App of Interest: Sketchlens

I downloaded this free app from the Google Play Store last week, because it was a suggested app by Adylitica, Inc., the developers of Do It Tomorrow (my to-do list of choice, being a procrastinator).

Sketchlens is a neat little app that takes a photo of your ink sketch, and superimposes it onto a piece of digital stationary; paper types vary between clean-cut, brightly-colored, coffee-stained, and more. The app then saves your sketch as a handy PNG file, placing the round-cornered stationary on a transparent background.

I think the app is a fantastic concept for artists who like to post their sketches on the go. (Also for people who would like to see their drawing on coffee-stained paper, but don't actually want to stain some paper, wait for it to dry, then draw on it.)

Now, it isn't perfect, but it's important to note that it appears to have hit the market only three months ago, and is currently labeled "Sketchlens Beta" in the feedback-link email. Also, the opinions below are admittedly not very fair if this app was just created for simple note- and doodle-capturing.

Here are the pros:

• You can capture unlimited sketches
• You can put your sketches on special stationary
• Once in a while you receive small "gifts" of new stationary
• Easy to share via social media
• Two flash/focus modes to best capture the image
• PNG file format gives it a good look

And for artists, some considerable cons:

• Works best photographing a space less than 5 square inches in area; any further and there is loss of resolution
• Pencils and very detailed inks get muddied in the image; high-contrast images work best
• Requires excellent lighting; flash option is included but looks bad when used in low light
• Smartphone cameras do not allow manual focus, and autofocus is somewhat finicky
• Replenishing the special stationary is not free; someone who uses one particular paper set once every day can spend around $2 a month or $10 a year on it.

Here's a photo of the sketch card I posted yesterday, about 4x5.5 inches:

That gives you a general idea of the area covered in these two Sketchlens snapshots. As you can see, you have to get in pretty close to take a decent photo, but get too close and the camera can't focus on it (as is true with any camera app; being a smartphone camera, it can only do so much).

So, it may look and sound like too many cons for Sketchlens to be worth it, but honestly, I think it has a lot of potential. So if you download it and feel the same way, email the developers and let them know what you think! In time I think it could really be a great tool for all of us.