9. Digital Photography on Your iPad

The latest iPad models have two powerful, high-resolution cameras built in that, when used with the Camera app, make snapping detailed, clear, and vibrant photos as easy as tapping on the device’s screen.

When it comes to viewing, organizing, enhancing, printing, and sharing digital photos on your iOS device, you have a multitude of options. The Photos app that comes preinstalled on the iPad offers decent photo-organizing and basic photo-editing features. However, available from the App Store is Apple’s iPhoto app. It dramatically enhances your ability to view, organize, edit, enhance, share, and print images.

When using your iPad as a business tool, there are many situations in which being able to snap photos of people, places, or things can be beneficial. The photos you take, edit, or store on your iPad can then be imported into various apps, such as Contacts, Pages, Numbers, or Keynote, as well as database apps, such as FileMaker Go.

Many other apps also enable you to import or somehow utilize digital photos. For example, the Square app that’s used for credit card processing allows photos to be imported as part of its virtual cash register functionality, so you can tap an item’s photo that someone is about to purchase to create a detailed receipt.

Of course, if you’re active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and/or Vine, for example, and use your iPad to manage your online social networking accounts, it’s possible to easily share photos taken with (or that are stored on) your tablet.

Plus, if you manage a website or blog, this too can easily be done from your tablet (using the WordPress app, for example), and you can publish photos or videos clips taken and edited on your iPad.

Meanwhile, the Photos app offers new ways to enhance your images and then organize, view, and share them. Both the Camera and Photos apps have a redesigned look.

Aside from shooting images using one of your iPad’s built-in cameras, there are several ways to import photos into your iOS device and then store them within the Photos app:

Use the iTunes sync process to transfer photos to your device. Set up iTunes to sync the image folders or albums you want, and then initiate an iTunes sync or wireless iTunes sync from your primary computer.

Load photos from My Photo Stream or a Shared Photo Stream (via iCloud).

Receive and save photos sent via email. When a photo is embedded within an email, as shown in Figure 9.1, hold your finger on it for a second or two until a menu appears giving you the option to Save Image. This menu can also offer other options, based on how your tablet is configured. For example, you can print, copy, mail, tweet, or publish the incoming image directly to Facebook. If you copy the image to your device’s virtual clipboard, you can then paste it into another app.

Receive and save photos sent via instant message. Tap the image you receive using the Messages app, and then tap the Copy command to copy the image to your device’s virtual clipboard (after which you can paste it into another app).

Save images directly from a website as you’re surfing the Web. Hold your finger on the image you’re viewing in a website. If it’s not copy-protected, after a second or two, a menu appears enabling you to Save Image or Copy it to your device’s virtual clipboard (after which you can paste it into another app).

Use the optional Camera Connection Kit ($29.00, available from Apple Stores or Apple.com) to load images from your digital camera’s memory card directly into your iPad.

The main camera viewfinder screen (shown in Figure 9.2) appears as soon as you launch the Camera app. The main area of the screen serves as your camera’s viewfinder. In other words, what you see on the screen is what you photograph or capture on video.

Along the right margin of the screen are several command icons and options. In the lower-left corner is a thumbnail image of the last photo or video clip you shot. Tap on it to view that image or video clip and use some of the Photo app’s viewing and editing functions without leaving the Camera app.

On middle-right side of the screen is the camera’s round shutter button. Tap on this to snap a photo or to start and stop the video camera. In Video mode, the shutter button icon transforms from a bright red circle into a red square (pause button) when you tap on it to begin shooting a video clip.

Displayed just below the shutter button icon are the shooting mode options—Video, Photo, and Square. Use your finger to scroll up or down and then tap on your selected option. Video is for shooting video. Photo is used to snap regular digital (still) images. Square allows you to pre-crop images to be compatible with services such as Instagram. You wind up with already cropped square images.

The latest iPad models each have two built-in cameras—one in the front and one on the back of the device. The front-facing camera makes it easier to snap photos of yourself or participate in videoconferences, for example. The rear-facing camera (which allows you to take higher-resolution photos or video) allows you to photograph whatever you’re looking at that’s facing forward. Tap on the camera-shaped icon located in the upper-right corner of the screen to switch between cameras.

