Takes PhotoYou probably already know that photography and video are a real estate agent’s best friends when it comes to marketing. But, where to begin? Lots of us are great at sales, but perhaps photography isn’t our strong suit. Thankfully, there’s an app for that. Or many, as it turns out – below are ten photo and video capture apps that can help you to take stunning shots and efficiently post and share them on social media, your website, with individual clients and, in some cases, directly to your MLS.

  1. LightTrac: LightTrac, which operates on iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and Android devices, is a definite favorite among Realtors who are successfully using photography as a marketing tool. The basis for LightTrac is to help the photographer determine what is the best time of day to photograph subjects based on light conditions.
  2. Takes: While not specifically geared to real estate professionals, Takes will transform your still photos into dynamic videos, complete with filters and matching music. This iPhone app can extract the best video clip for representing the snapshot moment, while maintaining the original photo. The included soundtrack engine matches your video to music that is appropriate based on your video’s temp and length.
  3. 360Panorama: Exactly as it sounds, this iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry and Android app can capture a panorama in real time. Especially for a buyer who might not be able to see a property in person right away, this can help provide a great impression of a home that traditional photos might not be able to accomplish.
  4. Camera+: In addition to features like touch exposure and focus, stabilizer, photo flashlight, grid composition and digital zoom, this app features a Lightbox that helps you to easily organize your photos and keep your camera roll uncluttered. For the real estate professional who is on the road, this is essential – you might have taken photos of multiple homes during the day, and this can make it easier for you to sort and manage each set of images.
  5. Diptic: This app might be the next best thing to actually viewing a house in person. It allows you to create a photo collage, juxtaposing contrasting imagines and creating before-andafter sequences. Neat, huh? There are 179 layouts from which to choose; you select photos, position them, and customize the inner frame dimensions. Then, apply filters, add text, modify brightness, hue and saturation.
  6. Tout: When a photo’s not quite enough, Tout can add a mobile video update to your site in minutes. You can instantly share footage with your website, app, contacts or social media followers.
  7. Tourzilla: Tourzilla touts itself as “anti-frustration software”; indeed, reviewers agree that its interface is an easy and fast way to quickly share video. The agent photographs the home, and then Tourzilla will create an effective video virtual tour without complex editing. Your video can be shared both on social media and on the MLS, if available. As well, you can enter the house details like address, price, bedrooms and other stats into Tourzilla so that the information accompanies your video.
  8. Animoto Pro: As real estate agents continue to extol the virtues of video for marketing, they’re using Animoto not only for property listings, but also for Realtor videos, “just sold” and neighborhood videos, as well. The app allows you to create your video from your photos, share it, accompany it by 2,000 licensed music tracks, add captions and text and link your video to your listing. The app was created by TV and film professionals, so the videos don’t look amateurish.
  9. Instagram: In all likelihood, you’ve seen an Instagram photo, whether you realize it or not. The tremendous benefit to this app is that it already has a devoted following. Many users love it because of the filters and other instant-editing features. However, the big benefit for a real estate agent is that you can shoot a property and then mark it with a searchable hashtag, which can go a long way in helping potential buyers to find you and your properties. Instagram now also offers 15-second videos, which are easily shareable and can be an effective “tease” for your property.
  10. Snapseed: This app makes professional-looking photo editing effects available to the on-the-go photographer. Bright, intense filters can make your photos look exciting and enticing; as well, use a “selective adjust” tool to make precise selections and enhancements with just your fingertip. Finally, a “drama” filter will create custom effects that you can use to make your photos look either slightly enhanced or wildly artistic.

Use your mobile device to its fullest potential with these apps; you’ll be making the most of your time, engaging your customers where it counts and hopefully drawing some new business that you might not have had the opportunity to harness before. It’s a “snap”!