Iphone Tarot App Recommendations ..

Teheuti

Sounds great. We can import deck sets through iTunes. I like the idea of simple 78-card numbering system that works for any deck. The deck's ID can be the album name.

BTW, notjonathan, the Gringonneur deck only has those 16 cards. I don't know of anyone who has designed replacements. You can fill in most of them with cards from the following partial decks (am not sure how many are available in color):
D'Este - Bagatto
Fournier Visconti - Popess
D'Este - Empress
Bartsch Visconti - Wheel of Fortune
?? - Devil
D'Este - Star

Anyone else have a suggestion?

Check with Huck at http://trionfi.com/ for other suggestions (or PM him from the Historical Research section here)
 

cirom

OK this will sound very biased and self serving, but it really is intended it as a general opinion also.

The idea of an app that allows you to incorporate images of any deck you wish into it seems on the surface a perfect solution. You wouldn't need to buy any other apps.... well yes but at some other expense. First of all not all apps are made equal in the first place, some are rather basic and provide rather cheesy canned generic "readings", others are more sophisticated and provide additional features. Some (blatant plug) include over a hour and twenty minutes of video for additional perspective and meditation. The price of such apps reflect these extras, and you as the customer clearly can choose wether to pay for those or not

But before you simply regard the ability to import additional decks as a 'free" bonus as it were, you should at least factor in the time it will take to photograph each of the 78 cards, import them into your computer, make some basic adjustments to size, crop, file resolution etc, and then re-save them in whatever naming protocol is required i.e. deck name 01, 02 , 03 etc etc. And then re import those files into your app. Even if you are quite proficient and comfortable with both camera and computer, this would take at least a couple of hours or more. And more than likely the end result will still be mediocre images compared to the originals, color shift slightly blurred, flash light reflections, especially when the cards have a gloss laminated. All to save what, in most cases apps are around $3 or $4.

Scanning an existing deck would be a better option, if you have a decent scanner, but its still an effort and time for images that are ultimatly going to be inferior to the originals.

Third option would be to download good images of each card from web sites that show the full set. This still involves much the same, downloading renaming etc etc. But then the images at least would be better. But then it would also be illegal in most cases.

I don't want to trivialize what the savings might represent for some, especially if they are dedicated enough to go through the process of say adding a set of say ten decks??? from their collection, but even in such a case then we're talking over three working days dedicated to this process, with the result being images of noticeably poorer quality on your phone. So in summary I think its an interesting idea and option if you really want to use a particular deck on your phone or pad that is not otherwise available in this format, but not to substitute apps that already were produced for those decks.
 

Teheuti

Good points, Ciro. A few people will want to go through all that, and it would be great for them to have the capability in an app, but other apps offer much more in their own ways—sometimes by the highest quality reproductions of a creator's own deck.

I find that when I want to show someone what the iPad is really capable of, that I show them Ciros's Legacy of the Divine App. It's pure magic and is the best example of where tarot could be going in the future.
 

olarte

Ciro you have some good points, however I don't see this as a replacement for great apps like your on the Ipad\Iphones but rather as a great supplement and a way to use a similar environment as Orphalese on windows but on the Ipad platform.

It's the perfect evolution for us Orphalese users who already have decent collections of our favorite decks.

And the end result is more enabling if anything rather than competing with existing products. Often times having a deck on Orphalese is what helps me make up my mind and purchase many of the decks I own.
 

cirom

I couldn't agree more. Orphales is a good option software and an example of what I meant. It provides you with a means to incorporate any deck from your collection and make it usable in a convenient virtual way. The same concept applies to this proposed app.

If the deck you want to use is not offered in a dedicated app in its own right, then this 'do it your self" option is perfectly valid, indeed it would be the only option for many decks. I just that I got the impression from previous posts that this option was being viewed as the "one app to rule them all" kind of assumption. That with this tarot app there would be no need to purchase any others. Technically that could actually be the case, but at the price of time effort and image quality.
 

Teheuti

I love apps! I've gotten quite a few tarot apps (as much as my budget will allow). There are four things to consider:
1) a simple, straightforward, functional approach, which is what the Beautiful Tarot app did very well.
2) providing lots of options and things to do so you keep coming back.
3) offering pure aesthetic pleasure graphically.
4) pushing the envelope of the new mixed-media possibilities in exciting ways.

