Android App of the Week: Photoshop Express

So I’m pretty new to Android. I’ve watched the OS closely since the G1 was released, and waited for a combo of hardware and software that would appeal to me enough that I could finally say goodbye to my old Windows Mobile handsets.

Now that I’m the proud new owner of an Epic 4G, I finally get to delve into the world of Android apps. Part of the fun is just trying out new pieces of software, so starting today we’re introducing a weekly feature where one of us here at YourTechReport will be writing up their experiences with an app that has struck our fancy.

I was tasked with the first review, and I really wanted to cover photography since the cameras in many phones can produce pretty incredible results.

I was really surprised that Google has not provided a Picasa app for Android. It’s my favorite desktop photo organizer and a surprisingly decent photo editor to boot. Several times I’ve wowed people with pictures I’ve taken where the only edit made was to push the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button, and let Picasa work it’s magic.

One of the first apps I installed on my Epic was Adobe Photoshop Express 1.3. It’s an almost 1 to 1 port of the iPhone PS app, and is a great way to get a little light editing done on a pic while on the go.

Correction tools include straightening and cropping, saturation, contrast, and exposure. Plus you have access to colored tints and some preset artistic filters. All edits are accomplished with very simple gestures, though sometimes it’s easy to slide a filter too far and end up with a blown out or over saturated pic. Thankfully there is an “un-do” arrow to help you correct mistakes.

If you use a light touch with some of these tools, you can achieve some interesting and pleasant results. It’s obviously not going to rival Photoshop on a desktop, but it’s seriously capable software for a phone app.

Once you’re finished editing your photos, you have the ability to upload directly from the app to Facebook, TwitPic, or to a Photoshop.com account if you have one.

Now for a free app (and a version 1.x app at that) I can’t get TOO nit-picky about the feature set, but I am hoping to see more artistic filters added soon. Plus it would be nice to be able to resize the image manually. Right now if you save an edited photo, PS Express will automatically resize the image, reducing it down to .75 megapixels,  to make it smaller for sending over the web or email. Not a huge deal for Facebook, but with cellphone cameras capable of turning out decent 5×7” prints, the extra resolution would be nice.

All in all this is a great little app if you enjoy tweaking your photos, and you certainly can’t beat the price!

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