Pencil Camera HD has some fun filters for your iPad camera (works on iPhone too) and the app is free today with AppGratis, but is usually $1.99.

It’s super simple to use. Get photos from:

• your camera roll
• take a picture using your front or back camera
• your iTunes library
• you can also make a little movie

There are fifteen filters and you can adjust the brightness, contrast or contour.

There is a question mark up in the lefthand corner in case you need help.

An app like this can help you or your students stay away from sticky copyright issues. It’s so easy to take your own photos and filtering them can change them into something interesting to add to digital stories, blogs, and other places that might be viewed publicly. This seems a better choice than searching for free images in many cases.

Here are three photos taken with the iPad from within Pencil Camera HD and then filtered. Click a photo for a larger view.