Square Dancing with Magic Hour: In-Depth Review

Part Review, Part Manual
In today’s camera bag: Motorola Droid, and Magic Hour (v. 1.2.31)


It was difficult to decide which application I would feature first. I wanted to choose one that was easy to use, but also offered some versatility for custom effects. Since people are constantly wanting Instagram for their Android phones, that seemed like a good start. Unfortunately, it’s currently only available for iOS devices; however, you’ll be pleased to know that in December the developers said that an Android version is coming “soon.”

In the meantime, there is an app that is actually much better: Magic Hour. The only difference between Magic Hour and Instagram, as far as user experience goes, is that Instagram provides a community in which users can share their photos.

Did You Know...?
In photography, the “magic hour” is the first and last hour of sunlight during the day. It is most commonly referred to as the “golden hour” because of the golden effect sunlight has on your photos during those times of day.

With so many people taking pictures with their phones these days, it can be difficult to make your own stand above the rest. The Magic Hour app packs a pleasureful punch of features that will undoubtedly transform your photos from mediocre to extraordinary.

P.S. While I mentioned in my blog debut that my posts wouldn’t always be so lengthy, well... I lied.

Getting Started
When I opened Magic Hour for the first time, I thought to myself, ‘I already know I’m going to love this app.’ It is, without a doubt, the best looking photo app on the Market. I get a little giddy when developers not only spend time on functionality, but on appearance as well. If you judge books by their covers, this one’s on the Best Seller list.


Before jumping into editing, take a look at the Settings menu. The two options I definitely recommend are Save Original Photo (if you intend to use Magic Hour as your camera) and 1024 px under the Image Size heading--unfortunately, this is the highest resolution currently supported for exported images. Your settings are automatically saved, so once you’ve finished just hit your Back button.


From the main screen you have the option to either take a new photo or import an existing photo from your Gallery; the latter being the most important feature any photo editing app can have, in my opinion. (We’ll cover the Filters options you see later.) The first thing you want to consider when taking a new photo or choosing an existing one is that Magic Hour creates all photos in squares; if you’re taking a new shot with the app, you will be given a square view-finder, and if you’re importing an existing photo, you will need to zoom and align the app into its square frame.


There are obvious restrictions to square-cropping your photos. Namely, you can’t really use Magic Hour to enhance any panoramas you’ve taken, or standard resolution shots that lose their integrity if more than half the photo width is discarded. However, you should be able to use it for the majority of your photos.

Since I am an advocate of always taking pictures in the highest possible quality, I recommend using your built-in camera to take your photos and importing them to Magic Hour. There are two ways to do this: you can open Magic Hour and select Photo Album, or you can open the image from your Gallery and select Share > Magic Hour.

If you want and/or need to rotate the canvas, there is a handy little icon at the bottom. The other icon is used to horizontally flip your photo, and I absolutely love that this is included. Once you have aligned, rotated and flipped your photo, clicking the Done button will take you to the magical land of Magic Hour filters. Hold on to your hats, because it’s an amazing ride.

Fun With Filters
The greatest thing about image filters is the vastness of their results. You can modify an image with slight filter adjustments to add minor enhancements to the photo, maintaining its original appearance. Or you can use the filters to transform your photo into something that would not have been possible without them. Whenever I take a photo, I’m not necessarily looking at what is; I’m looking at what could be. Magic Hour stands above every other Android photo editing app available when it comes to filters.

If you’re in a hurry or not interested in making your own adjustments, Magic Hour provides a nice selection of their own filters under the Presets menu. Small previews of the filters applied to your image are shown beside each filter’s name. Selecting a filter will provide a larger preview, and from here you can also swipe left and right to scroll through the other filters.


However, there is much fun to be had by creating your own filter. If you’re not comfortable with trying this from scratch, you can start by recreating one of Magic Hour’s provided filters by selecting the Recreate button beneath the filter preview.

Let us dabble in creating our own filter by selecting Make Your Own Filter. Your first option when creating (or recreating) your own filter is Curves. This is one of Magic Hour’s shining moments. While there are many apps that allow you to adjust RGB levels in an image, this is the only one (to my knowledge) that allows you to do so on a Curve level. Curve adjustments give you complete color control over your photo; it’s used to replace, refine, flatten and shift color.


If you’re not quite comfortable with messing around in color channels (each color--red, green, and blue--is called a channel), you can start with All. If you’re a bit more experienced, select each color to begin your adjustments. By pressing on your channel disbursement line, it will insert a new point. You can then drag your point around the photo. Don’t like your results? You have an Undo option at the top to undo previous steps, or you can click the button next to it (the one with the little head and the undo arrow) to return to the original image. Messing with Curves is tricky business, so don’t give up too quickly if you don’t like your results. Keep practicing.


Don’t obsess too much on getting the image perfect at this point, because your next step will refine your Curve adjustments. You have three sliders in the Adjust stage: Saturation, Brightness, and Contrast (from top-to-bottom). You can either slide them on your own or press the (-) or (+) buttons to modify in increments. I tend to adjust Brightness first, then Contrast, and finally Saturation. Once I have them at a moderate level for what I want to achieve with my image, I will fine-tune the adjustments.

