DGrid Allows You To Be Creative With Distortion
DGrid ($0.99) by thedofl.com is a new way to take your photos in a creative way.
When we take photos, it's just one still image, with no distortion, right? Well, while that's how good photographs should be, sometimes this can be a little boring, and it makes for a good time to experiment. And that is exactly what you get with DGrid.
DGrid is basically just another camera app, with no photo editing capabilities. However, the interface is simple and easy to understand. There is only the square capture mode, where you can switch between the rear and front facing cameras at will. However, it seems that the LED flash is not enabled, so you will only be able to use DGrid in well-lit areas.
The bottom half of DGrid contains two rows of buttons to customize the experience. The first two buttons are for changing how many rows and columns should be in the photo. You can have as low as one up to five for each.
The third button is to adjust the time delay between each cell capture. By default, DGrid does not have any delay when capturing a shot for each square. However, if you feel that it is too fast for you, just take your finger and slide it across the white bar at the bottom. The larger the black area, the more time there is between shots.
The last button is a bit confusing, because it just shows a grid icon and has two options: on or off. But after playing with the app, I discovered that if it is on, the order of the cell captures will be randomized. With this, it can be easier to be creative with your image. If it is off, the app will just take the shots in order (clockwise or left-to-right, depending on your grid).
Once an image is captured, you can trash it and start over, or save it to your Camera Roll. Additionally, a saved image can be shared with others via email, on Twitter, or you can send the image off to Instagram for further editing. To go back to the capture mode, just pull the screen down.
While I’m loving the concept of this app, I am disappointed by the extremely low quality of the images that you capture with it — DGrid has a max output of 480x480, even if you use the 8MP rear camera of an iPhone 4S. I knew that the images were going to be square, but I didn’t think the quality would be that poor. I hope to see this fixed in the future.
I would also like to see the ability to import photos that you already have on your device, but just want to distort a bit. I think that would be great to see in the app’s future.
I still recommend checking out DGrid if you’re looking for a unique camera app, but maybe wait until it supports higher resolutions before purchasing it, unless you’re okay with the 480x480 resolution.
For more iPhone photography apps, make sure to check out our Photographer's Kit AppList.
