Instaplus Wants To Befriend Instagram And You
Instaplus - A Better Camera for Instagram ($1.99) by Metal Red Inc. can be a companion app for Instagram or a completely standalone retro photography app for your iPhone.
On launch, the app will go immediately to the camera view. The viewfinder is in a square format in the middle of the screen, and the rest of the interface has a complete retro feel. From the logo at the top (kind of like Polaroid) to the big red shutter button.
Along the left side of the viewfinder is a slider for adjusting the zoom. If you're on an iPhone 4, there are buttons in the bottom right to switch between the two cameras and to toggle flash settings.
If you would rather import a photo from your library into Instaplus, you can do that too.
Either way, once you have an image, you'll be taken to a "developing" screen. I noticed that this development process does seem to take a bit long for what it's worth, and it can be annoying.
The first step is to apply a filter to your image. I found the selection filters to be pretty good, and they all carry a vintage feeling. The bonus is that you can adjust brightness, contrast, and saturation levels, so there is definitely more customization than Instagram.
The next step is to add a border to your image (or leave it borderless if you prefer). There's a good selection of borders to choose from for your square image, so you'll be sure to find a few that you like.
When you have your filter and border selected, you'll be able to view the final product. Then you'll have some options of what to do next.
The button on the bottom left will allow you to save the square image, send it in an email, or post it to Twitpic (with a Twitter account).
That rainbow button in the center will allow you to view the full size image in Quick Look, send the photo to Instagram, or even open it in another compatible third party app.
Finally, if you ever need help, you can access the Support Menu with that "?" button to the right of the rainbow button.
Settings for Instaplus can be found in the main device Settings. You can toggle sound, saving the original image (off by default), and some settings for Switching to Instagram, including saving the assist and saving the square.
From what I noticed, "saving with assist" means that there will be a logo for Instaplus on your border. Even though it looks pretty, it's still an advertisement. I would advise to avoid the "save with assist" option.
While i like the concept of Instaplus as a companion app to Instagram, I found that it is currently too slow. Whenever you tap on a filter, it takes several seconds to preview the effect on the photo. I hope that the developer can improve the speed issues with the app in a future update.
The developers are working on including in-app blurring in a future update to the app as well.
If you are looking for an app to help with your Instagram photos, or just want a retro photo app, Instaplus is a potential candidate. However, there should be more work on the speed and performance of the app to make it the best experience for Instagram-ifying your photos.
I would suggest holding off on it until it's improved, especially at the $1.99 price tag.
Instaplus will only work on iPhone 3GS and above.
