50under50

Layers brings you… layers– for the iPhone. There are a myriad of painting apps available for the iPhone, all with their own shortcomings. Layers isn’t Photoshop, but it’s a pretty cool painting app.

This is the latest app from Ben Gotow, a Mac programmer, web developer and photographer, and senior in Computer Engineering at Vanderbilt University.

The application opens up a whole new creative space with natural media painting tools and up to five layers in each drawing. Add a layer from a photo to trace your subject, or add multiple layers to separate different parts of your work. Each layer is fully transparent, and a unique 3D interface allows you to create and rearrange them with ease. When you’re finished, you can export your work to a Photoshop file with layers intact, or sync with the desktop viewer to generate a high-resolution copy or replay your brush strokes to show off your talent!

Layers offers a balanced set of painting tools that will appeal to seasoned artists and doodlers alike. With eight high-quality brushes, an eyedropper, and an eraser – Layers provides the tools you need to create great art. It’s intuitive interface has been built around the workflows of popular iPhone artists. Toolbars on the screen hide as you work and can be brought back with a simple shake – so your tools are never far away. A full-screen color picker provides an infinite range of brush colors and transparency is fully supported throughout the app.

Layers takes undo and redo seriously. It keeps a 30-level undo stack as you work, and saves your undo history when you stop drawing – so it’s easy to pick up where you left off! Every action is undoable, so you never get stuck trying to paint over a mistake.

Purchase Layers on iTunes $5.