The Bottom Line
My first thought when I opened the LoFi software and saw the camera interface was "whimsical." My second thought was "where the bleep are the controls." After a few missteps though, the controls were quickly figured out and the program easily lived up to its tagline, "Retro Photography Made Easy." A nice selection of filters allows nearly limitless combinations of effects to create photographs that really do feel like they came from long ago. At $29 LoFi delivers extra tools I didn't expect at that level. Batch processing and easy upload to both Flickr and Facebook put LoFi over the top in value.
Pros
- Low price ($29)
- Works on Mac and Windows
- Allows for batch processing
- Nearly unlimited possible editing variations
Cons
- Doesn't integrate with other editing programs (does integrate with several photo organizers)
Description
- Photo editing program that allows quick and easy creation of retro photography effects
- Stand alone program (not a plug in to another editing program)
- Created by Wingnut (part of the Alien Skin family)
Guide Review - Review of Lo-Fi Photo App from Wingnut
Lo-Fi from Wingnut (Alien Skin is their parent company), is a desktop application that allows users to quickly and easily recreate any number of retro photography looks.
As long time readers know, it is my policy to never look at the instructions on software until I have already opened the program to better judge how intuitive the controls will be for users. This led to a few tense moments when I first opened LoFi and was faced with a whimsical camera design interface...with no labels on the buttons. After accidentally closing the program twice I remembered to try leaving the mouse over a button for a moment and the expected pop-up labels appeared. After that one mistep with figuring out the controls (one you can avoid by visiting the diagram of controls on their website) LoFi was extremely simple to use. Working on the basic premise of "pick one from each row," Lofi delivers a wide variety of filters in three categories.
Film lets you chose things like yellowed, velvet, old Kodachrome, and bleach bypass. Mood includes filters such as pushed, gritty, dreamy, and plastic lens. The final row, frame, allows you to select a frame for your photo. From the look of a film negative to a telescope, these choices are certainly widely varied. Each selection in the rows offers more details on the selection if you let your mouse rest on the selection a moment. Any of the rows can be turned off individually to add further customization to your images.
Images can be worked with individually or in batches, making Lo-Fi not only easy but quick. When editing is done images can be saved or they can be quickly uploaded to Flickr or Facebook through built in buttons within the software.
How much do I like the program? I actually gave Lo-Fi a coveted spot on my desktop so I can find it again with one click. It is now one of 3 photo editing programs on my quick list. In fact, the only thing I really wish Lo-Fi did that it doesn't currently do is integrate with another editing program. If I want to make slight changes to exposure or change from color to B&W I have to open a second program and resave the file before opening it again in Lo-Fi. This can mean a lot of back and forth between programs at times.
As long time readers know, it is my policy to never look at the instructions on software until I have already opened the program to better judge how intuitive the controls will be for users. This led to a few tense moments when I first opened LoFi and was faced with a whimsical camera design interface...with no labels on the buttons. After accidentally closing the program twice I remembered to try leaving the mouse over a button for a moment and the expected pop-up labels appeared. After that one mistep with figuring out the controls (one you can avoid by visiting the diagram of controls on their website) LoFi was extremely simple to use. Working on the basic premise of "pick one from each row," Lofi delivers a wide variety of filters in three categories.
Film lets you chose things like yellowed, velvet, old Kodachrome, and bleach bypass. Mood includes filters such as pushed, gritty, dreamy, and plastic lens. The final row, frame, allows you to select a frame for your photo. From the look of a film negative to a telescope, these choices are certainly widely varied. Each selection in the rows offers more details on the selection if you let your mouse rest on the selection a moment. Any of the rows can be turned off individually to add further customization to your images.
Images can be worked with individually or in batches, making Lo-Fi not only easy but quick. When editing is done images can be saved or they can be quickly uploaded to Flickr or Facebook through built in buttons within the software.
How much do I like the program? I actually gave Lo-Fi a coveted spot on my desktop so I can find it again with one click. It is now one of 3 photo editing programs on my quick list. In fact, the only thing I really wish Lo-Fi did that it doesn't currently do is integrate with another editing program. If I want to make slight changes to exposure or change from color to B&W I have to open a second program and resave the file before opening it again in Lo-Fi. This can mean a lot of back and forth between programs at times.
Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
