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Testing photo editing apps: "Hipstamatic Classic"

November 13, 2019

If you want to take pictures with your smartphone and quickly share beautiful results, you need effective image editing tools. DW Digital tests the most popular apps. This week: "Hipstamatic Classic".

https://p.dw.com/p/3SxVJ
DW Shift: Fotobearbeitungs-Apps im Test
Image: DW

"Hipstamatic Classic" is available for iPhones and can be downloaded for 3,49 €. The application has been available since 2009, making it one of the oldest photo apps in the App Store.

"Hipstamatic Classic" is a camera app for creating images with a retro or vintage look based on filters. It has a big selection of analog film, lens and flash effects which allow you to turn an ordinary scene into something visually appealing.

The filters fall into three categories: lens type, film type and flash type. Before you take a photo in Hipstamatic you choose which lens, film and flash you want to use. They determine the colours and tones in your photo. Important to know: the filters are applied when you shoot the photo,

The motif is captured with an classic camera interface that mimics the look and feel of retro film cameras. Or you use the pro camera interface with wich you have a bit more manual control when taking photos. You can either view the scene without any filters applied or in real-time what the photo will look like after the shot has been taken.

In addition to the one-tap presets, there are a number of other editing options that you can use to enhance your photo. You can crop the image or straighten it. There is a white balance tool or a texture tool. All lens-film combinations can also be found there.

Our conclusion: "Hipstamatic Classic" is fun. You can create unique images with an artistic edge. However, the lens filter combinations often exhaust the maximum effect. And that is sometimes too much.

 

Top 3 pros:

- easy handling

- the images get an unique look without extra post-processing

- the unchanged original is also saved

 

Top 3 cons:

- the once selected effects can not be undone

- the formerly free app is now only available for a fee

- the results sometimes seem too blatant

 

Price: the app can be purchased for € 3.49 in the App Store, in-app purchases can be used to get additional lens camera packages.

Manufacturer: Hipstamatic, LLC