Five Favorite Photo Apps...so far!

This past school year was my first with iPads in my art room. My first grade students were the first group to go 1:1 with iPads which they were able to bring to art class on several occasions. Later in the year, I finally was able to add nine iPads specifically for art room use.

Although my experience with iPads and apps in the classroom is recent and somewhat limited, I have found a few that seemed to resonate with my students at different grade levels.

Percolator with ArtDoodles lettering

1. Camera! Although the iPad camera is just fine, I like the way this app allows students to use the different grids and a level to compose their photographs. There are multiple special effects and a video option as well. Just enough for elementary students who are ready for a little more than point and shoot.

2. Percolator: My students loved the various effects created by "percolating" their photographs, especially photographs of their original art work. 



WordFoto with ArtDoodles app



WordFoto with Camera!

3. WordFoto: This app is an easy way to add descriptive words and phrases into artwork. The free version of the app has plenty of options, although in-app purchases can be made to add more variety.   

4. Halftone: Who can resist creating cartoons? With this app, students can add word balloons and captions to their photographs, just for the sheer delight of being silly, or to tell a story with their images. This example was a photo taken with my Canon camera which had been transferred to my iPad using the iPad Camera Connection Kit.

 

5. Pic Collage: This app is a simple format for students at the elementary level to create "collections" of their photographs. The free version is a bit limited in its collection of "stickers", but there are still enough options to make some very nice presentations.

This summer I am downloading and experimenting with several other photo editing apps, but have yet to find any that are as student-friendly as these five.

If you are using photo editing apps on your iPads, what are some of your favorites?