I’ve long been a fan of FX Photo Studio on iOS. It’s a fun and easy to use photo effects app that works well, and has a great, easy to use interface. When I had the opportunity to review the same app in a OS X version, I jumped at the chance. What’s the application like on the Mac? Let’s take a look.
Overview
FX Studio allows you to apply any of 173 photo effects and filters to your photos. You can layer effects to create just the right look for your image. You can then layer a photo frame or border, (40 are available), share your creation with numerous social networks, (Facebook, Tumblr, Flickr, or Twitter) or email it to your friends.
The interface is intuitive and easy to learn. It’s great fun to load a photo and try the effects just to see what they look like. Effects run from simple black& white, to various color and cartoon effects, to grunge, Hollywood effects. All effects are adjustable, and can be undone at any time. The effects can be combined and saved as presets to easily apply to other photos.
The frames and borders allow you to put a fun border or picture frame around your creation.
The app allows you to import photos from Aperture or iPhoto, and export your images to iPhoto, Lightroom, Aperture, or Photoshop.
Of course you can print your creations to any Mac compatible printer.
Verdict
I loved this app. It’s one of the easiest to use, yet most powerful photo effects app I’ve had the pleasure to use.
The effects are easy to apply, and you get instant gratification of seeing what an effect looks like on screen, even as you adjust the effect.
The app was snappy on my 2011 MacBook Pro, loading photos quickly, and applying effects instantly with no lag. I loaded various file sizes, and the app handled them all easily.
If you love playing with your photo files, and want a fun and easy way to add effects and borders, FX Photo Studio is the app for you.
Rating:4/5[rating:4]
Price: Currently 50% off, available for $9.99 (DIRECT LINK)
Pros:
- Easy to use, logical interface.
- Numerous effects, they’re fun to apply just to see what the photo will look like.
- The import and export from and to various other graphics program is a great feature.
Cons:
- Exporting options could be a little richer. The file formats are limited.
- Email sharing seems a little like it was tacked on at the last minute, dumping you out of the app into the Mail app.
