Apollo: Immersive illumination Reviews

by Humptybump

Apollo has minimal usefulness as of version 1.0.1.

1) There is no way to control the direction when adding light to a photo. The light appears to always apply from above. Since there is depth data it should be possible to simulate light from above, below, behind, and front - as well as combinations. (The developer suggested using "depth" which misses the issue - it's not possible to direct the light from below or from the front.)

2) the sliders for adjusting each value - brightness, distance, etc. require multiple swipes to make anything more than a tiny change

3) the lighting is either to harsh or too subtle. It's difficult to get realistic results.

BTW: It's unfortunate when app developers expect their users to learn and adapt to weak user interfaces.

by Cod Is My Name

Thought Apollo would be kinda cool concept is good but it won’t access any photos so it’s absolutely useless complete waste of money

I was asked to edit my review of Apollo so here it is this is a great concept but it can’t access any of my portrait mode photos that it has already filtered it wasn’t that it wouldn’t access my regular photos that I left a bad review I knew it would do that before hand I checked Apollo out first and read as much about it as I could so I already knew it would filter and only use portrait mode photos but every time I chose one to edit it says it can’t access I checked the setting to make sure it wasn’t on my end as well and I did give permission to Apollo to access my photos and it still can’t access my portrait mode photos that it displays when you open Apollo I can only access the sample photos provided with Apollo so once again until this problem is resolved Apollo is useless to me and was a waste of money and the issues are not do to user error

by TWSHC

Can’t access all of my photos, just 40 or so, instead of the 7,000+. Of the 40 available, not one is able to be opened by Apollo . The refund is on its way.

Update 3:
Received another tone deaf email from the developers begging me to change my review.

So I downloaded Apollo once more and opened it up, granting permission to access my photos. Still can’t open any of my Portrait Mode pics.

Thanks but no thanks, devs. I’ll take my money back now, thanks.

Update 2:
I’ve received another response from the developer. It seems to be rather tone deaf. They just keep reiterating that Apollo only works with photos taken in Portrait Mode. Here’s my reply to the developers...

I know what Portrait Photos are. I know how to differentiate between them and other photos. I know where they’re stored in the Photos App. I know how your app works.
Now read, very carefully -
Your app DOES NOT open any Portrait Mode photo on my iPhone 7 Plus, nor will it open a photo taken in Portrait Mode on my wife’s iPhone 7 Plus.

Until Apollo is updated, you shouldn’t ask me to update this review.

Update:
Received a canned response from the developer, but it completely misses the mark. Yes, I understand Apollo is only going to use photos taken in Portrait Mode.
But there’s just the one glaring problem, dear developers:

Your app won’t open any Portrait Mode photo!

Refund please. Pronto.

by MarcoLandin

Oh, sure, NOW it says very clearly after I have purchased it that it is “not compatible with my device”. Where was this warning when I was clicking BUY?
It seems a little dishonest, and I am very disappointed, I know it’s only $.99 but I want my money back.
If you’re reading this review to determine whether you want to get this app for your iPhone, please be advised that it only works with phones that support portrait mode, which is only the latest phones. Determine if your phone is compatible first before making the purchase.
I really wish I could use this.

by B43rb8

Major meh because: It’s a fun tool, BUT simply doesn’t do a good job finding all the portrait photos in library. That is actually a deal breaker for me, a huge deal breaker.
I’m also not entirely sure why the “portrait mode only” restriction. Anyway, so long only a fraction of my portrait shots show up in the this app library, I can’t, in good conscience recommend Apollo.
Bummer, as there is definitely potential in it, the creators of Apollo just need to show their love for Apollo and care about their users

by AGBGAB

Looks like a good app, but I wouldn’t know because I can’t use it. I checked the apps compatibility section and it stated “compatible with iPhone and iPad.” It didn’t say that it must be iPhone 7plus or newer. So, I have to keep Apollo until I get a new phone.

I have decided to update my review since a company rep emailed me whining about my first review and trying to make me out as unintelligent. I checked again and Apollo Store still says compatible with iPhone. You have to read through the fine details to discover it only works with certain iPhones. After buying iPhone X, i can now say with confidence that Apollo is extremely ok. You can do interesting things with Apollo , but your customer service skills need some help. Also, dont email me again unless to you are prepared to apologize.

by BAR112

I figured it out--you can only take new photos with your iPhone and then edit them only on your iPhone with the this app app. Seems not to work at all with an iPad (which I use for ALL my photo editing because I can see my photos on it). I would much prefer to take photos with my iPhone and then edit on my iPad (in landscape mode). But, it does change the lighting and everything else it promises. 5 stars if my above suggestions are implemented.

by Mmills89

I paid for Apollo expecting to be able to edit photos in the same fashion as Facetune relight. However, it only works with portrait photos, meaning only about 10 photos in my camera roll are compatible.
Apollo works wonderfully on the photos it is compatible with, but I was very disappointed and feel that I ultimately that I wasted my money, since I can’t use Apollo to edit the photos I wanted to.

by Sn-sgu

Using 7+......There are a few portraits I tried this on and am enjoying playing around. Can be a nice app to fix or add lighting to but am disappointed there are NO settings. Especially on how I chose to save/export the rendered photo. There is only ONE option, native to Apollo ”HEIC”...i never use that format so major points taken away for that! I require JPEG and TFF. It does save original dimensions tho so that's good at least.

by LunarShadow67

I gave Apollo a shot based on a whim. I randomly will play with photos I’ve taken with editing and decided to give Apollo a shot.

