Comments on: Cover for the new issue of TIME shot with an iPhone and Hipstamatic http://boingboing.net/2012/11/02/cover-for-the-new-issue-of-tim.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Thu, 20 Jun 2013 07:43:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Andy Reilly http://boingboing.net/2012/11/02/cover-for-the-new-issue-of-tim.html#comment-1574094 Andy Reilly Mon, 05 Nov 2012 07:37:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=191901#comment-1574094 I have used both, and Instagram actually has more control over the picture than Hipstamatic. Hipstamatic is applying a bunch of mods that someone else has chosen. At least Instagram lets you choose things like selective focus and how much/where it gets applied. All of these programs are dwarfed by Camera Awesome!, as it saves an original photo, then applies filters and effects. Hipstamatic has a couple of filters that are either "film", "flash" or "lenses". The options are very limited unless you want to buy them. If people are going to whine and cry about "sepia photos of your sandwich", it's pretty silly to say that HIpstamatic is any different, that it is somehow cool but Instagram is bad. What I don't get is why people care. Bad pictures will always be bad pictures, and good ones will be good ones. As a former professional photographer, I don't understand why people think photos HAVE to be the highest resolution, most perfect reproductions of reality technologically possible. That would be like saying all music has to be played on certain perfectly tuned instruments and must always follow a certain musical scale, etc. All of these photo programs are similar to the lo-fi music movement. Some pictures are breathtaking in their detail and reproduction. But some pictures are modified by people to imbue them with certain moods or emotions. A picture is worth a thousand words, but only if you allow people to choose what ever words they want to use. And a picture of your sandwich will be a picture of your sandwich, sepia filter, or blurry, lens-flared, pinhole filer not withstanding.  I have used both, and Instagram actually has more control over the picture than Hipstamatic. Hipstamatic is applying a bunch of mods that someone else has chosen. At least Instagram lets you choose things like selective focus and how much/where it gets applied. All of these programs are dwarfed by Camera Awesome!, as it saves an original photo, then applies filters and effects. Hipstamatic has a couple of filters that are either “film”, “flash” or “lenses”. The options are very limited unless you want to buy them. If people are going to whine and cry about “sepia photos of your sandwich”, it’s pretty silly to say that HIpstamatic is any different, that it is somehow cool but Instagram is bad. What I don’t get is why people care. Bad pictures will always be bad pictures, and good ones will be good ones. As a former professional photographer, I don’t understand why people think photos HAVE to be the highest resolution, most perfect reproductions of reality technologically possible. That would be like saying all music has to be played on certain perfectly tuned instruments and must always follow a certain musical scale, etc. All of these photo programs are similar to the lo-fi music movement. Some pictures are breathtaking in their detail and reproduction. But some pictures are modified by people to imbue them with certain moods or emotions. A picture is worth a thousand words, but only if you allow people to choose what ever words they want to use. And a picture of your sandwich will be a picture of your sandwich, sepia filter, or blurry, lens-flared, pinhole filer not withstanding. 

]]> By: DocPop http://boingboing.net/2012/11/02/cover-for-the-new-issue-of-tim.html#comment-1573665 DocPop Sun, 04 Nov 2012 05:51:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=191901#comment-1573665  If you have time, there's a great three part series on FastCo about Hipstamatic's layoffs. Hint: it wasn't because they weren't making money. http://www.fastcompany.com/3002034/no-filter-how-instagram-caused-hipstamatic-lose-focus-and-gamble-social  If you have time, there’s a great three part series on FastCo about Hipstamatic’s layoffs. Hint: it wasn’t because they weren’t making money.
http://www.fastcompany.com/3002034/no-filter-how-instagram-caused-hipstamatic-lose-focus-and-gamble-social

]]> By: signsofrain http://boingboing.net/2012/11/02/cover-for-the-new-issue-of-tim.html#comment-1573417 signsofrain Sat, 03 Nov 2012 18:28:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=191901#comment-1573417 Right, not the same, except that in both apps you take a photo and the app crops and modifies it for you. I refer you to these three images, taken with the same hipstamatic filter. https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRw7iniobLEn4Og4gYKxqvLR_87u7RDc52a8f4560vl0qIhy1Zdlg https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTnAGVgV2SsZDp1J0Cz6MwvVSg1xMdd1Is2NMN69tDTieTWusNq https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ48yUwc8PmBi3PUqcM5tYjD9g8i6OipA--QCpJoVddxWMuDh_32A Arty right? Except they all look the same. The same colours, the same "looking through a pinhole" black border, the same washed out look. Take 3 different photos and just same'em up. Cell phones take decent, but not great photos. Take a cell phone pic and apply a bunch of automatic filtering/cropping to it and you get something that - sorry - just isn't that great. In 10 years, when the novelty fades, you'll wonder what you thought was so cool about these apps. Right, not the same, except that in both apps you take a photo and the app crops and modifies it for you.
I refer you to these three images, taken with the same hipstamatic filter.

