Photogene2

CNET Editors' review

by: Jason Parker on January 31, 2012

Photogene2 is the successor of a favorite photo-editing app of ours on iOS, and this completely rebuilt version is definitely worth checking out. To start off, a redesigned interface offers intuitive controls for exploring Photogene2's many editing options.

Photogene has a bunch of editing tools and effects you can use with your images. Either take a snapshot with your iPhone camera or grab an image from your photo library to get started. From there, the app features a radial menu on the bottom that divides up Photogene's main functions, including crop, rotate, color adjust, effects presets, and retouching tools. When you pick a function--effects presets, for example--you can then swipe through the available presets to see how each effect changes your picture. More detailed functions like light and color levels bring up sliders so you can get your image to look just the way you want.

In addition to having numerous ways to apply effects and adjust specific levels, Photogene2 offers several photo enhancements to give your images a unique look. The app lets you add things like vignettes so you can focus on specific portions of an image, for example, and give the image a tilt-shift look. Photogene has interesting picture frames not found in other apps, some with drop shadows and others with glowing effects that feel much more useful than the usual fare. You also can choose from several collage templates with Photogene's Collage maker, for when you want to combine photos from an event.

Another handy feature is the Metadata viewer. Here you'll be able to view all the information stored in your images including the location of the photo, date and time, and file size. You also have an IPTC editor so you can add metadata attributes defined by the IPTC yourself.

When it comes time to share your projects, the app has a full range of options, such as Twitter, Flickr, Dropbox, Facebook, and Picasa. You can also resize images as you export them, which is great for sending your enhanced photos at full resolution.

Overall, Photogene2 is an excellent image-editing and enhancing app with a slew of possibilities for playing with your pictures. If you're looking for a comprehensive image editor on iOS, Photogene2 offers more options than most and an interface that makes it easy to get the exact look you want.