They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but most pictures are limited by the scroll of your lens. This is especially true with the iPhone camera, which is quite good for being a phone camera but simply doesn’t cut it compared to more dedicated hardware. One way people have tried to bring the viewer to the location is with the use of panoramic shots. These have traditionally be pieced together on the computer after the fact, but with smart phone we have the opportunity to do the post-processing right there when the photo is taken. There are many panoramic photo apps on the iTunes app store, most of which do a decent job of stitching together multiple shots into a cohesive picture.
You Gotta See This, by Boinx Software appears at first glance like a child begging for attention. At a second glance though, you see that YGST brings an interesting twist to panoramic photography. At the heart of this app is the way it captures the images. YGST utilizes the new gyroscope and accelerometer APIs in the iPhone 4 to determine the orientation of the camera when the shots are taken. When you press the red button the app begins taking photos as fast as the iphone will take them. You then move your arm in an arc around the area to capture the scene. The border around the preview window will turn pink and then red if you move too quickly. This indicator is very helpful for keeping your speed down so the app can capture an adequate number of photos. When you are finished you press the capture button again and then the app begins to build your panorama.
This is where YGST departs from traditional panoramic apps. YGST doesn’t aim for seamless integration of the photos, but instead generates an artistic collage of photos that are translucent and aligned together to create a full picture. You might be tempted to say that this app isn’t a panoramic app at all, but is an art app the likes of Addlib. This white board style is one of five different themes that YGST can create. The app also has several styles that tile the photos much like looking at a scene through a window. These photos can be saved to your iphone photos, email, or share via Twitter and Facebook.
The simplicity and beauty of this app goes a long way and while at first many find it frustrating to not be able to create seamless panoramic photos, I think this app invites the user to expand their creativity with this type of photography. I do think that the addition of a traditional panoramic theme that used the gyroscope to seamlessly piece the photos together would be a welcome upgrade, and would do a lot to bring this app closer to a must have application. I can’t say this is a must try, but if you are a fan of art apps that take advantage of the iPhones technology, or you are a photographer that is looking for some new shooting styles, then give this app a try and I don’t think you will be disappointed.
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