Your little pocket camera, reimagined.

Everyday, millions of photos are taken with the iPhone. And while they don’t always come out as expected(hey, it’s a phone!) the iPhone can spit out some pretty good-lookin’ photos!

Of course, there is the occasional blurry photo, the crooked family picture, the party shot that looks like absolute total darkness, the portrait of your wife that she just hates. You can always dish out a couple thousand dollars for a clunky DSLR.

Or, you can get RealCam.

What is RealCam?

Simply put, RealCam is an app that lets you take great photos using your iPhone by adding advanced features not found in the original camera. But it’s more than just another camera app. With powerful post-processing tools, your photos go from “ehh” to “whoa” in no time. It guides you before you take the shot and lets you edit them after.

But that’s not all RealCam does. See, my goal was to make a camera app that “does it all.” You no longer have to download multiple apps. RealCam does panoramas, HD videos, creative filters, batch-photo editing, and so much more.

Simply Better Photos.

The thing is, not everyone fancies carrying around large cameras. I use my DSLR a lot of times when I shoot photos, but I have to admit, it can be burdensome at times. It’s heavy, takes longer to set up the external flash and lens, and there’s too much time wasted finding the right settings. With your iPhone, all you have to do is whip it out, open the camera app, and start shooting.

I made RealCam with that concept in mind. If we could get great photos without all the extra equipment and long hours of editing, wouldn’t that be great? And so began the camera app that would change iPhoneography.

You don’t need Photoshop skills or an “eye for photography.” And the thing is, RealCam doesn’t only enhance photos, it makes it fun doing it.

So What Does RealCam Do?

RealCam is an advanced camera and photo editor. It has a lot of neat features not found in the stock camera app:

Stabilizer. The solution to all you shaky-hand photographers. RealCam uses the iPhone’s sensors to detect shake and waits for a steady setting to take the photo. You can adjust the levels of steadiness to suit your shooting style.

Built-in level. Ever take that photo that looks a little… crooked? RealCam adds a level to the screen that aids in straightening your camera. It utilizes the iPhone’s gyroscope(iPhone 4 and later) to properly align your shot.

Grids and overlays. Compose your photos the right way. Add grid and Fibonacci overlays to help you with that photo that looks never seems to come out straight.

Simple interface. RealCam’s simple interface makes accessing buttons and menus easy. You’ll enjoy the little sounds and animations that makes RealCam an eye-catcher.

Photo effects. More than just filters. With 100+ effects, go from boring to not-so-boring with one click. You can get that vintage effect without spending hundreds on a TLR. Miss film? There’s an effect for that too. And with batch editing, there’s no need to edit one photo at a time.

One-tap sharing. Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. You name it. One click and your photos turn into Facebook updates and Instagram posts. And no, we didn’t forget the email function.

But that’s not all:

• Panorama mode
• 9-point autofocus system(experimental)
• True HDR(merging three to five shots taken at different exposures)
• Voice command shutter button
• Subject tracking(experimental)
• Wifi remote(experimental)
• Live exposure information
• Live histogram
• Edit contrast, brightness, sharpness, etc.
• One-click auto-enhancement option
• Batch photo editing
• Full HD video recording with selectable framerates
• Perspective correction
• Watermarking
• Wirelessly display your photos on your computer
• And many more!

So What Makes RealCam Different?

Here I compare some of RealCam’s features to those of two other popular camera apps on the App Store: ProCamera and Camera+

Behind The Scenes.

I came up with RealCam after looking at the massive amount of photo apps on my homescreen. Not only was it a pain going through all of them, it was consuming a lot of disk space and took a lot of time moving from one app to another. Hmm. What if there was a camera app that combined all these photo apps?

I’ve worked on RealCam for about 4 months. That’s 4 months of designing, coding, and setting up the framework. Yes, I’ve stumbled upon a couple of syntax errors and algorithm mismatches here and there, as well as the typical bug, but nothing that isn’t doable.

Because RealCam is alpha, it requires further testing and final touches before a working product can be created. This is where I’m currently at. I need to make sure everything works correctly on the iPhone and iPod touch. I do NOT want to skip this part, for this ensures a properly working app.

Now, I plan on continually improving RealCam and adding more features. I expect a lot of user feedback as well as suggestions to future releases of the app. I’m listening!

So Here’s Where I’m At.

RealCam’s main iOS app is expected to be completed by December 2013(there is a big chance that it will be released sooner), but I’m still deciding whether or not to release it right away as a standalone camera app or wait for the companion PC/Mac desktop application to be finished(which would be around January 2014). I’m leaning more towards the second option right now, but I know you guys want to see RealCam in action right away!

RealCam is currently in its alpha stage of development, with the main framework and UI complete. From now until the live distribution(basically the completed app in which RealCam will be submitted into the App Store), I will be running several tests to ensure a properly working app.

I’ve tested out the app on my iPhone, and it runs. It takes pictures. Stabilizer works, HD video recording at 1080p works. All the basics. It saves to the gallery, It edits photos.(See sample photos above and at the bottom of page.) The list goes on. I am now in the testing phase, making sure everything else works on the iPhone and iPod touch. I have to focus on functionality while maintaining simplicity(after all, isn’t that why we love iPhones so much?). I have to also tweak the settings so that it doesn’t take too much memory and disk space. So far, I’m in good standing.

But I’ve hit a roadblock. I’ve come short of funds to complete the launch of RealCam. There are a whole lot of features that require further testing, and I need to buy more devices to run compatibility tests.

WHAT WORKS:

• Camera and camcorder
• Saves photos and videos
• AE and AF lock
• Stabilizer, timer, face detection, all the basics
• Composition overlays
• Sound FX
• Photo editing
• Batch editing
• Contrast, Brightness, Sharpness controls, etc.
• Photo sharing to FaceBook and Twitter(working out the other APIs)
• Panorama
• Photo FX, filters, frames
• iCloud sync

WHAT NEEDS TWEAKING:

• Subject tracking
• 9-point autofocus
• Wifi Remote
• FTP server for transferring photos
• The UI
• Startup speed

What Will The Money Be Used For?

The money would be used to fund the core development which includes paying for devices and other resources to test the app, maintain the software, and potentially expand to Android and Windows mobile. I also have to keep in mind the price of implementing all the extra features into the camera.

Because I do all the designing and programming, the costs are cut dramatically because I have nobody to pay, with the exception of extras such as server costs(Hey, I can’t do everything!). The 5k funding goal is the bare minimum to cover the costs to get RealCam up and running.

But of course, it doesn’t stop there.

With the help of Kickstarter, I plan on expanding even more and creating a companion PC and Mac app, as well as hardware accessories like shutter remotes and DSLR interactivity. There are more features to come, and I have big plans for this app, but I’m not giving those away just yet(Stay tuned)!

I Don’t Have An iPhone. Can I still get RealCam?

RealCam is primarily for the iPhone. However, I am considering making RealCam available to Android and Windows Mobile users if I reach my stretch goals!

Stretch Goals

And Now, A Word From… Me.

I’ve always loved photography. And I love iPhones. Put them together, and you get a pretty good idea why this project came to be. As soon as I came up with RealCam, I knew I was in for something big and started work on this soon-to-be amazing camera app right away. Unfortunately developing apps isn’t as easy as baking pie. It takes a lot of time and can be expensive. This is where Kickstarter comes in. Every little bit that you give helps to cover things such as server costs and backup iPhones. Again, thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart for all your support. 

http://realcamapp.com