Getting Your Kids to Say “Cheese”…There’s an App for That

Nov. 28, 2012 - PRLog -- For many parents, the hardest part about the holidays isn’t the shopping, or the decorating, or getting the house ready for guests – it’s getting your kids to cooperate for pictures. They don’t want to look at or smile for the camera, and when they do it looks unnatural or forced. And, it’s not just kids…pets, grown-ups and seniors do the same thing. That’s why a group of developers (and fathers) created Picasound (www.picasound.com), a photo app for the iPhone and iPod touch that plays any of 48 fun, professionally-recorded sounds guaranteed to get a smile out of your subject. Even better, Picasound gives you the ability to share your photos directly with the world through social media or e-mail. Picasound is currently available in the iTunes App Store for $1.99.

Compatible with all Apple devices running iOS 4 or newer (including the new iPhone 5), Picasound is an app that puts the power of a professional photographer right in your hand. Choose any of 48 fun, attention-grabbing sounds to be played while taking a photo of your baby, toddler, child, favorite pet or other subject. Sounds include:

*** Animals! ***
Cow, Dog, Duck, Sheep, Pig, Rooster, Lion, Frog, Horse, Chimpanzee, Seagull, Dolphin

*** Instruments! ***
Piano, Electric Guitar, Snare Drum, Bongo Drum, Xylophone, Harpsichord, Bagpipe, Gong, Trumpet, Saxophone, Maracas, Tambourine

*** Noises! ***
Baby Rattle, Alarm Clock Bell, Ambulance, Siren, Train, Ringtone,  Fire Truck, Alarm Clock Buzz, Police Car, Hazard/Warning, Keys Jingling

*** People/Robots! ***
Children ‘Hey!’, Cowboy ‘Yeehawwww’, Robot Squawking, Ninja Warrior, King’s Knight Sword Fighting, Pirate Laughing, Tennis Victory, Baby Laughing, Woman Sneezing, Baby Babbling, Caveman Grunting, Scuba Respirator

You can choose your favorite sounds from each category and save them in a Favorites category. This makes the sound (or sounds) that get you the best results easier to access and readily available for future use.

Once you have selected a sound, simply press down on the capture button and the sound will play on a loop through your phone’s speakers. Now that you have a reaction out of your subject, simply release the capture button and the photo is taken and saved to your device.  You can then use Picasound to share your photos via Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail integration.

The idea for Picasound came from three Tampa Bay Area businessmen (and fathers): Dan Roberts, Eric Stone and Mike Rea. Back in August, Dan was at Busch Gardens and happened to notice several parents having to take multiple pictures on their smartphones by making monkey sounds because their children wouldn't look at the camera and smile. It occurred to him that professional photographers that take pictures of children often use some kind of noise maker to get their subject’s attention. Dan spoke with Eric, a professional app developer, and the two determined that no iOS app existed that could do this.  Mike was brought in to provide financial expertise and market it.  The three worked together to build it and run it through the paces to create the app that was released today.

According to Dan Roberts, “As a dad, the biggest obstacle I have in capturing good pictures…and I’m talking about ‘send to grandma and grandpa, make into a Christmas card’ pictures…is getting my kids to look where I want them to and give me a good, realistic smile. So, I figured if kids get distracted by the littlest things, why not use that in my favor. That’s what Picasound does; it gets them to look and giggle so I can get a great picture. With the holiday season upon us, I can see Picasound being one of those must-download apps for parents.”

Technical Information

Category:   Photo & Video

Released:   Nov 27, 2012

Version:   1

Size:   33.2 MB

Language:   English

Seller:   Return of the App, LLC

Requirements:    Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Requires iOS 4.3 or later. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.

Website:     www.picasound.com