
There are loads of filters: polarizers, variable NDs, UV filters, and more. But at the end of April, a new Kickstarter will be launching for Mount July Filters. These are filters that go onto the front of your lens and add a bit of cross processed fun to them. From the press release, they seem to have a variable effect that can spin around just like a variable ND in a way. You’ll be able to stack them on top of one another for even more different effects–though we’re not sure how much it will cut down on the image quality.
The company is stating that the filters are multi-coated with resin for low diffraction and that the ring itself is made from aluminum. Most filters are made from aluminum, but the reason why some brands (such as B+W filters) are so expensive is because they’re made from brass.
Once they launch, they’ll be available for under $30 each. I’m personally curious about how these might work when you add in a flash (which is generally daylight balanced) and then gel the strobe.

Vimeo wil soon begin rolling out “Looks,” a new addition to their Enhancer toolkit powered by Vivoom, which offers users over 500 filtered effects to put over their videos. So now, if anyone has had an itch to slap filters on their videos just like how they do on their Instagram photos, Vimeo can help you out.
These filters are applied within the web-browser where you can also preview the selected filter in realtime. Obviously, with over 500 different filters, nobody wants to spend hours looking for the right one, which is why Vimeo categorizes all their filters according to the mood the filmmaker wants. Vimeo can even choose a particular filter for you based on your previous uploads and social activity.
Expect to see this new feature come out to registered users within the next three months.
Via The Verge

Photo by Richard Mosse
Today’s exciting announcement from Lomography about Lomochrome Purple is bound to get some people excited and others totally confused. First off, know that it is based off of Kodak Aerochrome–an old infrared film developed for government surveillance. Since it is infrared, that means that there are no real purple fields in the Congo. So we’re here to answer a couple of big questions that you may have about the new film. Check out more information after the jump.
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Photo courtesy of TUAW
The Mobile Photo wars are heating up even more now. As Twitter and Instagram battled it out last week, it was inevitable that this day would come. Twitter has given up on Instagram. Instead, they’ve called upon Aviary to run their own set of image filters in-app. They have just been released for Android users while the iOS update should be on its way.
You get to choose between eight different filters including:
- Black & White
- Vignette
- Warm
- Cool
- Vintage
- Cinematic
- Happy
- Gritty
While doing similar effects, these just don’t sound as cool as what Instagram calls them. This comes after Instagram’s upgrade today and Google + making Snapseed free to use.

If you are an Instagram user and desire to boost your followers with some simple tips, paying close attention to what the pros are doing is a great way to go about that.
Rather than do all the market research on your own, do yourself a favor and use what other people have already discovered and repurpose it for your personal work. According to research group Simply Measured out of the Popular page users 16% used the Lo-Fi filter (my personal favorite), 12% were X-Pro II, 11% used Amaro, 11% had Rise, and 10% were Hudson. Interestingly enough, apparently nearly half of the photos on the page used no filter at all, so you might consider going without and depending on your subject to pop without the use of faux filters.
Now these stats are all reflective of just the popular photos rank of filter usage. As far as actual responses from people the Hefe filter ranked the highest. While it only pulled 5% total in usage of the photos on the popular page it had an average of 4,515 responses per image, with Lo-Fi and X-Pro II followed closely behind. Surprisingly this proves that in the world of over-saturated image sharing apps, over-saturated images are still the kings of the hill.
(via TechNewsDaily.com, image © Christian Rudman)

When it was launched for Android devices, Instagram grew immensely. Though the app didn’t have all the functionality of the iPhone app out of the box, it did indeed receive updates to make it more on par with its iOS version. The app is still very popular on the Google play store and can keep a photographer creative and spontaneous.
There is a very good reason why Facebook paid a hefty sum of money for Instagram
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