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRw7iniobLEn4Og4gYKxqvLR_87u7RDc52a8f4560vl0qIhy1Zdlg

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTnAGVgV2SsZDp1J0Cz6MwvVSg1xMdd1Is2NMN69tDTieTWusNq

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ48yUwc8PmBi3PUqcM5tYjD9g8i6OipA–QCpJoVddxWMuDh_32A

Arty right? Except they all look the same. The same colours, the same “looking through a pinhole” black border, the same washed out look. Take 3 different photos and just same’em up.

Cell phones take decent, but not great photos. Take a cell phone pic and apply a bunch of automatic filtering/cropping to it and you get something that – sorry – just isn’t that great. In 10 years, when the novelty fades, you’ll wonder what you thought was so cool about these apps.

]]> By: Drew from Zhrodague http://boingboing.net/2012/11/02/cover-for-the-new-issue-of-tim.html#comment-1573036 Drew from Zhrodague Sat, 03 Nov 2012 04:10:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=191901#comment-1573036 Layoffs are common in dotcoms. Usually, a new team of executives shows up, calls everyone "Chief", and then the layoffs start. There's a round of funding involved somewhere, but the people that built the product, and made the product great, are dumped with the trash. I have yet to figure out how to benefit from this, but I can see it coming a mile away. I hope those laid-off had time to prepare, and take advantage of whatever unemployment benefits available. Layoffs are common in dotcoms. Usually, a new team of executives shows up, calls everyone “Chief”, and then the layoffs start. There’s a round of funding involved somewhere, but the people that built the product, and made the product great, are dumped with the trash. I have yet to figure out how to benefit from this, but I can see it coming a mile away.

I hope those laid-off had time to prepare, and take advantage of whatever unemployment benefits available.

]]> By: Susan Carley Oliver http://boingboing.net/2012/11/02/cover-for-the-new-issue-of-tim.html#comment-1572874 Susan Carley Oliver Sat, 03 Nov 2012 00:09:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=191901#comment-1572874  Maybe with the publicity they'll be able to hire some back!  Maybe with the publicity they’ll be able to hire some back!

]]> By: Xeni Jardin http://boingboing.net/2012/11/02/cover-for-the-new-issue-of-tim.html#comment-1572674 Xeni Jardin Fri, 02 Nov 2012 20:50:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=191901#comment-1572674 nope. basically changes the way mobile phone cameras process digital noise, and does so in interesting and artful ways. not just "my sepia-toned sandwich." nope. basically changes the way mobile phone cameras process digital noise, and does so in interesting and artful ways. not just “my sepia-toned sandwich.”

]]> By: Xeni Jardin http://boingboing.net/2012/11/02/cover-for-the-new-issue-of-tim.html#comment-1572672 Xeni Jardin Fri, 02 Nov 2012 20:49:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=191901#comment-1572672 I suspect you haven't actually used this app or seen it used well. It's not the same as, for instance, Instagram. At all. I suspect you haven’t actually used this app or seen it used well. It’s not the same as, for instance, Instagram. At all.

]]> By: Xeni Jardin http://boingboing.net/2012/11/02/cover-for-the-new-issue-of-tim.html#comment-1572671 Xeni Jardin Fri, 02 Nov 2012 20:48:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=191901#comment-1572671 No way! I love this app so much. That bums me out. No way! I love this app so much. That bums me out.

]]> By: Michael Langford http://boingboing.net/2012/11/02/cover-for-the-new-issue-of-tim.html#comment-1572658 Michael Langford Fri, 02 Nov 2012 20:39:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=191901#comment-1572658 Hipstamatic dumped all their iOS team. Wouldn't look to them to keep up a great product. http://gigaom.com/2012/08/16/hipstamatic-confronts-layoffs-on-a-big-day-for-photo-apps/ Hipstamatic dumped all their iOS team. Wouldn’t look to them to keep up a great product.

http://gigaom.com/2012/08/16/hipstamatic-confronts-layoffs-on-a-big-day-for-photo-apps/

]]> By: signsofrain http://boingboing.net/2012/11/02/cover-for-the-new-issue-of-tim.html#comment-1572651 signsofrain Fri, 02 Nov 2012 20:37:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=191901#comment-1572651 Why don't people want to take unmodified full resolution pictures anymore? Why the hell are automatic cropping and crappy filters popular? I really don't get it. Why not take real photos, then ruin them later in photoshop? At least then your ruined photos would look unique, instead of just like every other sepia-toned "plate of sushi with iPad visible in the corner". What crap. Why don’t people want to take unmodified full resolution pictures anymore? Why the hell are automatic cropping and crappy filters popular? I really don’t get it. Why not take real photos, then ruin them later in photoshop? At least then your ruined photos would look unique, instead of just like every other sepia-toned “plate of sushi with iPad visible in the corner”. What crap.

]]> By: jandrese http://boingboing.net/2012/11/02/cover-for-the-new-issue-of-tim.html#comment-1572644 jandrese Fri, 02 Nov 2012 20:32:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=191901#comment-1572644 What does Hipstamatic do?  Make the photo look all grainy? What does Hipstamatic do?  Make the photo look all grainy?

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