Paper Camera Review

by Suzanna Brooks

Description

The website for Paper Camera describes it as "Real time cartoon and painting effects displayed on your camera feed!" It is a unique twist on traditional photo editing tools which usually only allow for post-effects to be added. And thus it is an app that must be used on a smartphone, specifically for iPhone, Android, or BlackBerry. Paper Camera offers a variety of interesting filters and effects, including "cartoon, sketch, comic book, half tone, noir, neon, and many other effects." And each of these can be used in real time, so that you see the effect layered over the scene before your camera, and can adjust attributes and make editing decisions before ever taking a shot. The site says, "You can wave the phone around and see the world change before your eyes, take pictures using any of the stylish cartoon effects or apply them to your existing photos."

Access

The tool's official website can be found at PaperCamera.net. It is also available through iTunes, Google Play, BlackBerry World, and the Amazon Appstore. The cost of the app is $2.99 if you purchase it through any of the first three app stores, but Amazon is currently selling it for $1.99. The app seems to be best supported for Android and iPhone, as recent reviews on the BlackBerry World app store indicate that it may not be up-to-date. When purchased for iPhone, other features may be available via subscription, which costs $0.99 per month. Unfortunately, I am not able to review iPhone features, but the features for Paper Camera on Android are plenty to create a decent review and many fantastic images.

Sample Usage

PaperCamera2014-06-19-20-32-31.mp4

Tips, tricks, and tutorials

- Paper Camera for Android currently offers 14 filters, each with 6 attributes that can be adjusted in real time. The attributes are different depending on the selected filter.

- The ellipses in the lower left corner allow access to additional features, including zoom, flash, and switching between main and selfie cameras.

- You can also switch to video mode!!! I love this feature, but since I am reviewing for still images, I will only touch on it briefly.

- Choose the three green lines, to the right of the middle of the screen on the bottom, to access previously existing images on your phone.

- Select the ellipses, then choose the little gear next to them to access further settings including video quality, and camera inversion!

What the Tool Does Well

Paper Camera offers a simple interface that is intuitive and easy to navigate. The effects the app offers provide enough variability to produce a wide range of results, without being complicated or offering too many options. The real time view is clear, adjusts quickly, and allows for some unique editing options. The design of the app is whimsical and appealing, without interfering with the navigability of the interface. There are options to switch between front facing and rear facing cameras, and to zoom or turn flash on or off.

What it Does Poorly

Some users have suggested that there are not enough filters and options for the price. I have also seen users complain that the resolution of images produced has been fairly low and of poor quality. This has not been my experience, but it may depend on the phone settings or on the images the user chooses to start with. The app allows for images to be imported, but not videos. Paper Camera is strictly meant to be used for the filters it contains. It does not offer any other photo editing options, such as contrast, saturation, curves, etc. except as they exist within each filter.

What happens when you...

- When you attempt to reopen an image in the app that was previously saved in Paper Camera, you are unable to make further edits. The app recognizes the file name and does not allow additional editing. I have circumvented this setting by renaming the file, and edited the same image over and over using different filters, to create a series of deteriorating art pieces for an art class.

- If you wanted to edit a previously existing video in Paper Camera, you would not be able to import it. However, you could use the old school method of filming a video that is playing on your computer screen by holding your phone up and using the Paper Camera app to re-record it.

Additional Resources

The company that created Paper Camera also offers two other products, Paper Artist and Camera 2, which both might be more robust than Paper Camera. They offer similar effects with additional options, but I am not sure if they offer all of the same effects.

There is also an enormous selection of other photo editing apps available, some of which are bound to have similar filters and options. A number of them even offer effects editing in real time, the way that Paper Camera does, though they may not offer the same effects in real time.