Phototastic for Windows 8, collage building on the big screen

Phototastic for Windows 8

Many will be familiar with Phototastic for our Windows Telephone. It is a popular photo collage building app that lets you build a wide variety of collages that tin can be shared or used every bit your lockscreen wallpaper.

Phototastic was recently released for Windows 8 to let you have the same collage building capabilities on your Windows 8/RT figurer or tablet. The Windows 8 version shares many of the aforementioned features as the Windows Telephone version, but a little more than elbow room with the larger screens. If you are a fan of the Windows Telephone version of Phototastic, yous'll really like the Windows 8 version.

Phototastic Menu

You lot're chief folio for Phototastic on Windows 8 will display your last created collage, a tile to select your collage template, tiles to add photos from existing images and to launch your camera to capture a new image and a link the Phototastic Shop. Settings, as with well-nigh Windows 8 apps, are hidden off the right side of the screen and encompass setting up your sharing options (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr).

Equally far as templates are concerned, Phototastic has over i hundred collage templates to cull from. They range from 2 image formats to four epitome styles on the free version of Phototastic. You can purchase additional templates ($2.99) from the Phototastic Store that will bring your template count upwards over ane hundred and add options for collages holding up to 25 image.

Phototastic In-App Purchases

Other in-app purchases includes additional background wallpapers ($1.49), alphabet image shapes ($i.49) and a Hard disk drive pack ($2.99) that lets you salvage collages at full resolution. I similar the selection to buy what you need but wouldn't accept minded seeing the Hard disk Pack exist included in the free version.

Once you've selected your collage template, it'due south non just a matter of filling each square with an image. Phototastic also has the ability to customize the collage border, customize the image shape (information technology doesn't e'er have to be a square), add a shadow to your image boxes (adds a petty depth to your collage) and add a groundwork wallpaper.

Phototastic Collage Editor

All your editing choices are laid out nicely along either side of your collage template. Your layout, size and image rotation controls line the left side of the screen with your border, photograph shape, background, shadow and publishing options line the right.

When building a collage, just tap on the frame you want to populate with an image and a pop-up carte will appear. You lot can add together an image from a media file (locally store Pictures folder, Skydrive binder, etc.), launch your camera to capture a new epitome (if applicable), add an paradigm from your Flickr account or just fill up the infinite with a solid color.

Phototastic Image location options

To edit a particular images edge settings (width, height, corners, etc.) or shape, just tap on the image once in place and those menu options volition appear to the right. You lot have image shapes ranging from the traditional square to heart shapes. If yous demand to rotate the placement of the images, tap the directional arrows on the right of the collage template. Additionally, if you need to rotate an image merely tap the image and two options will appear to the left side of the collage template. One to permit y'all rotate that particular epitome clockwise and another to switch out that photograph with another from your media files, photographic camera, Flickr or fill the frame with a colour.

Phototastic Image Shape Options

When you lot've got everything just right with your collage, a publish choice sits at the bottom right of your editing screen. Here yous can relieve your collage to Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or save it locally. You have options to save the collage at depression, medium or high (if you buy the HD pack) resolutions.

Medium resolution images are chiliad x 1000 pixels at 96dpi. Easily good plenty for e-mail or web posting but a little on the weak side for press (yields yous well-nigh a 3.5" x 3.5" print). If you're going to use Phototastic for printing collages, you'll need to purchase the HD Pack. If all y'all need is to share your collages electronically, the medium resolution will do just fine.

The only glitch I've encountered in using Phototastic is that it will occasionally lock up when viewing the Phototastic Store. I've had information technology happed on both Windows eight and Windows 8 RT devices. To articulate information technology up, you lot'll take to close downwards the app and restart information technology. It's more than of an annoyance than a bargain billow and hopefully it'due south a bug that tin be easily stock-still.

All totaled, Phototastic for Windows 8 is a respectable photography app that will fill your collage building needs nicely. Navigation and editing menus are piece of cake to follow and laid out in user friendly mode. It's too fun to build collages with the actress working space a tablet or computer screen has to offer compared to the pocket-size screen of our Windows Phone.

If y'all need to build a collage from your Windows eight or RT device, y'all actually need to give Phototastic a endeavour. It is a free app and you can observe Phototastic hither in the Windows Store.

We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

The problem for a consumer HoloLens was always the lack of Windows Phone

History catches up

The problem for a consumer HoloLens was e'er the lack of Windows Phone

What is the hereafter for Microsoft (and Windows) mixed reality? The latest written report from Business Insider sheds some low-cal, but this all comes back to one major problem for Microsoft: No mobile Windows OS. Simply what about a futurity headset that is cloud-based? Some thoughts on what could happen for Microsoft mixed reality.