and using multiple adjustment sets. Then save your process or photo, or both.

The main feature of Process is that you can add adjustments that are not default to each process. Each process usually has a default of one, two or three adjustments that pertain to that process. Example, Black & White has the Color Controls adjustment - Saturation, Brightness and Contrast. You can add any of the other adjustment sets to this process to edit your photo. All the adjustments and settings used to edit your photo to the desired result can be saved as a process. Multiple adjustments can be made with live preview showing the result immediately. When you achieve your desired result, tap the save arrow before leaving the process screen to save and name your new process. It will then show up with the default processes as a choice to edit your next photo. You can also share your saved process with other Process users.

Other points worth mentioning about using Process for iPhoneography is what it does not contain. There is no undo button in Process. You can eliminate the undesired adjustment from your process or simply readjust. There is no cropping tool or other typical image positioning tools. There are no textures, frames or special effects type filters. Process offers good straightforward photo process adjustments that can be used in conjunction with multiple adjustments simultaneously with an excellent live preview to see the immediate result. 

MY THOUGHTS

It could be that it is probably more difficult to describe a new type of imaging app interface than it might be to use it for yourself. Most other imaging apps do not operate like Process, so that makes it a bit more difficult to explain how it functions. Once the user becomes familiar with Process interface, it has a fairly smooth ease of use. For me, Snapseed succeeds on a greater scale than Process as an imaging app with an alternative type user interface. This is just my opinion and as always, your mileage may vary.  

The fact that the user can save a process to use on other photos or share with other users is a great concept. Many times we have wished for this capability with other apps as a time saving device or a tool to create a series of images with. One of the example images linked below was edited using a saved process created while editing another photo. 

Process might not be used in my daily workflow but could be used for some of its photo process capabilities on certain images. Process can produce high quality results. There are many other apps that offer similar processing capabilities and more features at a lower price. (Process was on sale at time of purchase for $2.99 - reg. price $4.99) Many of the photo editing suites like Iris, PhotoForge2, Photogene2 and others have more bang for the buck at this point. It is admirable that the developer is looking at a different way to build a user interface for an imaging app rather than to just do the same old thing. Maybe adding more capabilities while expanding the current features will help this app become more desirable. 

Just a little background on me. My qualifications may not rank me as a top Photoshop expert, but I am an experienced Photoshop user of over fifteen years and that is my point of reference for comparing image editing apps. I have been a photographer for most of my life, primarily amateur, and would rather play with imaging apps than computer games. Image editing apps should be fun, functional, help you to improve your photos and create new images.

EXAMPLES FROM MY GALLERY

Orange Crush | Fig Leaves 

This app review was written and submitted by Light_Imagery.  Chech out his photography website and read his blog. If you would like to submit an app review to be featured in the App Critiques section, email django@iPhoneArt.com.

Published March 29, 2012

To purchase this app at the iTunes store click here:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/process-camera+-fx/id435587440?mt=8