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Testing photo editing apps: "Hypocam"

August 5, 2020

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: "Hypocam".

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

"Hypocam" is a black and white photo app for iOS and Android smartphones. With this application, photos can be taken directly or pictures from the gallery can be converted into high-contrast black-and-white images.

"Hypocam" simulates analogue photography and with its easy handling it's certainly also interesting for the generation that used to go into the darkroom itself. Today, it's much faster: a few clicks on the smartphone and the edited photo can be uploaded directly to social networks.

There are various filters to choose from, which are based on analogue films. In addition, there are color filters - in the past, they would have been put directly onto the lens of the SLR camera - which bring out the red, blue or yellow components of the photo. These reveal an astonishing wealth of detail even in average mobile phone photos. The red filter, for example, gives clouds an extra dramatic look.

There is also a grain simulation - based on real films - that imitates the gradation of the various photo papers. The intensity can be varied with doubletap.

Classic photo editing options such as exposure, contrast or cropping and a fade function are also available.

A practical feature is the before and after button, which gives you the opportunity to reconsider a modification.

 

According to the creators themselves, "Hypocam" has already been downloaded over two million times from the App Store and Google Play. There the app is free. If you want more, you can add filter packages via in-app purchase.

Plus of the app: editorial content for inspiration, which presents filters and editing options, illustrated with many photos.

Conclusion: Turn mediocre smartphone photos into effective black-and-white photos with a retro feeling - this works with "Hypocam" - super simple and super fast. 

 

Top 3 Pros: 

- clear user interface

- no advertising

- effective results

 

Top 2 cons: 

- requires iOS 10.0 or later

- the export is not possible immediately after editing, but only from the app's own gallery

 

Manufacturer: IOAPPS

Price: The app is available for free in the App Store and at Google Play. Additional filter packages are available as in-app purchases.