Ciro's epitomizes the third and fourth, while keeping to a straightforward approach.
 

cirom

I think what general tarot app producers should consider is to offer a basic template Tarot app that include some core decks. Then offer artists especially those whose decks were not accepted by the major publishers, or even the publishers themselves the option to be included in this app as a add on. In other words you buy the basic app, and then optionally download additional decks that can be used with it at a smaller but separate cost. This would avoid the hassle and time I referred to above, maintain decent image quality, provide exposure and potential income to lesser known artists and their decks. Pretty much a win win all round, unless I've overlooked something.
 

olarte

cirom said:
I think what general tarot app producers should consider is to offer a basic template Tarot app that include some core decks. Then offer artists especially those whose decks were not accepted by the major publishers, or even the publishers themselves the option to be included in this app as a add on. In other words you buy the basic app, and then optionally download additional decks that can be used with it at a smaller but separate cost. This would avoid the hassle and time I referred to above, maintain decent image quality, provide exposure and potential income to lesser known artists and their decks. Pretty much a win win all round, unless I've overlooked something.

As long as the option of adding your own like in orphalese. I would not want an app locked into only commercially available decks. Although if these are also available then that is a win win all around.

Ironically this is the only app that seems to be missing from tha iPad/iPod world. I have great apps for everything else. And while I have some excellent tarot apps too, I only wish I could use the collection of orphalese decks that match my actual decks.

One way I use these decks is to document readings in a journal. I take a snapshot of the spread and add it to the text. All done in the iPad but it is a manual process using the photo app etc. With an app that manages the collection it would be really easy to document a reading and to switch decks for the same reading. Stuff easily done in orphalese.


One can only hope...
 

fyreflie24

I have the Tarot of Dreams app which I use as a quick reference for the physical cards mostly.

I also have the app (and physical cards) for an oracle deck by John Holland called The Psychic Tarot. What I like about this one is that I can shift back and forth through the cards and choose until I find one that speaks to me. I just love this deck and it's bit closer to an actual reading. I pulled the same card for a friend from the app and the physical deck within minutes of each other!
 

coredil

cirom said:
I just that I got the impression from previous posts that this option was being viewed as the "one app to rule them all" kind of assumption.
Well indeed I wrote "THE ultimate Tarot app" in post #36 of this thread, but it was a very spontaneous and joyfull reaction.
For my side I would love it if each deck creator would create an original Tarot app.
Unfortunately it seems it will not happen very soon even for the most well known and actual decks.
And of course it will never happen for mostly all OOP decks.
That is why I am really glad that notjonathan wants to add the deck imort function to hi already very nice app.

I am very glad you created apps for the Legacy and for the Tarot of Dream as I happen to use your decks.
Also you took care to make them very appealing.
Be assured that I will buy the Gilded app as soon as it will come!

Indeed some of the existing apps lacks even some basic functions like card browsing or individual spread.

I would like to take the opportunity to mention the "basic" features I would like to see in a Tarot app:

0. High resolution graphic (see also 3).

1. Ability to browse the cards.
Better: two browsing options
a. Choose card from a menu offering all the cards.
b. Simply slide from one card to the next.

2. Card view should take advantage of the the whole display of the iPhone without adding additional borders

3. Additionally zoom in to see details.

4. Portrait and Landscape view mode.

5. The possibillity to shuffle more than one time, the best would be as often as one needs.

6. Predefined spreads are fine but I rather use my own spread, so I love to be able to draw as much cards as I need.
Additional: create your own spreads with title for each card of the spread.

7. Save your readings.

8. Add notices to your reading.

For an app that would allow to load your own pictures:

9. Import of pictures and text can be nice online but it should be also possible directly from your computer without internet connection.

10. Abillity to load several graphic resolution and several graphic format (tiff, jpg or whatever).

11. Orphalese card numbering system (00 to 77).

11. The ability to load your own card meanings where the length of the text should not be limited.

12. Convenient card interpretations numbering (00 to 77).

13. Import of a basic formating for the cards meanings: Text color, and at least two level headline.

14. Allow several import format for text: for example rtf.
PDF-Import would allow you to design your own intepretations to your liking.

And of course all the artistic or creative features Teheuti mentioned would make an app really great.

Best regards