Schmutzie can most commonly be found at Schmutzie.com, but she’s also the founder of Ninjamatics and the Grace in Small Things social network in her ongoing efforts to make and spread things on the internet.

She gets social on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and StumbleUpon.

If you’ve got an iPhone, and if you would like to learn how to take the photo on the left and make it look like the photo on the right, you’re in the right place.

When I got my first smart phone, an iPhone 3G, I had no idea that it would have such decent camera ability, but it didn’t take long for me to fall in love with it. Now, two years later and in a household that boasts about 10 to 15 cameras, my iPhone, now an iPhone 4, is just about the only piece of camera equipment I ever use.

I’m not the only one who’s fallen for its charms. iPhoneographers are everywhere these days, and it’s easy to see why once you realize just how much power a few easy camera apps can wield. I have three favourite, go-to camera apps right now that make it easy to create good-looking images: Camera+ ($0.99), Snapseed ($4.99), and Noise Master ($1.99).

Although the price might seem steeper, these apps are well worth the $7.97 I spent on them, and, once you’ve played with them a bit, you’ll look like a master iPhoneographer. I wouldn’t leave home without them, so download those three apps and let me show you how to take a washed out, blurry photo from boring to ooh la la.

Camera+

Open Camera+. Tap the camera icon at the bottom left to open the camera if it is not already open. Point your iPhone at your subject. Tap the screen on the image where you would like the lens to focus, and then tap the camera button to take a picture.

As you can see, I took a pretty terrible picture. It’s always better to be able to start with a properly blocked, focused, and lit image, but I want to show you that even images shot on the fly can be turned into decent photos. So, if your image isn’t stellar right away, don’t sweat it.

After you’ve taken your photo, go to your Camera+ image gallery by tapping on the tiny thumbnail at the bottom left, and choose your photo from the gallery for editing.

My goal at this point is only to brighten the photo before further editing in Snapseed. You can see what setting I chose in the image below.

Feel free to play around with the different settings to see what they can do, but remember that we will be doing the majority of our editing in Snapseed, so, for this tutorial, keep it simple.

Voilà!

When you are done editing your photo, tap Done in the top right corner, and then tap Save near the bottom right. Close Camera+.

Snapseed

Open Snapseed. Tap Open at the top left, choose Photo Library, and then choose the last edited version of your photo from the photo gallery.

There are a number of options along the bottom of the screen. I opted to alter this particular photo using Tune Image (pictured below), which generally adjust elements of colour and brightness, Crop, which allows you to crop your photo, and Details, which sharpens the edges and image details.

Swipe your finger up and down to use the menu, as pictured at left, and swipe your finger left to right to adjust the value of any menu item, as pictured at right.

Don’t hesitate to sharpen your image quite a bit at this point — I used the full 100% — because we are going to cut down on image noise with the Noise Master, and the image will lose some detail if it is not already quite sharp.

Here is the photo so far after our Camera+ and Snapseed treatments:

When you are done editing your photo, tap the icon in the top right corner, and then tap Save to Photo Library. Close Snapseed.

Noise Master

Open Noise Master. Tap Load from ‘Photos’. Pick the last edited image from your photo gallery.

Put your thumb and forefinger on the screen, and, instead of pinching them together, pull them apart from each other to enlarge your photo. You won’t be able to see your whole photo when it is enlarged, but you will be able to see how much blur you are actually creating to keep you from overdoing it.

Use the slider at the bottom to create more and less noise reduction until you figure out which level you like the best.

I used 25% noise reduction for my photo:

When you are done editing your photo, tap Save in the top right corner. Close Noise Master.

It’s not too shabby for a photo that started out with a whole lot of problems, but I still didn’t feel done with this photo, though, so I opened up Snapseed again to adjust it for structure, focus, and saturation using the Details and Tilt-Shift options to give it a little more pop, and behold!

If I haven’t convinced you of the value of these three apps yet, just take a look at the first and last images side by side:

Camera+, Snapseed, and Noise Master are truly a trifecta of awesome when it comes to iPhoneography. They allow you to shoot photos under less desirable conditions and still create images you love, which is fantastic for those moments when you don’t have the time or opportunity to choose the best lighting or have everyone hold still for that perfect shot.

I’d love to see what you create, so, if you edit any photos using this tutorial, please link to them in the comments! And have fun!

By Amanda from The Best Mom On The Block

I am a coffee addict. Have been since I was five and my grandma started sharing her morning pot with me (more cream and sugar than coffee but it did the trick!). There’s nothing I love more than the smell of coffee brewing, and my hands wrapped around a big mug first thing in the morning is the best way to start my day. I curl up in my husband’s chair sipping and checking my social media accounts as my kids sleepily watch cartoons and play. (Sounds idyllic doesn’t it? It’s more “chaotic” than that but the coffee helps with the rose colored glasses!)

