The iPhone’s camera is becoming an increasingly significant player in the world of digital photography. A recent poll on our website found that one in four of you use Apple’s handset as your primary camera. And with the improved, 8-megapixel camera on the iPhone 4S, the possibilities are greater than ever.

Photogene is a handy app that gives you even more options, with added filters, editing tools and a collage maker. In fact, there’s so much you can do with this app that we’ve split this tutorial into two parts. Here, we show you how to use the photo editing tools. Next month, we’ll look at how to make a collage out of your photos and then share it with your friends. 

Vital Info

Device: iPhone
Difficulty: Beginner
Time required: 10 minutes

What you need

iOS 4.2 or later
Photogene app (69p)

If you want to take a photo from within Photogene, simply tap the camera icon in the top-right corner. To add a filter, tap the filter icon in the bottom-right corner and then swipe to reveal the different options (see above). Tap on the filter you like, and then on the camera icon in the centre to capture the image.

When taking a photo, it’s a good idea to turn on image stabilisation. If you don’t, you’ll end up with a blurred and out-of-focus picture. Ideally, you should take the shot when the camera icon has a green dot in the middle. Orange means you’re a bit shaky, while red indicates you’re moving all over the place.

To edit an image, choose an album and then tap on the relevant photo. This will bring you to the editing window. Tap the spanner icon for access to the different options. If you tap Presets a range of ready-made effects will be displayed, such as Retro and Golden (see above), as well as options like Frames and Fun.

When you tap Retouches, you’ll be offered a selection of options including Effects, Heal and Red Eyes. If you decide, for example, to tap Effects, you’ll be able to Pixellate your image or add Extreme Black and White to particular areas of your photo using a mask. To change the effect, tap Options in the Effect window.

When you’ve finished, tap the spanner icon, then go to Adjustments. Here, you can change the brightness, saturation, white balance, shadow/highlights, sharpness and noise. Use the sliders to experiment with what looks best. With the histogram (shown above), you can move the blue objects to change the image.

To add text to an image, tap the spanner icon and then Text. Drag a box type on to your photo and then tap on the box to add text. You can then change its colours and fonts, and tap and drag on the corners of the box to resize it. Next month, we’ll show you how to create a comic strip using the collage tool.