Saturation. Increasing Saturation will give your colors more pop. This is something you want to consider when you’re adjusting your Curves, so that you can pre-define which colors will be enhanced in the Saturation process. Alternatively, decreasing Saturation will give your photos a nice faded look that will make them appear vintage or washed-out.

Brightness. While this is relatively self-explanatory, increasing and decreasing Brightness in a photo is crucially important. Two things should influence this step: the brightness level of the original image (factoring in your Curve adjustments, if any), and your intended result of the photo. This step ultimately decides the mood of your photo and, while it’s probably the simplest step of all, it is possibly the most important.

Contrast. This is my favorite part of photo editing. Contrast is basically the difference between tones in your photo. It is especially handy in black and white photography, but is just as important in color as well. Decreasing Contrast will give you a flatter image and I think I’ve rarely used this; the few times I recall decreasing Contrast, it was because my original image was poor to begin with. All the fun is with Contrast increase. High Contrast images are all the rage, and this is where the combination of Curves and Contrast really shines in Magic Hour.

Next you have a selection of black and white vignette settings. You have both circular and square vignette effects with a slider that allows you to adjust the opacity. Vignetting basically creates a shadow on the outside of the photo to draw attention to the object(s) in the center. Just so ya know, I think Magic Hour is the only app I’ve come across that has a white vignette option.


At this point, you almost have your end-result. However, Magic Hour provides two more final stages, the next of which can still influence the overall look of your photo: Textures. Before scrolling through the Textures, I always max out the intensity bar. This way you’re able to see a texture’s full effect, as some of them are so minimal that you might otherwise not notice exactly what they do in the size of the preview. Some of the textures will darken or lighten your photo; if it’s one you want to use but don’t like the dark/light result from the texture, simply go back to your Adjust screen and increase/decrease your Brightness accordingly.


Lastly, Magic Hour gives you a nice selection of frames for your photo. I am a huge advocate of putting frames on all of my photos. Most often I choose a thin black or white frame, but sometimes I like something a little snazzier.


If you’re satisfied with your photo, click the Done button to go to your final preview screen. My very first step is to Save the image. I rarely Share images directly from the app, but you’re given pretty standard options (Facebook, Twitter, Email, Flickr, etc.).


I also always save my filter, not just for future use, but also in case I want to make some adjustments to the same image. Enter a name for your filter (I tend to name it based on the image I used when creating it) and a description if you’d like. The Signature is used only if you share it on the Filter Market (your next option). Lastly, a before and after shot is included that will be displayed in the Market if you chose to share it.


The Filter Market
While I rarely use the Filter Market anymore, I took full advantage of it when I first started using Magic Hour. From the main screen of the app, click on the bottom button that reads Filter Market Go. With that big red arrow, you can’t miss it.

All of the filters are free and created by other Magic Hour users. The neatest thing about these is that you get to see what the creator’s original image looked like and how the filter affected it. Just because a filter looks good on Billy’s photo, doesn’t mean it will look good on yours, so use those before and after previews as a guide for choosing a filter that would apply well to a photo of your own. Also, don’t forget you can Recreate filters, allowing you to see exactly what settings and adjustments were used to achieve certain effects. It’s really great practice for learning Magic Hour’s capabilities.

As the Sun Sets on This Magic Hour...



The length of this review and how-to is a small testament to the Goliath-sized greatness of this app. In the end, choosing it as my first app review was a no-brainer. I do hope to see some added features in the future, like higher resolutions and some more frames. But, as it stands now, it is still one of my favorite photo editing apps and one of the best investments I made.

Pros: brilliant interface, app-based camera with flash, ability to import photos from Gallery, convert images to black & white (I did not cover this feature, but it’s there!), Curve control, basic adjustments, textures, frames, premade filters, ability to create and save own filters

Cons: limited to square-shaped photos, no user community, limited resolution sizes

Get It While It’s Hot
Price: $1.99
Developer Website: http://magichour.me/en
Android Market: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.kiwiple.mhm

I Think I Can, I Think I Can…

Knowing your limits and understanding the basics of photography.
In today’s camera bag: a mind-full of delicious information

Welcome to my new blog, aimed specifically at the mobile photographer who uses an Android device. iPhone users may benefit from my strokes of genius as well. Those of you using Windows Mobile phones, well, you are entirely insignificant and I’m not even really sure any of you still exist. And Blackberries? I like them in my fruit parfait.

My posts will focus on Android applications (in-depth reviews and tips) and pointers for getting the best results from your phone’s camera. I’ll start with the basics today—those things you need to know before we get a little crazy. There is a lot to cover, so I’ve broken it into sections if you’re not able or interested in reading it all in one sitting. Future posts won’t be this long at all, don’t worry.

Knowing the Capabilities and Disabilities of Your Phone’s Camera
While phone cameras have come a long way since the Sanyo 5300, there are still a number of limitations you must keep in mind when taking photos. Knowing these limitations will greatly improve your results.

