Take awesome panoramic photos with these free Android apps

One of the best things I like about my Android smartphone is that you always have a camera with you. I have a nice Canon digital camera but hardly ever use it. Convenience always seems to win out.There are many different camera apps for photo editing and sharing, but this article focuses on panoramic photo apps. Panoramic photographs are just awesome, and being able to take these types of images with my smartphone is fun. Here are just a few of the apps I have tried, and best of all, theyre all free.

Wondershare Panorama (Free)

Wondershare Panorama is just one of numerous photo apps from PowerCam Studio. The app works very well. To take a panoramic picture you simply hold the phone steady and hit the on-screen photo button. Then, you slowly move the camera to the right and when the photo is done, the app will beep at you. You can preview the pic and then save/delete or share over numerous social media.

Within the app there are few neat settings. First you can turn the flash on/off during the session. Second the app has about 20 different effects you can add to the photo, including, cross process, old photo, sketch-style and X-ray. Thirdly, you can hold the phone in either portrait or landscape.

Photo 360by Sfera (Free)

Photo 360 is an interesting photo app. To take a picture, you tap the screen to start. On the screen there will be a level to help you focus on a steady shot, and a progress bar to tell you when you are done. With the app you can take three types of photos: 360 degree panorama, 360 degree object/person photo, and for front facing cameras, behind you photos.

With this app you can also geo-tag your images and have sound recording. You can share photos via email and social media such as Twitter and Facebook. The app is free, but to share photos, they must be uploaded to the developers server and that costs one ticket. You get five free tickets and the ability to purchase more is available.

Panorama app: 360 (Free) (Free)

Panorama Camera 360 from Teleportme is one of the more highly-rated Android apps. To use it, you first need to create an account with Teleportme. Then, the app is opened and you can begin taking photos. There is a nice video showing you how to do it. You can upload and share you photos on the Teleportme network under your account.

To take a panoramic photo, tap the screen to start and then follow the on-screen directions. Of all the apps, I had the most difficulty with this one. Within the app you can take a regular photo or a panoramic one. You also have the option to take regular or HD photos, too. All photos can be geo-tagged, and you can of course share photos on Facebook and Twitter.

Panorama Camera 360 (Free)

Panoramic Camera 360 is also just one of numerous photo apps from Fotolr. Taking a panoramic photo is simple. Tap on the camera icon to begin and then slowly rotate. On the screen you will see a diamond moving into a circle, when in the center it takes a photo. Continue rotating then hit the stop button when done. The app will then stitch the photos together to create your panoramic view.

The app has some options to it. You can turn the flash on/off and you can decide how large your panoramic shot will be. The camera has to be held in landscape mode and there are ads on the screen most of the time. The app will not allow you to take a photo unless the camera is level. The app also has nine social media networks with which you can share.

Photaf Panorama (Free)

Photaf Panorama comes in two versions, free and pro. The pro version cuts out the ads. They also have a THD version for Tegra devices. When taking panoramic photos you have the option to use automatic picture taking or not. My recommendation is to use it. The app will take individual photos and then stitch them together to form the panoramic shot. The app has a progress bar and beeps at you when it is ready to take a shot.

Holding the camera steady when taking photos and when stitching occurs is critical. The app shows two bubble levels (vertical and horizontal) to help you out. Also, you need to move slowly or the photos will blur or get cut. There are a number of options you can control within the app such as geo-tagging, shutter sounds, beeping/vibrating when aligned, picture size and auto focus. You can see your photos within the app and share them via Facebook.

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