Why do we spot problems in a photo when it’s too late, as in “I don’t recall seeing that trash can in the park flower bed.” The TouchRetouch app for Apple and Android products lets you remove that trash can – or a facial blemish, or telephone pole — that has ruined your composition.
Certainly there are other touch-up apps, and even some more powerful ones, but TouchRetouch is a winning combination of inexpensive and easy, and it does a respectable job.
The app, which is 99 cents for full versions (there is a free Android version with ads and fewer tools), removes unwanted elements in much the same way as Photoshop does, using a brush, eraser, clone tool or lasso. Don’t worry if those words are foreign to you, the app has two videos that explain what the tools are and how to use them.
Basically, you start by picking one of the tools and using your finger on the touch screen to draw over the unwanted element. A great feature of this app is that when you are drawing, a small window appears to show you what is being obscured by your finger.
Once highlighted, hit a button and the program tries to remove the offending trash can (or whatever) and fill in with the proper background.
In use, the app did an uneven job, sometimes making an amazing adjustment, and other times making a smudgy mess. This is a problem faced by even with the most sophisticated photo editing software, but with TouchRetouch, because you are drawing with an imprecise finger, the problems are a little more apparent.
One small gripe: You have to buy different versions for the iPhone and iPad, requiring two purchases, while for Android there is only one.