Toward an iPhone Workflow

When you are working on a desktop image editing application, most of the work you do can be walked back. For example, in Photoshop the History panel allows you to easily take back the things you have done (would that take-backs existed in “real life!”).

The iPhone darkroom does not naturally lend itself to roll-backs. My strategy for adding this important capability via a series of “hacks” includes:

• Making changes incrementally and not all at once. As an example, Snapseed has many capabilities. I would suggest using each feature separately and saving a copy each time you make a change. For instance, converting an image to black and white, and then adding a border might be two steps that you would save separately.
• Using the Photos app as a repository for intermediate versions; that way, if an image starts going in a direction that you don’t want, you can back up through the “history” of images in the Photos app. It also means that you have the intermediate versions if you want to partially reduce their “opacity.” As an example, sometimes I apply a grunge or an HDR effect and see that it is too strong, but that a little of it would be handsome. The downside, of course, is that your iPhone storage fills up faster, and your Photos app is filled with similars. Be that as it may, I have found this the only way to do significant post-production on the iPhone and in terms of results, it beats the heck out of “one fell swoop” editing.
• Making sure that, when possible, your apps save a copy of an image instead of overwriting the original. The good news is that most apps are well behaved, and do this without your having to tell them so. An important exception is Snapseed, which which is naughty by default. To save a copy in Snapseed, see page 306.
• Using the ImageBlender app as a way to reduce the opacity of any given effect by blending back with previous versions. Any app that allows you to blend layers will work for this, but ImageBlender is deliciously simple to use.