When applicable, displayed just above of the shutter button is the HDR button. Tap on it to turn on/off HDR mode when taking digital photos.

1. Launch the Camera app from the Home Screen.

2. Make sure the shooting mode is set to Photo or Square. Swipe the photo mode selector to choose the desired option.

3. Choose which of your tablet’s two built-in cameras you want to use by tapping on the camera selection icon.

4. Compose or frame your image by holding up your iPad and pointing it at your subject.

5. Select the main subject of your photo, such as a person or an object. Tap your finger on the screen where your subject appears in the viewfinder. An autofocus sensor box appears on the screen at the location you tap. Where this box is positioned is what the camera focuses on (as opposed to something in the foreground, in the background, or next to your intended subject).

6. If you want to use the Camera app’s zoom feature, use a pinch motion on the screen. A zoom slider (shown in Figure 9.3) appears along the bottom of the screen. Use your finger to move the dot within the slider to the right to zoom in or to the left to zoom out on your subject.

7. When you have your image framed within the viewfinder, tap on the shutter button to snap the photo. You see an animation of a virtual shutter closing and then reopening on the screen, indicating that the photo is being taken.

8. The photo is saved on your tablet within the Camera Roll album of Photos. You can now shoot another photo or preview the just-taken image using tools from the Photos app.

1. Launch the Camera app.

2. Swipe to the Video shooting mode option.

3. Choose which camera you want to use. You can switch between the front-and the rear-facing cameras at any time.

4. Hold your iPad up to the subject you want to capture on video. Set up your shot by looking at what’s displayed on the screen.

5. When you’re ready to start shooting video, tap on the shutter button. The red dot turns into a red square. This indicates you’re now filming. Your iPad captures whatever subject(s) you see on the screen, as well as any sound in the area.

6. As you’re filming video, notice the timer displayed on the screen (shown in Figure 9.4). Your only limit to how much video you can shoot is based on the amount of available memory within your iOS device and how long the battery lasts. However, this app is designed more for shooting short video clips, not full-length home movies.

7. Also as you’re filming, tap anywhere on the screen to focus in on your subject using the app’s built-in autofocus sensor. Be sure to hold your tablet as steady as possible to ensure a clear video image.

8. To stop filming, tap again on the shutter button. Your video footage is saved. You can now view, edit, and share it from within the Photos app or the optional iMovie app, for example.

Pay attention to your light source. As a general rule, the light source (such as the sun) should be behind you (the photographer) and shining onto your subject. When light from your primary light source shines directly into your camera’s lens (in this case your iPad), you wind up with unwanted glare or an overexposed image.

As you look at the viewfinder screen, pay attention to shadows. Unwanted shadows can be caused by the sun or by an artificial light source. When shadows show up in your images, they can be distracting, so make sure they aren’t covering your subjects.

As you get ready to tap the shutter icon and snap a photo, hold your iPad perfectly still. Even the slightest movement could result in a blurry image, especially in low-light situations.

When shooting portraits of people or specific objects, make sure you use the Camera app’s autofocus sensor box to focus in on your subject. As you look through the viewfinder, tap the main subject’s face, for example. This ensures that the Camera app focuses in on the person and not something in the foreground, background, or to the side of your subject.

As you’re framing your subjects in the viewfinder, pay attention to what’s in the foreground, background, and to the sides of the subject. These objects can often be used to frame your subject and add a sense of multidimensionality to a photo. Just make sure the autofocus sensor of the Camera app focuses in on your intended subject, and not on something else in the photo, to ensure clarity.

My Photo Stream—Turn on this iCloud-related feature to automatically upload and store 1,000 of your more recently shot images for up to 30 days. You can then almost immediately view the images on any Mac, Apple TV, or iOS mobile device that’s linked to the same iCloud account. This feature only needs to be turned on and set up once. To activate My Photo Stream, turn on the virtual switch associated with this feature.

