Apr 17 2013

Facebook iOS Update: Chat Heads and Stickers | April 16 2013

Update your Facebook for iOS and see an amazing redesign of the interface. New font and flat theme. Plus, it features an all new chat which gives users the ability to send giant emoji images or Stickers, as Fabeook calls ‘em.

Check out the screencapture from my iPhone 4S. You will see on the video that while you are browsing through your Facebook Timeline or News Feed, you can still see chat messages from your friends via the Chat Heads. Message previews and notifications pops out of the icon each time a new chat is received.

Dec 30 2012

SnapSeed: Pinoy Appler’s Best App of 2012

Hundreds of cool new apps were introduced in the AppStore this 2012. Indeed, Apple’s iOS app platform gets better and better each year. From Productivity apps, Social Media to Photography and Photo editing tools, iOS device users will surely find something that will suit their needs and maximize their smartphone use!

As someone who’s in love with photography, the iPhone 4S has become my companion everytime I’m on the road. One of the things I like about the iPhone 4S’ camera is it can level to a compact digital camera’s quality. So when I go out, I don’t have to bring a bulky camera with me anymore. I can instantly take a snapshot of anything and share it online in a flash. Check out my previous post titled iPhone Photography: Forget the bulky DSLRs, and see how impressive the iPhone 4S’ camera quality is.

So for the first time this year, Pinoy Appler will award an iOS app; an app we think is a breakthrough in the smartphone era. An app worth downloading, worth having, that will change the way we deal with in today’s generation and technology. This year, we have come up with top three best apps but only one will be awarded Pinoy Appler Awards’ Best App of 2012.

Pinoy Appler’s 3rd Best App of 2012

Instagram

instagram-iconInstagram  is now a household term. People just love sharing to their network where they are, what they eat and who they’re with. Now that it is both available on Android and iOS platform, the number of Instagram users even skyrocketed this year. What I like about Instagram is the ability to cross post to the most popular social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and many more. It also features amazing photo filters which can vary the mood or emotion of your photo.

Pinoy Appler’s 2nd Best App of 2012

Evernote

big-evernote-iconEvernote is a diary on the go. I have been using this app since its inception. I normally keep an old notebook with me, but from the time I discovered Evernote, all my notes are now digital. So how is Evernote different from Apple’s Notes App? Very different. Apple’s Notes App is made for typing and keeping notes alone. Evernote is more like a social notebook, digital treasure box and planner/reminder all in one; you can store text, images, documents, etc. The best thing about Evernote is you get to instantly share a note online via a generated url. I find this very useful especially on Twitter when I have to tweet more than 140 characters; I type it in Evernote and just tweet the link- something similar to Twitlonger. There’s this similar app called Springpad but I find Evernote simple and easy to use.

And the Pinoy Appler Awards’ Best App of 2012 goes to..

SnapSeed

snapseed1SnapSeed is the best photo editing iOS app for me. It is so easy to use and it can actually turn a dull photo into a vibrant and impressive shot. This has been my companion when taking photos with the iPhone 4S. With a few slides and taps, you’ll instantly have a nicely processed and enhanced shot. Compared to Apple’s very own iPhoto for iOS, SnapSeed is so much easier to use. Well, aside from functionality, one of the things vital to the success of an app is its ease of use; and SnapSeed has it, I am sure about that.

Taking photos and sharing them online has become a way of life in this generation. But it’s not just about taking photos; it’s about capturing a story, a moment, a memory. You can take beautiful photographs using the iPhone 4S or the iPhone 5, but you can make them stand-out by post-processing. It’s not cheating, it’s art. :)

Jul 9 2012

Create Music Videos with Annotations using iMovie

A simple video I created for sinhbalotravel.com using iMovie. The video is about our boat trip in Tra Su Forest Bird Sanctuary, Vietnam (best viewed in HD)

Aside from Photography, I am also fascinated with videography. I’ve always wanted to learn the process of editing and creating a full-length music video but I never had the time, skill, and resources (software, good camera, etc.) then. But recently, I was forced to create my very first video for the company I work for. It’s not actually a WOW video that you see on TV or those videos going viral online, but a simple, continuous video with background music effect and text annotations. Something like a “National-Geographic-informative-did-you-know” kind of video. Haha.

Anyway, for those who want to venture into this new hobby, here’s a step by step process on how to create a simple music video with annotations using iMovie.

Things I used

iPhone – to record a HD video
Macbook Pro + i Movie – to edit and finalize the video

Importing the video

First you need to import the video you recorded. I used my iPhone 4S to film the movie. You can use Image Capture to transfer the video to your Macbook Pro.
How to Create Music Video using iMovie and iPhone 4S 3

Creating an iMovie project

Launch iMovie and create a new project. Import the video you just transferred. File > Import > Movies. Select the video clip and drag it to the timeline. You may trim and edit the properties of your video here by double-clicking on the clip.

How to Create Music Video using iMovie and iPhone 4S.png

Adding text annotations

On the right part of iMovie, you will see media icons. Click the Text icon, and a selection of text templates will appear at the bottom. Choose your desired style and drag it to the timeline.
How to Create Music Video using iMovie and iPhone 4S (2).png.png
To edit the properties of the text, double click it on the timeline. A property box will appear. Click done when finished.How to Create Music Video using iMovie and iPhone 4S 4

Adding a watermark photo

Add a signature or watermark image to prevent losers from copying and claiming your video.

But first, you need to tweak your iMovie preference to be able to do this. Go to iMovie > Preferences. Make sure “Show advanced tools” is checked.
To add the watermark image, look again on the media icons at the right part of your workspace and click the Image (camera) icon. You may choose photos from your media library or iPhoto. Again, drag the image to the timeline. You may again customize the properties of your watermark image by double-clicking on the photo on the timeline.
How to Create Music Video using iMovie and iPhone 4S (3).png.png

Saving/exporting the movie

Great! You’re almost done. All you need to do right now is to export the movie you just created so you can upload or share it to your social networks.

To export the video, Click Share > Export movie.

How to Create Music Video using iMovie and iPhone 4S 2