Camera360

When I installed this app on my iPhone, its name lead me to expect it to be a single-purpose app focused on taking panoramic photos similar the ones found in Google street view, and not much else. Well, surprisingly it’s the opposite, as this app seems to want to do everything but that, for better or worse. Once you get over the potential slight disappointment, if you were expecting something else, you’ll discover the app is basically a Camera app geared towards trendy filters that tend to go viral on social media. You’ll find the puppy ear filters, animated stickers and elements you can add to both still and short videos, beautification, makeup filters, and even normal old-style filters such black and white, HDR. It basically a more elaborate version of the Camera in the Snapchat app, without being an instant messenger, and a regular camera application. Even if not a messaging app, it doesn’t at all lack a social element, as it recently added a feature where people can join filter challenges, which are basically taking the best pictures using a given filter. It also makes sharing pictures to other applications seamless and quick, as well as being able to edit images not taken by the app itself with the included photo editor. Now while the creators like to throw the word “professional” around, I’m afraid the term can’t be any more misleading here. Yes, I realize it’s just an app for fun, but the creators subject themselves to these criteria when they promise professional editing capabilities, I can’t help but notice that the “beautification” filter doesn’t come near to what a professional airbrushing accomplishes. Of course, this isn’t to say it’s subpar for what mobile apps can accomplish. In fact, it’s pretty good.