When the temperatures outside start to creep up I love to trade in my hot mug for a cold glass of iced coffee. I refuse to pay coffee chain prices for my daily fix (or three) so I started making a big pitcher at home to enjoy whenever I want! It’s pennies a glass and just as yummy as any glass you can get at a coffee shop. Slightly sweet and indulgently creamy, this iced coffee will be the perfect start to your day.

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By Heather from Domestic Extraordinaire

I’m not sure when I hit my first thrift store, I think it was probably when my oldest was a toddler.  I was amazed at all of the stuff and the prices!  I love shopping and finding a good deal and in my mind I had hit the jackpot!

90% of my wardrobe has come from thrift stores and resale shops.  The other 10% has come from clearance racks.  I hardly ever pay full price for an outfit and truth be told, I have a hard time paying full price at the thrift stores.  My teenage girls mock me unmercifully about this fact.

Many people compliment me on my outfits and are very surprised when I tell them either where I got it or how much the outfit cost.  They always proclaim that they never find anything worth while anytime they decided to pop into a thrift store or resale shop.  So today, I will share my thrifty secrets with you, so you too can have a killer wardrobe at a fraction of the cost.

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By Rebecca Keenan from Playground Confidential

There are many reasons to cloth diaper a baby. There’s the environmental impact and the feeling of soft cotton against your baby’s skin. Cloth diapers will make it easier for your baby to feel wet and might facilitate easier toilet training. Or maybe you have a deep, subconscious yearning to fold squares of cloth just so, fostered by years of setting napkins out in fine dining restaurants. Ahem. But I digress.

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By Angella from Dutch Blitz

Back when I was on maternity leave, and then working from home, getting good (and good for you) meals on the table was pretty simple. I was here at some point in the day, if not all day long, so I had time to prepare and cooks meals, and even dash to the grocery store for any last-minute ingredients. Now that I am working outside of the house full-time, as is my husband, we had to overhaul our meal-planning strategy.

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By Annette Kiesow from Catnip and Coffee

So you finally got that big freelance gig you’ve been searching for? The first contract work that gives you a chance to start your business, work for yourself, even quit your day job? You’ve spent weeks, months, maybe years putting all of your effort into finding a paying client. Now, you have to spend that same effort, or more, on keeping that client.

I’ve been doing contract work for almost seven years now, and in that time I’ve learned a few things about making clients happy. Happy clients mean more work coming your way, and we all want that! Not only will they keep giving you new assignments but also, continuously working with them will build your reputation in your field so other clients will notice you and, hopefully, hire you.

Here are a few tips to help you build your business, and stay in business.

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Ashley Stone is the wife of one, mother of two and the voice of Our Family Stone. She’s tried writing her bio 10 times and has discovered 2 things, 1. she talks/writes to much & 2. She should really just stop at “Hi”. So, “Hi”

A friend of mine posted a picture of a quote awhile back that sums it up wonderfully: “A perfect parent is a person with excellent child rearing theories, and no actual children.” True story, right? Whether you have 1, 2 or 25 kids, you know that the perfect parent doesn’t exist. She is the myth that keeps mothers up at night, leaves fathers feeling inadequate and is the thing that sells millions and millions of parenting books each year.

At least, the universal “Perfect Parent” for every kid doesn’t exist. There is however there is a “Perfect Parent” for your kids, and I think you’re going to find (if you don’t already know it), that it’s you!

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By Jennifer Howard from Chasing the Firefly

My two youngest children began going to school long enough this year to require a lunch. These two are the picky eaters of the family. One lives on air and Pixy Stix, the other would be happy drinking milk all day long. I knew I would have to be a little more creative when making their lunches. I decided that making Bento Box lunches would work perfectly.

There are many reasons why I chose to make Bento lunches but the biggest reasons would be:

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Nenette Alejandria Mayor writes about her sweet life with her 2 adorable, silly kids at Life Candy and has been known to send risque yet festive devices to unsuspecting relatives.

You know the saying: “It isn’t all about the presents.” The 6-year-old in me would call that a big fat lie and demand that Santa have my Barbie Camper toy under the tree as previously agreed upon.

My mini-me has a rather extreme opinion, but I must admit that the Holidays just wouldn’t be the same without a box to open on Christmas morning. Especially if that box is international in origin. I have family scattered all over the globe, and getting a box of chocolates from my aunt in Seattle or a carved wooden trinket from my godfather in The Philippines is always such a treat.

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