ColorSplash, from Hendrik Kueck, is both entertaining and frustrating to use, at least if your fingers are the size of premium hot dogs. It’s an image-manipulation app that enables you to convert your color photos into black and white and then restore the color to objects you would like to highlight.

The effect is called a “cutout” or “selective desaturation,” in the lingo of digital imaging editing pros.

You can work with an image that you photograph from within ColorSplash or import from your Photo Album. Tap the Gray icon on the right of the menu bar at the bottom of the screen and swipe you finger across the image to convert the image from color to black and white. Now, tap the Color icon in the middle of the menu bar and go back into the image and start restoring the original color of the objects you want to cutout.

You can pinch and zoom or tap the Pan & Zoom icon at the lower left for close-up work. You also have the option of working in landscape or portrait modes.

With ColorSplash you can choose among one of four brushes, ranging from hard to soft edge, by selecting the brush icon at the top of the screen. There’s an alternative view mode that is used to tint colored areas with red to make them easier to see and to adjust the boundaries between color and black and white regions. I’m familiar with this particular masking feature in Adobe Photoshop and I understand what it’s intended to do. However, I didn’t find it all that useful with ColorSplash.

So far, so good.

Here’s the problem: Most people will soon realize a finger is a lousy substitute for a brush. I found it nearly impossible, even while working close up, to get satisfactory results.

A while ago, based on a review I read on AppCraver, I dropped $20 on a Pogo Stylus, to make it easier for me to use graphics apps like this one. I think the price is a bit much but at least I can get some use out of it where precision is required.

That’s how I was able to get the results in the image you see above, so don’t be fooled into thinking anyone can do something like that with a finger. Don’t get me wrong. I liked ColorSplash quite a bit, but understand its limitation before you decide to buy it.

For more articles like this, subscribe to the AppCraver RSS feed.

category: Art, Editor's Picks