Any app that also involves interacting with the real world is always bound to have a unique appeal to mobile users at large. This time around and with Spectra, users (particularly those who are into the visual arts and graphics) are given the opportunity to color any image that they like using colors derived from objects in the real world. The exact technique is called camera painting, which is truly one of the most noteworthy innovations that the mobile industry has introduced to the field of illustration and painting.

What’s even more entertaining is the fact that the app is laid out like a game (built similarly to the style of color-matching games, to be exact). You have to point your phone’s camera to the real-world colors that your chosen painting requires. The app incorporates zooming (pinch to zoom) and torch features in order to aid it in detecting the color of the object that you are pointing it to. Each time you are able to successfully match an object with the corresponding necessary color, it would be confirmed by a check mark.

And, similar to a lot of games, there are also varying difficulties of painting that you choose from, namely: Novice, Expert, and Master. Furthermore, know that the app offers hundreds of amazing illustrations from various art genres so you would never have a shortage of illustrations to work with. From cartoons and folk art to surrealist and impressionist, to say that the app knows its art could prove to be an understatement.

You are also able to earn coins each time you complete a painting. The amount of coins you earn is directly proportional to your chosen difficulty, which is why it’s really worth exerting the time and effort to finish a complicated painting. Take note that while the app offers free paintings, majority of them would have to be purchased with coins that you earn or purchase.

The entire concept of this app is wholly its own, which is why it really stands out from other apps that also deal with painting and the visual arts in general. As said above, there are still a relatively small number of apps that include free interaction with your immediate surroundings, making Spectra easily stand out and wow its audience. The app also opens up a lot of opportunities for interaction with friends and family, especially if you consider the lengthy color-hunting that would ensue, and this fact ultimately underscores its value.

Price: Free + In-App Purchase