Photo Sharing—Turn on the ability for you to create Shared Photo Streams, which can be stored online within your iCloud account; accessed from all Macs, Apple TV, and iOS mobile devices linked to your iCloud account; plus shared with other people via the Internet. To activate iCloud’s Shared Photo Stream feature, turn on the virtual switch associated with the Photo Sharing feature.

Summarize Photos—Determine how images are “summarized” when displayed as thumbnails as you’re using the Photos app to organize and view them as Collections or Years.

Play Each Slide For—When using the Photos app to create Slide Shows in order to showcase your images, this option sets the default for how long each slide is displayed.

Repeat—When using the Photos app to create Slide Shows in order to showcase your images, this option allows images to automatically repeat during the presentation.

Shuffle—When using the Photos app to create Slide Shows in order to showcase your images, this option allows the app to randomize the order in which photos are displayed. When the feature is turned off, photos are displayed in the order they were shot and saved.

Grid—When turned on, a grid is displayed on the viewfinder screen as you’re taking pictures using the Camera app. This grid makes it easier to use the Rule of Thirds photography technique. However, the grid does not actually appear in your photos.

Keep Normal Photo—When HDR more is turned on, by default two images are stored—one that uses HDR mode to adjust lighting and contrast and one that does not. When turned off, only the HDR version of each photo will be stored.

Take advantage of the Grid feature within the Camera app or imagine a tic-tac-toe grid being superimposed on your camera’s viewfinder. The center box in the tic-tac-toe grid corresponds to the center of the image you’re about to shoot as you look at the viewfinder screen. Instead of framing your subject in this center box, reframe the image so your subject is positioned along one of the horizontal or vertical lines of the grid, or so the main focal point of the image is positioned at one of the grid’s four intersection points.

Using the Rule of Thirds when framing your images takes a bit of practice, but if you use this shooting technique consistently and correctly, you’ll discover the quality of your images will vastly improve. Of course, you also want to take into account lighting, as well as what’s in the foreground, background, and to the sides of your main subject. And be sure to tap your creativity when choosing your shooting angle or perspective for each shot.

To exit out of a Moments, Collections, and Years thumbnail view, use the options displayed near the top-left corner of the screen. As you’re viewing thumbnails grouped together when using one of these views, tap on the Select option that’s displayed near the top-right corner of the screen to choose one or more thumbnails. Once selected, tap the Share icon to manage those images or tap the Trash icon to delete them.

Each group of photos that are shot at the same place and in the same time frame are automatically grouped together into an event. As you’re viewing these events, tap on the Share button associated with it to quickly share all images in that event or select and share specific images from it via email, Message, or iCloud.

To exit the single-image view and return to the multi-image thumbnail view, tap anywhere on the screen to make the command icons appear, and then tap on the left-pointing arrow-shaped icon that’s displayed in the upper-left corner of the screen.

As you’re viewing a single image in full-screen mode, along the bottom of the screen is a filmstrip depiction of all images stored in the current album, or all images stored on your iOS device if you were previously in Photos viewing mode. The Edit command is displayed in the upper-right corner of the screen, the Share command icon is displayed in the lower-left corner of the screen, and the Trash icon is displayed near the lower-right corner of the screen (as shown in Figure 9.6).

These icons provide the tools for quickly editing and enhancing your image. They include:

Rotate—Tap on this icon once to rotate the image counterclockwise by 90 degrees. You can tap the Rotate icon up to three times before the image returns to its original orientation.

Enhance—Tap on the Auto-Enhance feature to instantly sharpen the photo and make the colors in it more vibrant. You should notice a dramatic improvement in the visual quality, lighting, detail, and sharpness of your image. Once you tap the Auto-Enhance feature, it works automatically. If you don’t like the enhancement, tap the option again to remove it.

Filters—Add one of the new special effect filters available to you after an image has been shot. These filters include Mono, Tonal, Noir, Fade, Chrome, Process, Transfer, and Instant. Each filter gets applied to an entire image and dramatically alters its appearance. After selecting the desired filter, tap Apply to use it.

Red-Eye—If any human subject in your photo is exhibiting signs of red-eye as a result of your using a flash, tap on the Red-Eye icon to digitally remove this unwanted discoloration in your subject’s pupils.

