Late last night I downloaded the Filterstorm 3.0 update from the App Store. I’ve been waiting, rather impatiently, for this update so I’m excited it is finally here. The new update is deserving of a major version number increase. It is loaded with new features as well as a completely redesigned user interface. I found the previous version of Filterstorm’s UI off-putting and clunky and very non-iOS like. The new interface, which still doesn’t use standard UI elements available for iOS development for some features (the one that makes me scratch my head the most is the progress indicator), is head-and-shoulders better than the old UI. Have a look at the video preview I posted several days ago to see the new UI in action. The best part? – Filterstorm 3 is free to existing users and currently on sale for $1.99 a 50% savings on the regular price of $3.99.

While I haven’t had a lot of time with the app yet (I do have a day job!), last night I was able to create a clean looking image in just a matter of minutes using the new Filterstorm 3 update. I found the slider controls with the split preview view easy to use and intuitive. The developer has gone the extra mile and even given tools for controlling the layout itself so you can choose where you want the preview, if you want it split (you can see your changes real-time on 1/2 of the image), etc. I commend them for giving their users the ability to setup the workspace how they choose. The app appears to be running faster compared to the previous version, and I could work faster in general because everything is so handily located – bye bye to the open and close slider pane (or should I say pain!). My only complaint from my brief test run is the cropping tool doesn’t give you any kind of guides so you have to eyeball for great composition. If the crop tool had a selection of guides to aid in composing your crop, I would likely use Filterstorm 3 exclusively for my photo prep needs as I find it more powerful and responsive than Photoshop Express and much faster than Perfect Photo (which I will continue to use as my cropping tool of choice).

Here is a quick example of my short test run. Ignoring the specific choices I made while testing because I was just running through all the tools. You may not be able to see at this resolution but the resulting image has an amazing clarity to it and the app did a fantastic job with sharping in my non-expert opinion.