One of the apps I most enjoyed using on the iPhone was Camerabag which instantly added effects to an image. The app has been updated a few times and some interesting filters added. It was also released as a desktop application for the Mac and I have used it often since I first downloaded it.

The field has expanded much in the last year or so, with the arrival of applications like Analog, so it was not really a surprise to hear that NeverCenter were about to release an updated version of the Mac (and PC) desktop software.

To prepare for this they currently have a beta version available for download. The surprise is not that they have a new version, the surprise is in just what the new version can do. As it is beta software, it would not really be fair to criticise what is a work in progress: not that I have seen any problems in the quick run-through of the app I have done so far.

As well as the familiar filters that change output, there are several new editing features that might make this a useful editing tool: at least as far as some of the basics are concerned. While professionals will need to stick with Adobe Photoshop for their high-end work, those of us lower down the chain will revel in the speed and variety CameraBag provides.

While many apps claim to have instant rendering, the way this is done in the CameraBag beta surpasses most other apps I have experience of. The image is dragged into the work area (or File>Open is used) and when the cursor is over the effect, so the change is instantly seen.

There are four menus available as well as Styles: Adjust, Borders, Favourites and Quicklooks. These are displayed to the right of the work area, although can be hidden with a single click on an arrow. Quicklooks has four subsections: Styles, Adjust, Borders and Favorites (to match the menus) and when one is clicked, all options are shown on a full screen panel. While Styles has a number of filters, the section called Favourites has several more and I am not sure of the distinction here.

Clicking on one option, either in the full-screen panel or using the menus displays the image on the main working panel. Below it is the option being adjusted. More than one is displayed if several options are chosen (e.g. Discolor + Contrast + Output Size). Clicking on one of these makes it live and sliders appear: the number of sliders depending on the adjustment selected.

The Adjust (or Edit) section has a number of useful tools that I find I use often in any photography application, such as Crop/Straighten, Exposure and Contrast. There are also items in this section related to light (RGB curve, Shadows) and a number related to Color (Split Tone, Tint) as well as several other tools.

Right now, this beta (101) version of Camerabag 2.0 looks as if the final release will make this a favourite of mine and I would expect many other users who would find this far easier to use than some of the higher end apps that are available. I look forward to the release version.

Oh . . . and I love the new icon.

This article was first available on the AMITIAE site on 6 December 2011