Light Painting Made Easy by the New iPhone App Pablo

For most, light painting photography is out of reach. Usually requiring a DSLR setup, most photographers don’t want to spend the time, energy, or coin to create dynamic images painted with light. But, for those who love the idea of using concentrated light to add flare to their images with little to no effort, Pablo is here. The new app for iOS helps even the most amateur photographer create long exposure photos and video at the touch of a screen.

Light painting isn’t a new technique, nor is it hard to conceptually understand. The “paintings” are simply long exposures embellished by available or artificial light. Photographers create these images by manually moving a light source while taking a long exposure or by moving their camera around a static light source.

With Pablo, this process remains the same. All Pablo users have to do is find the light and tap their screen, then the app takes care of the rest. Pablo uses a custom algorithm to create light trails resembling traditional long exposure photography. Another tap of the screen will stop the exposure and give the user both a high-res video and still photograph.

Pablo is designed for photographers who are ready and willing to share their creations. The app is community focused and even has a live view mode allowing you to spectate as other light painters make their masterpieces in real time. You can, of course, follow and leave feedback for other light artists. But more, Pablo allows users to share their creations with a larger audience by directly exporting to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Pablo is currently free and available for download in the App Store.