All images: Gizmodo
There are thousands of photo apps to download in the App Store. Some are great and some are terrible. But it seems apps that will make your photos look like a 3-year-old took them are sometimes the most popular.
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There’s been a rise in photo apps that make your photos look crappy, only because the filters are supposed to mimic old-timey photography. Image-obsesselebrities such as Kim Kardashian have made this style of photo even more popular.
While the nostalgic aesthetic is sometimes cool, it’s easier to just go the #nofilter route. But if you’re a person who wants to seem trendy and post bad photos, here’s a guide to some of the best apps to tarnish the good quality photos you take with your smartphone camera, which has never been better.
Gudak
Because buying a disposable camera and developing its film is both complicated and expensive nowadays, there’s now an app that will let you relive the struggles of photography in the ’80s.
Gudak is a photo app that simulates what its like taking photos with a Kodak disposable camera. It has filters that simulate light leaks, reddish hues, and over-saturated colour. To make things feel even more realistic, the app only lets you take 24 photos per day, and you have to wait three entire days until you can “develop” and see the images. You know, because that’s how it was in the good old days. Oh, and it also costs money to download — $US0.99 ($1).
Filterloop
Once upon a time, light leaks, grain, and flares were a photographer’s worst nightmare. But now, photo apps are using typical photo complications as hip filters. Filterloop is one of those apps.
Filterloop allows you to washout photos with analogue film effects. It also lets you stack up filters to make photos look really bad and hardly visible. And you can do it all for free.
BitCam
There’s a free app called BitCam that lets you turn your photos into a pixelated mess. The app is described as a “blast from the past,” but the only thing you’ll be revisiting is the low number of likes you get if you use this filter. You might think it’s cool, but know that cool and good are not synonyms. Cool is also subjective. So just because you post a photo on Instagram that you think is cool, it doesn’t mean it’s good.
SoSoCamera Lite
SoSoCamera Lite lets you take multiple shots and pair them up with analogue film layouts to turn your photos into a photo strip. Most of the filters are oversaturated and resemble Instagram’s early filters. So if you use this app, it will make all your photos look like they were taken in 2010.
Glitche
Glitches aren’t cool, but Glitche wants to make them acceptable as a photo filter. This app makes photos look distorted just as your computer screen would look when there’s a glitch. It’s quite simple to use and for $US0.99 ($1) you can create terrible photos to post on Instagram.
RAD VHS Camera Effects
This app takes bad filters to another level by distorting your video and making it seem like it was recorded in the ’90s. It could be fun for a little while, but not for showing off your vacation videos on Facebook. The app is a bit annoying too, since it has ads, but you can remove them if you buy the pro version for $US2.99 ($4) — which is not worth it.
Fisheye – Fisheye Camera with Film and LOMO Lens
Unless you’re going to take a cute photo of your dog’s nose, the Fisheye filter is pretty much useless. It will automatically take a decent photo and make it ten times crappier. But if that’s what you’re looking for, then go ahead and download Fisheye — it’s free to distort your photos.
Hipstamatic
Anything that the has the words “hip” or “hipster” in the name should automatically be deleted from this world. But here we are with an app called “Hipstamatic.” This app has an array of filters that will not be worthy of the $US2.99 ($4) you’ll spend on it. There is a free version that lets you add analogue filters to your photos, but if you’re going to do that, might as well stick to using Valencia on Instagram.
Alright that’s enough tech talk. Put down the device, step away from the screen. It’s time to stop thinking and start driving. Book your Mustang test drive today.