Why do you see the individual blades of an airplane even though it is rotating at a very high speed? It is because iPhone’s camera lens is based on ‘rolling shutter’.

Rolling shutter (also known as line scan) is a method of image acquisition in which each frame is recorded not from a snapshot of a single point in time, but rather by scanning across the frame either vertically or horizontally. In other words, not all parts of the image are recorded at exactly the same time, even though the whole frame is displayed at the same time during playback. (Source: Wikipedia)

Thus, the resulting effect is that you can see the individual blades of the airplane when you record using devices using rolling shutter.

Blades of an Airplane (Recorded using Camera Plus Pro)

There isn’t any physical shutter in an iPhone or similar recording devices. It is just called that as a convention (something similar to a movie camera having a shutter moving across frames). In digital video, the rolling shutter effect is the result of the way a CMOS sensor is read. CMOS sensor doesn’t captures the entire frame at one go but instead information is read line by line of each frame, i.e. top to bottom. The video frame rate (fps) also depends on the quality of recording and also if the device is handheld.

CMOS sensors capable of higher frame rates than 30 frames per second (and not just through repeating frames) will exhibit less rolling shutter effect because their sensors have been designed to read faster. This limitation is removed in high-end DSLR cameras.

~ Saurabh

To know more about Camera Plus Pro, Click here.

Camera Plus, Camera Plus Pro Camera Plus, Camera Plus Pro, iPhone, Rolling Shutter, Video recording

Perform a quick Google search, or a search on Twitter or Yahoo Answers or any other ‘How to’ site and you will find most Mac users asking questions like, “How do I do a Screen Capture on my Mac?”, “What are the keys for Screen Capture on my Mac?” or “What are the default Screen Capture keys on my Mac?”. Capturing your screen is one of the most useful features on your Mac, and saves tons of time. Performing a screen capture on my Mac has become almost second nature to me and it has been exceedingly helpful so many times! So here are a few tips for you.

Your Mac comes with a set of default keys that you can use for a quick capture of any content on your desktop using your keyboard. Here is a list of few that will save the screenshot to your desktop:

• Full Screen Capture: Command (Apple)+Shift+3
• Selection Capture: Command+Shift+4. Drag and drop the mouse over the selected area.
• Object/Window Capture: Command+Shift+4, hit the Space Bar, then click a window.

If you would rather have the screenshots saved to the Clipboard, below is the list. Do note that only the last captured screenshot will be placed in the Clipboard.

• Full Screen Capture: Command+Control+Shift+3
• Selection Capture: Command+Control+Shift+4. Drag and drop the mouse over the selected area.
• Object/Window Capture: Command+Control+Shift+4, hit the Space Bar, then click a window.

These steps help you in obtaining a quick capture of some content that you require for future reference. But you have to be content with the kind of capture that you obtain while using this mode. Since, when capturing something using the default mode, the moment you lift the cursor off, the capture is done, irrespective of whether you are happy or not with the capture, or want to re-align the coordinates of the capture area.

If you are looking for more control over your captures, wider capturing options and better organization of your captures, you can try Voila Mac Screen Capture Tool. Voila comes with a free trial so you can try it risk-free for 15-days. Not only does Voila give you flexibility of using your favorite keystrokes for capturing/recording, but it also has a central library that organizes all your screenshots/screen-casts in one place. You can read more about the features here. Voila is priced at USD 29.99 and is available for purchase on the Global Delight Store and on the Mac App Store.

-Vaishnavi

Voila Mac Screen Capture, screen-casts, Video recording, Voila

Happy 2011! May this New Year bring newly found prosperity, love, happiness and delight in your life. And speaking about delight reminds me of the latest update of Camera Plus Pro. All of you were amazed with the last update of Camera Plus Pro with it’s brand new UI, retina display friendly icons, improved features and more, well this update is also going to be a treat. This update was mainly planned to fix the White Screen issue, however since the App Store was closed for the holidays, we got plenty of time to sneak in a few more awesome goodies into this update. Read on to know more:

27 Gorgeous Effects for iPhone 3GS, 4 and iPod touch

You asked for them, and we delivered. Tap your creative side and go totally wild with these effects.

Slide to Exposure on iPhone 3GS, 4 and iPod touch

Tap to show the Exposure control and drag it anywhere until you get the desired exposure for your shot. This is also available for your videos.

Extra Meta Data

Now your Camera Plus Pro photos will carry additional Meta Data, such as - the Make, Model, Creation Date and more

Additional Time Lapse Options:

Create amazing Time Lapse videos with options now start from 0.25 seconds till 2.00 seconds with a time interval of 0.25 seconds between each option.

White Screen Issue Fixed:

As mentioned before, the White Screen Issue was a minor bug arising due to limited memory. This has been fixed, so that nothing comes in between you and your amazing shots.

Quick Roll Performance improved:

The loading of media in the Quick Roll has been made faster so that you can quickly access your photos and videos.

Contact Us:

Got a feedback, suggestion, or just want to send us some love for developing such an awesome app, hit the About Box to drop us a line.

