In the early days of Instagram, filters were all the rage, but today, those high-contrast image-alterers are either seen as frivolous or uncool (or they’re very judiciously applied). Many professional photographers or creative amateurs (basically, everyone on Instagram) have abandoned preset filters entirely, opting instead to sharpen, expose and brighten their photos via image-editing apps like Afterlight and VSCO.
Prisma is meant to shift the way you feel about filters. The app can transform any photo on your smartphone to look like abstract art (think Picasso). Sound a little gimmicky? I thought so too. Then I tried it.
Launched in June 2016, Prisma has quickly become one of the most popular iOS apps of the summer. (Yes, behind Pokemon GO.) The beauty of the app is that instead of layering a filter over a photo, it uses an algorithm, similar to those in Google’s Deep Dream, that essentially makes an entirely new image. The results are stunning — so much so that the app currently has 1.5 million daily users. And that number is growing.
Prisma is simple to use: Download the free app, choose a photo from your Photo Stream, pick a filter and you’re done. The app takes a few seconds to generate the new image — blink twice and it’s done — after which users can adjust the “intensity” of the filter. Currently, there are over 30 filters to choose from. The app also requires an internet connection to work. If you haven’t tried it yet, go join the 1.5 million and counting — it may even lead to a few more Likes.
Forget the Filter. Buy Your Smartphone a New Lens
We review the new ExoLens with Optics by Zeiss. The wide-angle lens slides over your iPhone’s camera to improve your mobile photography. Read the Story
