Ready for som Lo-Fi fun? $29 software makes it fun and easy.

I’m a sucker for apps on the Iphone that turn your cel phone photos into funky, lo-fi classic images. I downloaded them all and while they are usually fun for a while they seem to grow old really quick. Maybe it is due to being a phone app or maybe it is because it’s just a gimmick but there is always something that draws me back in…ahh, such is life for a photo and camera AND software nut!

So here I am in that funky “lo-fi” mood again so I discovered and downloaded some interesting software onto my Imac that turns any photo on your computer into fun, freaky, or beautiful works of art using oddball presets to mimic old film, diana and holga cameras, and all of the coolness that is LO-FI!

In fact, it is called LO-FI and is from a company called “Wingnut”. What is cool is that it is the consumer division of Alien Skin, the makers of Exposure 3 (that I use ALL of the time)  and you can download a free demo trial HERE for Windows or Max OSX. Here is a video that explains the software.

This is a “FUN” piece of software and is actually called an “APP”. $29 gets you a cool and fun interface that looks like the back of a digital camera. All you have to do is drag the image into the LCD screen and  then you can choose your film stock, your “look” and your frame. Very easy. You can also do the random thing by pushing a button and having the app pick a trio of looks for you.

When you find the look you like for a particular photo you can save it or send it to facebook or Flickr with one click. Lo-Fi only works with JPEGs but this is an app that is all about fun and fun it is. Will it last? Well, the fun will probably die down after a couple of days but I will come back to this one again there is no doubt. I’m always finding a photo that could use a little bit of that “Lo-Fi” goodness!

I’ve tried a couple of desktop apps that do the same thing as this one but never wrote about them as I did not really enjoy them all too much. Lo-Fi makes it easy, fun and smooth.

Below are some samples all done using the “random” button in the app! You never know what you will get. This is available for Windows as well as Mac. It is NOT a plug in but a stand alone “app”. If it looks like fun, you can download the FREE demo here. If you end up liking it then be prepared to shell out $29 smackers for it. Not bad for so much fun. 🙂 All samples below were taken today on my new Leica X1 (well, 90% of them..two were from months ago with a different X1, and one is from the NEX-5). Yep, I caved and bought a new X1 this week, this time in black W/Viewfinder from Ken Hansen. Besides, I will need one when I do my “Shootout in Tombstone, AZ” with the X1 and X100! Enjoy!

As always, click any image for a larger, crisper and better view!

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6 Comments

  1. Could you make some recommendations for a similar (in price and function) plugin?

    Aperture’s “vignette” feature is great, but some borders would be fun too. I get overwhelmed by what’s available, then defeated by sticker shock, and further frustrated that so many apps exist to do it on your phone for $1.

  2. Just when nearly every image on facebook already seems hipstamaticized… :/ this gets very unoriginal very quickly… was cool for the five minutes i played with the trial version though.

  3. Steve, great app suggestion! Ill try it, very fun!
    I have one for you: why don’t you create a blog topic just like the M9 database, but with the X1?
    “Leica X1 database”, would be very cool… And all the posts about this camera and the great number of comments tell it would be very successful! =)

  4. Its an fun app but the interface is awful, worse than awful. Faux SLR is fun for all of 5 seconds.
    My 2 Cents.

    BK

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