For some of you, the name JFDP Labs will ring a bell; the English developer outfit has previously made camera and photo-editing apps like Paper Camera and Paper Artist, apps which allowed you to overlay the photos you were about to take or already taken with both unique and familar filters. JFDP Labs has released their next iteration of their camera app, called Camera 2, and does away with the cartoony user-interface of Paper Camera and replaces it with a much more traditional camera overlay. While Camera 2 will still allow you to take pictures with filters overlaid, the new app now also has the ability to apply filters to previously taken photos, even those not taken with Camera 2.
In Camera 2, the filters are now grouped into categories, in which there will be multiple filters to choose from. Selecting a category will bring up all the filters at the same time on your screen which can look a bit overwhelming at first, but it does give you a good idea of what your photo will look like. To select a filter, all you need to do is touch it and it will be overlaid on your view. The nifty thing is that if you don’t like the filter you’ve chosen, but you think you’re in the right category of filters, you can scroll through the other filters in that category simply by swiping left to right. Here are some of the results you can get with Camera 2:
One really great feature in Camera 2 is the ability to save the original photo without the filter applied. With the added ability to add filters after it’s been taken, this allows you to continue applying different filters if you didn’t get it quite right the first time. Don’t let Camera 2’s name deceive you either; Camera 2 is not only able to use its filters for photos, but videos as well. As far as I can see though, the ability to add filters in post isn’t available to videos, but JFDP Labs have told me they are working on this feature for a future update.but taking videos with filters is a nice touch in itself.
Camera 2 is a great camera app and a huge improvement over Paper Camera. The added ability to add filters to existing photos is a great touch and the even larger library of filters should keep Instagrammers happy. Camera 2 even has the ability to apply tilt-shift-like effects, much like Instagram can as well, except with full resolution photos. In short, Camera 2 will be loved by people who frequent Instagram, and for everyone, it gives you the chance to add some really cool effects to photos and videos that you might otherwise have to spend hours at a computer to achieve. Camera 2 is available now on the Google Play Store for $2.99, which is a small price to pay if you’re a filter crazed photographer.
Application: Camera 2
Price: $2.99