It may be limited a little now but doesn’t mean it won’t be in the future.

Biggest gripe for myself currently is not being able to control the direction of the lighting.

Also noticed that the only portrait photos it allows me to edit are the ones taken on my new iPhone X. Ones I took on my iPhone 7 Plus.... I get an error message that it can’t open it.

Get those two fixed. I’ll switch my rating to a 5!

by Viberider

For those who can understand and care about depth and lighting, this is amazing. It’s not Instagram... you have put a bit of time in... which will be worth it. Yes, use portrait mode. Be creative. Post edit in another app.

The only issue I have is it seems to negate the death of field bokeh of the original.

by Tyjdkndbdkd

I wish I could attach photos to this review, but you’ll have to trust my opinion that Apollo was well worth the purchase. If people are having any problems, it’s probably an issue with their phone or a glitch. Apollo is working perfectly for me and it’s amazing.

by Rubbericons

My initial impression was, “why the hell can’t I get to my library” then I read the summary of Apollo again. It’s a companion app.

I personally thought that the iPhone 8, portrait mode, was missing something... your app brilliantly creates perfection! Thanks for the hard work

by Digital Pastor

I saw Apollo highlighted (pun?) on Apple. So I paid and downloaded it. Glad I found it! Originally I gave a lower rating, but I am revising my opinion of Apollo: now that I’ve figured out the mechanics, it’s pretty cool.

With up to 20 light sources, in front for behind the subject, opens up a lot of options to highlight subtle aspects of a portrait taken photo.

Once I’ve added new light sources and saved, I can move on to other apps for additional processing - if needed.

Give it try. Read Apollo Store instruction- And be patient- it takes a few try’s to get the hang of the type of pic this app can process. Good luck!

by Wmillik

Usually don’t review, but this unique tool deserves a chance to develop its niche. It is intended to take advantage of the latest Apple phones. Giving bad reviews because a product isn’t compatible with older platforms is wrong. On my iPhone X this software performs exactly as described. It will take time to learn how to use this in my workflow. Thanks

by Imtobisonbrown

Apollo has blown be away. the depth api of portrait mode on my iphone X has been relatively wasted until now. moving a light source behind each depth point (and realizing how many there are!) in a portrait photo is so cool.
essentially, i can do lighting effects in post by placing lights anywhere the depth api reads a depth object. (it’s easier to show than explain).

so for future updates, here is my wishlist:
•pause a project (need to be able to come back to something)
•wider spread to cover a larger area (much larger)
•separate colors from warm/cool white light (ala color philips hue bulbs)
•blend close by depth objects (would make the halo effect require fewer light sources)

by Zufalls_Autofocus

Blown away with my first render created using this app. A similar render I created a few months back by painstakingly transforming an images mood by manipulating light and saturation levels with an editing apps brush tool took hours to create. I just created a similar render from another pic from the same shoot, that has its look and feel, not to mention its overall quality, in 20mn!

by Tattooed_Video_Boy

First off, this is a phenomenal app. The creativity it unlocks on your dual-camera phone is nothing short of incredible.

But folks, you gotta know what phone you have BEFORE you purchase Apollo! It states very clearly that it’s ONLY for the iPhone 7+, 8+ and X. If you don’t have one of those phones, it’s useless to you. So quit whining and learn to read BEFORE you purchase something!

by Troywise

Apollo is the next step in what can be done with photo editing. I love how it works with the 3D mapping provided by the camera, to allow for both subtle and dramatic changes. In reality a very sophisticated tool, considering that we’re working on our phones.

That being said, it seems there’s maybe a conflict: the UI/controls don’t allow for ease of use on a phone screen, making it somewhat tedious to make all the small incremental changes Apollo potentially allows. Apollo could soar, given the right UI. Think Lightroom and Snapseed (no, they don’t offer what your app does), and how well they function on small screens.

by Kirbs9281

Turn off help to get rid of tips. App works well once you figure out how to adjust the lighting using the tools. Apollo can turn the lights on or off in your portrait-mode photo and everything in between, which will take some self-teaching and observations to figure out. Definitely worth the $1.99.