Max out your settings. Set your resolution as high as possible. Remember, you can always resize your photo in the post-editing process. Your camera may also have settings for Economy, Fine and Superfine; Superfine is the highest setting, so you’ll want to select this as well.

Tidy up that lens. Make sure your lens is clear of smudges, dust particles and any other foreign buggers. Since a lot of us keep our phones in our pockets or purses, the lens gets a little messy. I keep a small microfiber cloth in my purse for on-the-go cleaning, but I also regularly take a cotton swab and window cleaner to the ol’ girl. It makes a world of a difference.

In the beginning, there was light. Natural light is always the best as it lessens the chance of throwing off your white balance, and when you’re shooting outdoors, never shoot directly at the sun; you’ll end up with nothing but silhouettes. If you’re shooting indoors, be mindful of where your light source is coming from to avoid shadows on your subject(s). You will also want to take into account the kind of light (incandescent, fluorescent, etc.), as this can largely affect your white balance. You may need to adjust the balance in your settings. Using your flash can help and it can also hurt. I almost always take a no-flash shot after any flash shot, just to have it as backup.

No matter how fun it sounds, never use zoom. Ever. If your subject is too far away and you’re getting the itch to zoom, don’t. Just don’t. Digital zoom works by enlarging pixels. In essence it crops that portion of the picture and enlarges it to size; it literally does not zoom at all. You are much better off taking the picture without zoom and enlarging the subject in the post-editing process. However, if your camera has optical zoom (not many camera phones do, though), have at it.

Do it often, and with variety. If you have the opportunity, take multiple shots. It never hurts to have a few different candidates. Also, try taking shots from all different angles: down low, up high, from the hip (I’ll cover this popular method in a post down the road), etc. Perspective is a wonderful thing.

Be still my heart. While blurred images can sometimes have an abstract kind of allure to them, please try to stand still and keep your hands steady. Also, notice I said hands, not hand. Always hold your phone with both hands and not one. Control is key.

Shoot first, edit later. It is recommended that you explore the settings available in your camera but use them only when necessary. In other words, don’t go messing around with white balance to achieve certain hues, or shoot images in black & white. Do your best to take natural photos. You can always edit them later with a variety of applications. I know there are a lot of camera apps out there that let you take neat photos with live effects, and we’ll explore a number of them down the road. But it’s my personal opinion that you’re better off leaving the effects to the post-editing process.


Arming Yourself With Snapshots o’ Knowledge
Now that you understand what you basically can and cannot (or should and shouldn’t) do with your phone’s camera, there are some tips you should know for photography as a whole. These are just the most basic ones. I’ll cover more in the future.

The rule of thirds. This is, by far, the most popular rule of photography. While it can sometimes be broken, it’s definitely one every photographer should learn and execute. The rule of thirds breaks the image into horizontal and vertical thirds, creating nine equal parts on the canvas area of your photo (see below).

The practice behind the Rule of Thirds is to place your point(s) of interest at intersecting points or along one of the lines. As in the photo above, I placed the stigma of the dandelion at the top right intersecting point, making it the focal point of the picture. Studies have actually shown that the human eye tends to focus more naturally in a Rule of Thirds type manner, so by arranging your shots with this in mind, you are creating a more naturally engaging photograph for your viewers. It is also useful to place horizons along one of the lines in the grid. Check your camera settings, as you may have an option to show a grid to assist with your shots. If you don’t have this option, it might take some practice to make it a habit or it may come naturally. Either way, just do your best to align your photos with the Rule of Thirds in mind and, if needed, refine the alignment in the post-editing process.

Frame of mind. Framing your shot can enhance your point of interest (this is an instance where breaking the Rule of Thirds can work) and even make an otherwise boring shot extremely interesting… Or make an already-interesting shot more amazing. You can use almost anything as your frame. A window, a doorway, a shot through tree branches or flowers, even people. A frame doesn’t have to cover all of the edges of your photo; it can just be a couple corners or edges.

The eternal landscape. We take a lot of pictures of landscapes, and there are some general rules to consider when doing so. This is a useful time to follow the Rule of Thirds if you feel it will add a dramatic touch to your photograph. Also, if you have a line of trees, a bridge, a river, or something to that effect, creating a diagonal line out of those elements really adds a nice touch that will make your landscape photo stand above the rest. A more difficult thing to try that will create balance in your photo is the Geometric Shapes concept. This is achieved by filling the landscape with three objects (one on each side and one in the center).

Fill ‘er up. A technique that is often extremely useful with a phone’s camera is fill flash. This method fills your subject with light in what is seemingly an already well-lit area. A phone’s camera is more sensitive to direct light than regular digital cameras. Let’s say you’re outside and have an opportunity for an amazing photo, but you’re shooting into the sun. Or maybe you’re inside and shooting directly towards a window on a sunny day. Chances are your subject matter will be nothing but a dark silhouette. Turning on your flash just might alleviate the problem and fill your subject with light. Think of it as a sunny assistant. It won’t always work, but it can’t hurt to try.

In The End…
Now that you’ve been armed with an admittedly lengthy swarm of information, we can get started on the more in-depth application reviews and nifty tips. But not today.