Crop—Tap on this icon to crop the image and reposition your subject in the frame. If you forgot to incorporate the Rule of Thirds while shooting a photo, you can sometimes compensate by cropping a photo. You also can cut away unwanted background or zoom in on your subject, based on how you crop it. When the crop grid appears, position your finger in any corner or side of the grid to determine how to crop the image. When you’re done, tap on the Crop icon to confirm your changes.

Undo—If you tap Undo (when applicable), the last edit you made to the image is undone but any other edits remain intact.

Save—After you’ve used the various editing commands to edit or enhance your image, tap on the Save command to save your changes.

Cancel—Tap on this icon to exit the photo-editing mode of the Photos app without making any changes to the photo you’re viewing.

Revert To Original—After making edits or enhancements to an image, if you don’t like the results while still in editing mode, tap on the Revert To Original option to return the image to its original appearance.

1. Launch the Photos app from the Home screen.

2. From the main View Images screen, tap on any thumbnail to view an image in full-screen mode. You might need to open an album first by tapping on the Album’s thumbnail, if you have the Albums viewing option selected.

3. Tap on the full-screen version of the image to make the various command icons appear.

4. Tap on the Share icon.

5. From the Share menu, select the Print option.

6. When the Printer Options submenu appears, select your printer, determine how many copies of the print you’d like to create, and then tap on the Print icon.

When someone sends you a digital photo via AirDrop, a pop-up window will display on your tablet’s screen (shown in Figure 9.8). Tap on the Accept button to receive the photo and store it within the Camera app’s Camera Roll folder.

Add a text message to the photo(s) that is attached to the message. To add more images to the outgoing message, tap on the Camera icon. When you’re ready, tap the Send option to send the photos and message.

Select the Mail option and fill in the To field when prompted. If you want, edit the Subject field and/or add text to the body of the email, and then tap the Send button.

When viewing a single image, tap on the Share button; select Mail; fill in the To field; edit the Subject; and, if you want, add text to the body of the message (shown in Figure 9.9); then tap the Send button.

It’s also possible to tweet photos from the official Twitter app or from a third-party Twitter-related app, such as Twitterific (available from the App Store).

Next, tap the Location option to publish the location the image was shot on Facebook in conjunction with the photo. Tap on the Audience option to decide who will be able to view the image(s) on Facebook. Your options include Public, Friends, Friends Except Acquaintances, Only Me, Close Friends, or people within a specific Facebook group you’ve created.

To the left of the photo thumbnail, use the virtual keyboard to enter a caption for the image(s) you’re about to upload and then tap the Post option (displayed near the top-right corner of the Facebook window) to publish the photos online from the Photos app.

The first time you use this feature, you need to access Settings when prompted and enter your Flickr username and password and then tap Sign In to access the service. It’s also possible to use the official Flickr app to upload and manage your online-based Flickr account from your iPhone or iPad.

1. Tap on the Share icon.

2. Tap on the Copy option. The photo is stored in the virtual clipboard.

3. Launch a compatible app and hold your finger down on the screen to use the Paste option and paste your photo from the clipboard into the active app.

1. Tap on the Share icon.

2. Tap on the Assign to Contact option.

3. An All Contacts window, displaying the names associated with all your contacts, is displayed. Scroll through the listing, or use the Search field to find the specific entry with which you want to associate the photo.

4. Tap on that person’s or company’s name from the All Contacts listing.

5. When the Move and Scale window opens, use your finger to move or scale the image. What you see in the circle is what is saved.

6. Tap on the Use option to save the photo and link it to the selected contact.

7. When you launch Contacts and access that person’s entry, you see the photo you selected appear in that entry.

To select and delete multiple images at once, as you’re looking at thumbnails of images, tap on the Select button. Tap on each thumbnail that represents an image you want to delete. A checkmark icon appears within each selected thumbnail. Tap on the Trash icon to delete the selected images.

The My Photo Stream feature automatically stores, syncs, and displays up to 1,000 of the most recently shot or imported digital photos.