There are also a few more feature enhancements which you will experience as you use the app. Camera Plus Pro is definitely the best deal on the App Store, that lets you take amazing photos and record videos, trim your videos and edit photos with Effects, Crop, Adjust Hue, Saturation and more and instantly share them to popular social media sites. Camera Plus Pro also lets you manage your files with Smart Tagging and password protection.

If you are one of the few who still haven’t tried Camera Plus Pro, then head to the App Store now! And do let us know what you like the most about Camera Plus Pro!

Camera Plus Pro app store, camera app, Camera Plus Pro, effects, Time Lapse, Video recording

All of us have been waiting with fingers crossed for January the 6th. Yup, that is the launch day of the much talked about ‘Mac App Store’. Excited as we are about this new concept, we also see it as an opportunity for you to

- Locate reliable software from a single source: This will eliminate the need to scour tons of websites to find something you need and wonder if the software might be harmful. The App Store will be a source for apps for Mac users who want to find their apps quickly and with minimum fuss.

- Better choice and availability: The App Store would also present before you all the apps and the best ones that are available for a particular purpose. With its method of categorizing the apps under different sections, finding the kind of app you need becomes that much easy.

- More experimentation: The Mac App Store like the original App Store may encourage experimentation with regard to promotion, offers and more, letting you take the best advantage of it.

These are just our 2 cents, but we are really expecting the Mac App Store to be revolutionary. And Voila is never far behind when it comes to creating milestones!

Voila on the Mac App Store and a brand new feature:

With the launch of the Mac App Store, we have released a new version of Voila, Mac Screen Capture Tool, with an exciting new feature. Most of you wanted to do more with your screen recording. Sometimes you may have found that you have recorded a little too much and want to trim off that extra portion instead of re-recording the whole thing again. With the latest version of Voila, this issue is eliminated. Now, after you have completed your screen recording, you can quickly and easily trim your videos using the QuickTime player. We are sure most of you are going to find this feature very useful. This feature is available only on Mac OS 10.6 and newer.

Voila is a great Screen Capturing app, that lets you capture still shots and videos of your desktop. Not just that, you can also edit and annotate your still shots with Callouts, Text, Filters, Arrows and more to make them more meaningful. The built-in organizer lets you manage your files smartly and also lets you share your work instantly via YouTube, Flickr, FTP, SFTP and Mail. At just $30 USD, Voila is the only Screen Capturing Software you would need for your Mac. You can grab your copy of Voila from any of these options Global Delight Store, Software Casa, Smith Micro and now the Mac App Store!

-Vaishnavi

Voila Mac App Store, Mac Screen Capture, video editing, Video recording, Voila

Many of you must have heard the fascinating fairy tale of Cinderella, where with a flick of her wand, her fairy godmother transformed her into an elegant belle to attend a ball that she wanted to go to. In case you are wondering why I’m recalling this fairy tale, it’s because the latest update of Camera Plus Pro is a little similar to this. With a flick of our wand, we have transformed Camera Plus Pro into an amazing, totally new app with the latest update. When Camera Plus Pro was first released, major focus was given to its features, providing you with a wide choice of photography options, video recording, editing and instant sharing. Well, this update is something BIG! As part of the celebration of one year in the App store, we wanted to treat you with something amazing for all the support that you have given us. This update is a keeper and you’ll agree too!

The first thing that you are going to notice about this update is the icon. We thought if the app is getting a makeover, why not the icon? The super cool icon is definitely going to tempt you to take a lot of photos! And what’s going to make you love taking photos on your iPhone, is the gorgeous new UI! Every little detail has been taken care of with the new design, so that you never have to fumble for the right keys when the perfect shot just happens to appear. Indicators on the screen, show what options you have activated such as Big Button, Anti Shake and the camera buttons now change as per the device orientation. We have also supported Video Editing, which lets you trim your videos on your iPhone 3GS, 4 and the new iPod touch. And now all your edited photos will be saved as a separate file with its tags and geo-tags intact!

With this version, batch tagging and searching for your photos and videos are a breeze. You will find it much easier now to locate all your photos and videos tagged under specific titles. For those who found the Password protection feature intimidating, this version sports a more intelligent way of managing them. You can now even Share, Tag and Sync your private photos and videos directly from the Private folder. My most favorite feature is where you can select multiple photos and videos with just a swipe of your finger or get additional options by just pressing on a photo or video.

A most sought after feature, we have also allowed you to Sync all your photos and videos at once to the Camera Roll. And another favorite is the image preview option in the Share screen. If you have selected multiple photos to be shared, you can preview them in the Share screen, apply a copyright or even remove the photos that you decide not to share at that time. You can also switch to another app, while Camera Plus Pro is uploading your photos or video.

These features are just the tip of the iceberg of this amazing update. You will be pleasantly surprised with the thought behind this update and sure going to love it. We thank you all for your support, especially our Beta tester community, who gave us great feedback and suggestions. To facilitate your understanding of the app better, we have prepared a detailed manual, which you can download and refer to. And for those who are yet to try it out, grab it or gift it today! It’s available on the App Store for just $1.99. Get it immediately and be a part of this amazing iphonegraphic revolution called Camera Plus Pro.

-Vaishnavi

Camera Plus Pro app store, Camera Plus Pro, capture, editing, Sharing, Video recording