Get Louder!
an advokit for libraries
Pop Dot Comics App by Jixpix
This is a fantastic app, it is a brilliant way to create comic style images, add speech bubbles, alter tone and contrast, change paper styles, and use the library of text options and images, just to name a few. The app provides a set of 60 fast altering tools to get you started straight away. Each tool then allows additional adjustment to tone and highlight, contrast and border. The app is very easy to use, allowing photos to be used from the camera roll or to be taken directly from the app. Once you have altered your photo with the quick styles then you can add text from floating style to speech bubbles. The app also offers a library of fun shapes and comic fonts that can be altered in size and placement on the image. The app includes 5 comic styles including Sunday Comics, Halftone, Noir Comics, Pop Comics and Pulp Comics.
Share Options: Direct print option, face book, twitter, tumblr, follow us, mail and save to camera roll.
Cost: $2.49 from the itunes store
Time: time varies considerably depending on what your outcome requires. At least an hour to play with the app and see what it can do, however you will find new things each time you use it. Once you have the general understanding on the app capabilities and image can be made up in less than 15 minutes.
Audience: This is a fun app for all ages, suits teens and young adults best.
More information:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbtqETEumuU
http://jixipix.com/popdot/comics.html
"Do not start using this app late at night or 5 minutes before the end of the day, you will be hooked fast and spend hours just playing around with the possiblitlies, it caused many sleepless nights!" - Michelle
Rating:
Cartoon Camera Pro App by Smartstudy
This is a really fun app that allows the user to both take photos and use existing photos on an Iphone or Ipad to create manga style comic photos. The app contains 70 different cartoon effects that can be applied to the image, including colour and black and white options. There are pre-existing templates available that include speech bubbles, movement lines, patterns and images. The templates are limiting as it does not allow you to add your own text to the speech bubbles but the comic effects are fun and interesting. The app also allows filming of up to 60 minutes in comic style, available in both black and white and colour. There is no option to add or edit the film so it is basically a one take only option. The app is very easy to use and takes very little time to create a unique image or video.
Only available from the itunes store
Share Options: easy to save individual images and to forward to twitter and Facebook.
Cost: Free from the itunes store
Time: very easy to create a fun image in 10 minutes, filming up to 60 minutes of film time. This app is really just point and shoot then alter after. Altering is limited but takes less than 10 minutes.
Audience: Kids and Teens
More information:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cartoon-camera-pro/id581198351?mt=8
Rating:
Comic strips
What is it about comics that we like so much, is it the colour, the graphic quality, or is it because they are just plain fun? There are a great range of apps avalible to help you make your advertising interesting and create a real BANG!
Comic style images grab the audience and the use of bright pop colours catch the eye. Children and adults alike will be drawn to comics and it is a brilliant way to bring literacy into library advertising, so what's your story?
Images created in Pop Dot Comics by Jixpix
Comic strip apps
Strip Designer App by Vivid Apps
This app allows you to create your own comic strips. The comic layouts are varied and easy to use. You can even create your own strip layout to suit your design. Images are easily imported via the camera roll and can be rotated and moved within the cell easily. Stickers and word balloons can then be added to images, these are very easy to use and a wide variety of fonts and colours are available. However, there is a limit to the designs on the stickers. In terms of rendering your photos to comic style, there are limited choices, providing only 6 options for comic style. The program does allow other styles to but used such as a sketch option. Paper style can also be used. I liked this app but it had limited options and took a little time to work out navigation. It was great for organising layouts.
Share options: email, camera roll, facebook, twitter, flikr, uploading and direct print options available.
Cost: $2.99 from itunes
Time: this app was fairly easy to use, it took a little time to navigate around and look at the options. Once I had an idea of the capabilities it took around 45 minutes to create a strip.
Audience: all, teens would enjoy this app.
More information:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/strip-designer/id314780738?mt=8
Rating:
Pixton Comics
www.Pixton.com
Although it is undoubtedly most useful to share news of the best available comic strip apps, perhaps it is not out of place to mention that some are time-wasters and frustraters of the first order. This very lame example took ages to produce and completely froze when I tried to save it. This is a photograph of the screen just before I put a brick through it.