B612 for iPhone

Give your selfies some extra flair

If you enjoy taking self-portraits, this selfie app aims to make the process quick and playful. It offers live filters so you can preview looks before you snap, a variety of collage templates, and a few creative effects to tweak your photos. The app also includes video-focused features that go beyond simple still images.

Key capabilities

• Create music-backed montages made from up to nine short clips.
• Preview more than 50 filters in real time so you see the final look before pressing the shutter.
• Use collage layouts to combine multiple shots into a single frame.
• Apply tilt-shift and vignette effects (note: vignette may not work on every device).
• Share a “video box” with a friend via code so they can watch your clip and respond with their own recording.

How it feels to use

The app isn’t difficult in terms of features, but the interface can be less intuitive than competing camera apps. Navigation sometimes feels convoluted: I occasionally had trouble returning to specific screens, and needing to press the back button twice to reach the previous menu was annoying.

Strengths and limitations

• Strength: Fun, easy selfie capture with a wide selection of live filters.
• Limitation: Interface navigation can be confusing and requires extra steps.
• Strength: The collage and video montage tools add creative options beyond basic selfies.
• Limitation: Overall, the app doesn’t introduce many new ideas compared with other selfie apps.

Bottom line

This app is enjoyable for quick, attractive selfies and its video-collage features are a neat addition. However, it doesn’t break new ground: the core photo-taking tools are fairly standard, and the navigation could be streamlined for a smoother experience.