There was a sinking feeling that befell photography lovers when Kodak filed for bankruptcy recently. TV channels and newspapers carried news stories about how a company founded by George Eastman in the late 19th century, which went on to dominate the photographic film business in the world, was on the verge of collapse. According to observers, Kodak is failing because they were not able to adapt to the digital world fast enough. While this could be true, the world softly sympathised with Kodak’s predicament in deep nostalgia looking back at all the wonderful ‘Kodak Moments’ the company has given to the world.
Those Kodak Moments are mostly remembered in black and white. When mankind set foot on the moon, Kodak was there to capture the moment; when great men like Martin Luther King Jr. and J.F. Kennedy rose and fell, Kodak was there to capture every moment; and all in black and white. Even though the world has gone digital in vivid colours, there is something about those ‘old’ photos that greatly fascinate us. All photo editing software have options of transforming photos to appear like they are from the yester years. But of all these, one stands out as the cheapest in terms of cost and easiest to use—Instant Retro.
Overview
Instant Retro is web-based software that helps in transforming photos to give them a retro look. The website, http://www.instantretro.com/ has a simple to use interface where one can upload photos and move on to make various changes as one wishes. Instant Retro is based in Mexico, hence there are certain options and buttons that are in Spanish though the English version of the website makes it easy to non-Spanish speaking users.
Instant Retro started as a simple app to edit photos online using the vintage.js jQuery. The app is also accessed by Android phones. Since its inception, Instant Retro has been improving to make the options easy to use and fun to work with. All that one has to do is upload a photo and then use any of the seventeen pre-set filters and other eight effects to transform the photo. Once done, the photos can be shared on various social networking sites or can be downloaded back to you computer to be used later for other purposes. 
Ease of use
Instant Retro has a very’ simple to use and understand’ interface. For a better experience, you should log on to Instant Retro using Facebook, Twitter or other social networking sites provided. Then you can upload a photo from your computer and once the photo is uploaded, a panel of seventeen buttons appear below the photo, which are links to various pre-set filters. Next to the photo, on the right side of the screen, are eight effects which can also be used to further transform your photo.
The changes come with just a click of the button. Some of the filters available include Clarity, Sin City, Hemingway, Pin Hole, Her Majesty, Nostalgia, Love, Old Boot and Orange Peel among others. The effects include Roll, Sun, Ttv, and Burned among others.
While uploading a photo, it’s easy to monitor the progress as percentage downloaded is clearly shown next to the ‘Upload a Picture’ button. Once changes are done, the photos can be stored on site by clicking the ‘save image’ button and can then be accessed later. The photos can also be shared on the social networks. You can choose to make your photos public or private.
Final word
Instant Retro is not software that can be used for professional use, since it is limited in many ways. However, this is a good software that an amateur photographer can use to quickly alter photo for sharing on the web or for other non commercial purposes. The software is web based and available free of cost. You only need to log on to the website and start transforming your photos.
Photos by Nathan Gitonga
 |
 |
 |
Quick read:
| ||
 |
 |
 |
| <Prev | Next> |
|---|
