SuperPopCam by Art & Mobile — creators, among other things, of TiltShift Generator — combines the charm of toy cams with real-time processing on the iPhone.
Main Features
- Real-time effect up to 640 x 480 (3GS), 960 x 720 (4) pixels;
- Full resolution on saved images available;
- Grid on/off;
- 9 filters;
- Adjustable vignetting and border;
- Send via email or share on Twitter and Facebook.
Appotography Opinion
SuperPopCam is mainly about real-time processing, but not only. Differently from other apps making use of the real-time factor, SuperPopCam allows to alter also previously taken shots.
The real-time feature enables a preview of how each effect is going to affect the scene you are going to shoot. By finger-swiping, you switch from one filter to the other. You don’t get a preview for vignetting and borders; however, if you enable the grid from the in-app settings, an outline will show where the border will be in the final image. This way you will be able to frame the picture correctly. In SuperPopCam there are five levels of intensity for vignetting, from none to heavy. The included white borders come in two versions: regular and gritty. Each border is available in thin and thick version. It’s also possible to enable the 1:1 format to take square photos.
SuperPopCam works very smoothly, I have not encountered any issue while using it. The UI is also very clear and functional, like other Art & Mobile’s photo apps.
Although features are not many, the effects in Super PopCam are quite remarkable. Especially for users who don’t like intense processing and would rather rely on a subtle analog toycamera lomo-ish feel, SuperPopCam offers a decent replacement to more complex apps. Like in Cross Process, the filters are just an embellishment and they do not conceal with overdone post-processing the final images. The difference with Banana Camera’s app is, of course, the real time preview, a feature that in any case doesn’t add anything to the overall photographic value of SuperPopCam. At least, that’s how I see it.
Hollywood and CrossProcess effects with thin border on.
The most annoying aspect in SuperpopCam is the huge difference between output resolution of photos taken from within the app and that of previously taken shots, both processed using the app’s filters. In the first case, the resolution is very small, even on iPhone 4, which definitely lowers the app’s value. On the other hand, processing photos previously taken with other apps, which includes those taken with iPhone’s native camera app, doesn’t affect their resolution at all. For example, loading a 2048 pixels image for post-processing into SuperPopCam will not result in a scaled down image after saving. This makes me wonder about the actual usefulness of the real-time feature, a handicap rather than an addition.
Overall
Name: SuperPopCam
Developer: Art & Mobile
Compatibility: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad. iOS 4.0 or later.
Price: £1.19||$1.99||€1.59
Vote: 3/5
I believe that all apps that show real-time preview of the applied filters while shooting, actually take a glorified snapshot of the photo. I say this because I haven’t come across an app that behaves differently. Correct me if I am wrong.
Other than that, the filters are nice, quite unique, but not terribly exciting.
I like the filters, they are simple and nice and I think I will use them often. I agree that the annoying part is the low resolution of the photos taken directly with the app. Would be nice to be able to shot a full-res photo from the app disabling the real-time filter processing.
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