ToonPAINT, the popular application for the iPhone and iPod Touch, which allows users to turn a picture into an image that looks like a cartoon, has recently been updated to version 2.0.

Back in February, I posted about the pervious version of ToonPAINT, explaining some of the features of the application, as well as where to find them and how to use them. While most of the features in version 2.0 have remained the same, or are similar, some features have been updated and some new features have been added.

When you first launch ToonPAINT 2.0, you will notice that the “Load” screen is different than in the previous version of the application, with the options, such as “Camera”, “Gallery”, “Sessions”, and “View Hall of Fame”. The previous version of the application had a more condensed menu, with less options to choose from.

The “Sessions” button is also a new addition, and when clicked, shows users a list of any previous sessions or images that they may have been working on. Users can then either open their previous sessions from the list or  simply delete them if they no longer want them.

Additionally, there is an “Additional Features” button, which, when clicked, allows users to view information about some additional features, such as “Auto Color” and “Alpha Brush”, which can be purchased for $0.99 each.

The new “Auto Color’” feature which automatically colors a user’s picture for them, so that they do not have to do so manually. This will make coloring a toon a lot faster than if a user had to do so using the color pallet and having to change brush size, as well as other settings.

The “Alpha Brush” feature, which is also new, allows users to paint their toon directly from the source photograph. However, this feature is not the same thing as the photo color picker, which allows users to go back to their photo and use a “paint dropper” to select a color that was in the original photo that was uploaded.

In addition to the above new features, there are some interface and functionality changes, such as a new “Inklines” page, which users will see after uploading their source photo. The “Inklines” section allows users to pan and zoom, using the “Pan/Zoom” button, as well as new shading and size sections.

Previously, users could use a “pinch” gesture to zoom in and out of a toon, but the new pan and zoom button enables them to do so right from a single source.

Another new feature is the “Paint” screen, which users can access after the “Inklines” screen, by clicking on an arrow at the top right side of the application. Like the previous version of the application, users can choose a brush size, as well as a color from the “Brushes” and “Palette” menus. Similar to the “Inklines” section, there is also a “Pan/Zoom” button on the “Paint” screen.

There are also some differences in the “Palette”, as it now appears on the right side of the screen and above the color choices, are the options to use the new “Auto Color” and “Alpha Brush” tools. Also, there is a newly added “VOLBEAT” button, which changes the color of the image and background.

Another difference is that users can now select paint colors without having to double tap on a particular color within the palette, which brought up the color chooser. Instead, there is a dedicated color chooser button, which users can use to select a color of their choice. However, by doing this, any color that is selected will be temporarily replaced by newly chosen color.

The latest version of the ToonPAINT Application for the iPhone and iPod Touch can be purchased from the iTunes App Store for $1.99.

Note: Since this post was written, Toon-Paint was again updated to version 2.1, which includes more new features, such as a smoothing system, photo and paint color pickers, as well as bug fixes related to paint alignment on image output and app crashes.