We already featured a rather interesting iPad app today, but we’re not done. InStyle is an iPad app that lets you picture yourself with 200 convincingly-rendered hairstyles (50 if you’re using the free version).
You start off by snapping a quality picture of yourself, or getting one from the photo library, and letting the app detect your face shape. You can then carry out the painful task of adjusting the result by dragging dots around until you’re happy with the result. That said, the computerized one should be just fine, and I’d advise you to go with it unless you’ve taken a PhD in art (or are just too obsessed with the way you look.). This is a great jump in terms of simplicity from the most popular method for editing someone’s hair: Photoshop.
You can then browse different haircuts (as we’ve pointed out, 200 of them) based on style, face shape and celebrity. I’m not sure if there’s a Rebecca Black design available yet, but you get the idea. The app will even recommend styles for you, based on your face shape. Then more quickly than you can say “that looks great”, the hairstyle you picked will be accurately rendered over your head. You can then change the color and opt for another look, which will also be rendered on the fly. Each and every makeover you make will then be saved on your iPad’s picture library for later use, or enjoyment.
Maybe even more interesting is that after you’ve managed to come up with your perfect look, it’s a snap to book an appointment at one of the certified salons near you, so this isn’t helpful to you, it’s also helpful to many businesses out there.
This app is available at the iTunes store for $5.99, with a growing database of 200 styles and counting, along with a free version with only 50 styles. It’s also important to stress that InStyle is mainly aimed at women, so if you’re a man you’ll most likely use this more as a time waster than a portable version of Extreme Makeover. Still, I think there’s some fun in effortlessly getting an Angelina Jolie haircut, at least on the app.
Perhaps a bigger drawback is it will only direct you to salons inside the United States. That’s clearly a measure to preserve quality (since all salons are reviewed before they’re approved for referral), but it will definitely be disappointing to some of our readers.
(via Mashable)
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