remember how excited I was when I first came across the toycamera analogcolor application thanks to Anne-So? I mean, in a second, you can turn any bland picture into a sweet one with an old film look.

sure, I could just as well grab my pentax and play around, but well, this feels like instant gratification (and I have had the pentax me super for a short few days).

with this application, things do feel like fun. you drag a picture (large size, straight from adobe bridge for me). tweak around until you get a result you like. export picture. resize in photoshop (you can resize straight from toycamera analogcolor, but I must admit I have to use my dear photoshop at least once a day, otherwise I tend to get nervous).

just below, you’ll find my own fake-film version. quite obviously I forgot to record the parameters, but you can clearly se some differences from the raw picture (see before/after above).

if you’re a little uncertain with how to use the application, I recommend you start by applying the preset actions, which are: high key – warm room – randomize – sunny day – white room – toy camera – green pola – blue pola -yellow pola.

high key.

warm room.

randomize.
now, this is interesting since it randomly changes the parameters, and well, you should be lucky enough to create a couple of versions that you like.

it’s also the appropriate time for me to discuss those parameters with you. below is a screenshot of the application after I applied the randomize preset action.

start. to create dark corners. the higher the setting, the smaller the corners.
amount. to enhance the dark corners.

blur. to create a fog around the image periphery.

noize. to add grain.

dodge. to brighten the centre of the image.

color. to adjust the color tones. from cold to warm (left to right).

contrast. to adjust the contrast.

X. to control the intensity with which the parameters are applied. the lower, the more your picture will look like the original.

and then come the different processing types.

back to preset actions for more fun.

sunny day.

white room.

toy camera.

green polaroid.

blue polaroid.

yellow polaroid.

although they all look pretty sweet to me, I must admit I have a full-time love for the warm room and toy camera presets.
now, grab your camera, take a couple of pictures, and have fun post-processing them into fakes.

tags: fake film, photography, post-processing, toycamera analogcolor.