Turning the worst selfies into beautiful portraits
Bestie is an app designed to make your selfies always look great. Never mind that you’re not photogenic, just apply a filter, touch it up a little, and you will look ready for the cover of a magazine.
Make great selfies in record time
If you are a selfie lover, then Bestie is designed for you. It lets you make yourself beautiful with a bunch of real-time filters and editing tools. First you select a filter that you like, or let the app inspire your with a random choice from its filter selection. The next option lets you slightly tweak the appearance of your skin, but frankly the 5 options make little difference. You can also add a vignette, activate an option that improves night shots, or apply a slight blur.
Once have the pose and filter effects selected, you can take a picture with a simple touch screen. Then either save and share the image, or retouch a little further for that real model look.
The second path is when Bestie shows its potential. The app offers several options of facial retouching: removing blemishes (from you or the photo), stylizing your face, enlarging your eyes, and altering your nose. Think of it as risk free, temporary plastic surgery.
Select, slide, and enjoy
Like similar selfie apps, B612 and Candy Camera, Bestie lets you select filters simply by sliding your finger across the screen. This option is really useful, especially as the filter quality is good. I can easily tell that they are designed for portraits, as they did noticeably improve my appearance.
But as I said, the real success of Bestie is the ability to retouch your image. This can dramatically improve the appearance of your face with little previous configuration: just tell the app the position of your eyes and your lips and move the bar of each effect to make it more or less. I know it sounds silly, but it is actually kind of magic.
The problem is that is mostly automated. This means that sometimes it will make a photo worse – and continue to make it worse - as you are unable to perform specific adjustments. For example, if it makes your nose look odd it will simply double down on the effect rather than giving you more control over the change it is making.
There is also an absence of some other modifying options. You can’t change the tone of your skin, color of your hair, add makeup, or modify the picture - common features in similar apps.
Another option that would certainly improve the app are basic editing tools, like trimming the image or adding a frame. In the age of Instagram, getting the image to the right dimensions is all important so - after a quick go on Bestie - I still needed to use another app to edit to size.
Just to make you beautiful
Bestie is a good app if all you want to seem more beautiful or handsome in photos. However, if you want to do much else, you will be better served looking elsewhere.