When viewing My Photo Stream on your iPad from within the Photos app, thumbnails representing the images are displayed. To view these images as a slideshow, tap the Slideshow icon.

To share, copy, or delete any of the Photo Stream images, tap the Edit button. A new Share button, along with a Delete button, appears near the upper-left corner of the screen. Tap one or more image thumbnails to select them, tap on the Share button, and then choose which Share command you’d like to utilize from the pop-up menu that appears. Depending on how your iPad is set up, your options include Mail, Message, Facebook, Print, Copy, and Save to Camera Roll.

Unlike other images stored in albums, photos viewable from your Photo Stream are not permanently stored on your iPad. To move one or more images from the Photo Stream to an album, tap the Edit button, tap the thumbnails for the images you want to store on your tablet, and then tap the Save icon displayed near the upper-right corner of the screen.

The iCloud Shared Photo Stream feature, however, is a tool that allows you to share groups of photos with other people via the Internet (and iCloud). Once you have the Shared Photo Stream feature turned on, as well as an active iCloud account, select the images you want to share from the Photos app.

Next, tap on the Share icon and select the iCloud option. From the iCloud window, add a Comment to the image(s) you’re about to upload and then tap on the Stream option to choose the Shared Photo Stream folder you want to add the selected images to.

To create a new Shared Photo Stream folder, tap on the Stream option and then tap on the New Shared Stream option. You’re prompted to enter a Stream Name, which is the title for the Shared Photo Stream. Tap the Next option. You’re then prompted to enter the email addresses (or names) of the people you want to share the photo stream with (shown in Figure 9.11).

If the invitees already have entries within your Contacts database, type their names. Otherwise, enter their email addresses into the To field. Tap the Next option to continue.

Tap the Post option to upload the images to an iCloud Photo Stream so that they can be viewed by the people you’ve selected.

If the recipients are iPhoto ’11 (Mac) users, they can view your images or download them into their iPhoto ’11 software. If they’re iOS mobile device users, they can use the Photos or optional iPhotos app. Otherwise, they’re only able to view the photos online by visiting the unique URL assigned to your Shared Photo Stream.

You can create and edit as many Shared Photo Streams as you desire and make each available to different people, if you choose to. A Shared Photo Stream can also have any number of pages within it, so it’s great for sharing collections of images.

Delete a Shared Photo Stream at anytime by tapping on the Photo Stream button within the Photos app, opening a Shared Photo Stream, tapping the Edit button, and then selecting which photos you want to delete. Tap the Delete button to continue. From the Select Photos screen, however, you can also add photos to an existing Shared Photo Stream.

To remove access for people already invited to view the Shared Photo Stream, tap on their names. To the right of their names, the Invited status is displayed. From the Info screen for that person, tap on the Remove Subscriber option. They will no longer be able to view your Shared Photo Stream.

To add people (subscribers) who can view an already existing Shared Photo Stream you’ve created, after tapping on the People tab, tap on the Invite People option, and then add the names (or email addresses) to the To field of the Invite People screen.

Not only does the iOS version of iPhoto offer similar functionality to iPhoto ’11 for the Mac, it includes a handful of enhanced features, such as Journals and Smart Browsing, plus it makes syncing or transferring images between iOS devices, Macs, and iCloud’s Photo Stream a straightforward process. Journals offers a new way to sort and view images in an interactive collage-like format, while Smart Browsing offers additional options for organizing and finding your images.

When you launch the App Store from your iPad, tap on the More command tab located along the top of the screen, and then choose the Photo & Video category. You’ll discover hundreds of third-party photography apps that add or supplement functionality that’s built in to the Camera, Photos, and iPhoto apps.

In addition to the photography apps, you can find specialized apps that make it easy to manage specific types of online social networking accounts, through which you can publish and share your digital photos and video clips. For example, official apps for Instagram, Google+, YouTube, and Vine, as well as Flickr, SmugMug, and many other online-based photo sharing services, are available from the App Store. Cloud-based file sharing services, like Dropbox, when used in conjunction with their proprietary apps, can also be used to store and share digital images and albums.