Duration is out on the App Store for iPhone and iPod Touch! A beautiful, visual countdown timer – perfect for timing workout intervals, board game rounds, kid’s activities and any other task, down to the second.

Get it here ($0.99) or read more here!

Duration is your everyday countdown timer. Clean, elegant and easy to use – down to the second. Time your workout sessions, when boiling an egg, limiting your kid’s time in front of the computer or create a faster game of charades or chess! With a quick glance you instantly see how much time is left, and contrary to Apple’s own timer, Duration can count down in seconds as well as minutes.

How can I change the colors of Duration?

Simply press the little ‘i’ icon in the upper right corner and the Settings flip over. Tap the theme button and select one of the themes you like. Press Done to return to the timer.

How can I change the alarm sound, and can I turn it off?

In the Settings menu (tap the ‘i’ icon), tap Sound and choose a sound of your liking. You can also turn off the sound if you want a silent countdown. Just flip the Sound switch to OFF.

I can’t hear a sound, even if sound is enabled. Why?

Remember to unmute your device and turn up the volume. On some devices without an internal speaker, no alarm sound can be heard. The same goes for vibration.

What’s the longest countdown possible with Duration?

You can set the timer to 59 minutes and 59 seconds, giving you 1 hour max countdown time. If you need longer countdowns you should use the calendar instead.

Another sweet update to DeepSketch has approved by Apple and is now available in the App Store! DeepSketch 1.5 has these tear-inducing enhancements:

- 60 % more undo levels!
- Better eraser with depth control and a brush preview/outline, makes it easier to see what you are erasing.
- Offset drawing: Choose to have your finger on the left or right line, or keep it between the two lines. Perfect for working with smaller details zoomed in. If you close one eye it’s like drawing on a flat surface!
- Stepped Depth Slider buttons: Increase and Decrease depth by 1 for more control!
- Shortcuts to the online gallery, tutorial video and online FAQ.
- Better Depth Preview window – now shows both brush size and depth (and brush size when drawing in 2D)

Bug fix: Undoing eraser actions now work as they should.
Dismissing New Image panel no longer clears the canvas.

Get the update here!

In DeepSketch 1.4 on the iPad, you have an option to import a photo from your library into the 2D Layer. From here you can set the transparency and then trace the image on the 3D Layer. By adjusting the depth to account for what parts should be in front of the other, you trace the photo and the result is a hand-drawn 3D version. Cool!

Steps:
1. Tap the Action button in the top toolbar.
2. Tap Import Photo.
3. Select the image you want to use as a guide.
4. Tap the Layer Settings button and adjust the opacity of the photo. This makes it easier to see your 3D lines.
5. Select the 3D Layer (tap the 3D button or inside the thumbnail in the Layers window) and don your 3D glasses.
6. I find it easiest to choose a part of the photo where the depth should be at 0 and start tracing here. This serves as a starting point for the drawing.
7. Carefully alter the depth slider to draw the other parts of the picture that are closer and farther away as you go along. Pay attention to the Depth Slider value, then you know what values you’re using and can go back and forth between different depths.
8. Save your image from time to time if you are uncertain how things are going, it’s quick and easy to go back to a different version if you screw up.
9. When finished, hide the 2D Layer and view your hand-drawn masterpiece!

Don’t forget to upload your images to the Flickr Group Pool!

flickr.com/groups/deepsketch

I’ve been working hard on adding even more features to DeepSketch, and tonight version 1.4 was submitted to the Apple Review Team. Hopefully it won’t be long until you’ll find the update on the App Store. and now the new version is live on the App Store!

Here are the upcoming new additions:

- Zoom and Pan! Use two fingers to zoom and pan around the canvas. Great for detail work, especially when tracing photos or sketches!

- Tapered brush ends! Now both the start and end of the brush strokes can have tapered edges, making them look more like ink strokes or a pressure sensitive line!

- Twitter integration! Show the world your awesome 3D finger art, tweet your image directly from DeepSketch!

- Save and Save New files: Choose if you want to overwrite or if you want to save a new version of your image.

- New Help/Info window with relevant information (image saved, zoom level etc).

- A new, hot splash screen and a new icon!

- Some bug fixes relating to layer management, visibility and undo.

If you have bought DeepSketch the upgrade is of course free. I’d be really happy if you’d like to submit a rating or a review to the App Store. Get the word out there, tell your friends! If you know somebody who should have a copy of DeepSketch for review, let me know at support@machineboy.com.

The 1.3 update is at the moment somewhere in Apple’s big pile of review files, so I’ve been spending time working out two new exiting features for DeepSketch.
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I’ve been hanging out in my secret, underground laboratory lately, mixing unicorn tears with red and green lazers to create an awesome, revolutionary sketchbook for the iPad!

Behold; DeepSketch!

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