Plastic Bullet
Thursday, May 20, 2010 at 9:21PM
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
Plastic Bullet is now live in the iTunes app store!
Red Giant’s first iPhone app, my first iPhone app. I’m kinda excited about this.
If you’ve ever shot with a Lomo, a Holga, a Diana, or any of the other plastic “toy” cameras out there, you know that part of the magic is the surprise factor. Did your photos turn out good? Or bad? Or so terrible they’re amazing? Just like a real plastic camera, Plastic Bullet never does the same thing twice. It develops your iPhone photos into literally infinite variations. They might look awful. They might look awesome. The good news is that you can keep tapping the refresh button until you get something you love. The look you love is yours and yours alone—not a canned preset than anyone can use.
Like it says in Holga: The World Through a Plastic Lens:
…as soon as you’ve pressed the button to take the shot the Holga does its own thing altogether and, depending on the camera’s mood, produces either the most enormous crap you’ve ever seen, or the most wonderful image ever to have caressed your oppressed creative soul.
I was in Seattle last weekend. I carried my Canon 5D Mark II with me wherever I went, with both my 24–70 f/2.8L and my 50mm f/1.2L. I pulled it out maybe once. I was having too much fun shooting with my crappy iPhone 3GS camera and Plastic Bullet.
Plastic Bullet is $1.99 and available now.
I can’t wait to see what you do with it! Please share your shots in the Plastic Bullet flickr pool!
Reader Comments (84)
Stu, I've bought and read your book. Its amazing. I loved your posts and test, they were quite professional and useful. I am a little bit sad about for a long time I just see "advertisments" on your blog. I like red giant and all that, and agree to make som ads, its good for good softwares. But I think its too much for me... I miss your tests and "not commercial" stuffs...
Aaron, thanks for your comment. I know my posts have been a bit short and perfunctory lately. The good news is that it's for good reasons—I've been busy doing the things that give me good material to write about.
But I'm very sorry that you think of the Red Giant related posts as "advertisements." This blog has always been a reflection of what I do, and I work with Red Giant to make cool stuff that I hope people will enjoy. After months of hard work, Plastic Bullet is done. I'm really proud of it, and I wanted to tell y'all about it.
As soon as someone at one of the camera manufacturer HQ's gets a clue and puts something like this into a compact, it's going to be an instant classic camera in lomography circles. Some cameras have filters (think Oly art filters) that do one trick, but nothing like this. This in an Ixus would be killer.
Anybody else here using the app "Camera Bag" on the iPad? If so, how does it compare? Really looking forward to the iPad version Stu ;)
Yeah, another +1 for an Android version. This app looks fun and exciting.
FXCamera for Android is appallingly inferior and really doesn't work well at all. Vignette is a waste of time. And I want to show up all the hipstamatic sheep with sweet PlasticBullet effects.
Here's to PlasDroidBullet!
Stu,
You are going to have to come up with a 12-step addition program or intervention to get me off of this app!!!
Um, would you make a version of this for the desktop, too, while I'm waiting to enroll at the Betty Ford Clinic to get off this app? :)
A couple comments...
1. Awesome app!
2. Make the option to keep original accessible within the app instead of going to settings screen.
3. Hi Res is a must (and should have been in the first version, imho) I just made what I think is an amazing image and lost it to lo res.
4. Definitely do the desktop version like Camera bag.
To answer someone's question about this app vs. camera bag, really two different animals. They both do what they are supposed to do well, and should be considered compatible apps vs. competing.
Haha.
iPhone app envy!
Love it.
Very nice looking app and fun too :) One more vote for Android version :)
Android please! Do it now!
How is it that Hipstamatic can handle full resolution and this app can't? I was loving it until I read about the 800x600 resolution. Rather lame. Might want to be up front about this in the future.
High resolution output was something that Hipstamatic added after version 1.0.
Yes, but why not knock it out of the park on launch? And why not mention this in your initial app description or blog post? I read that full resolution will be available in the next version but only on the 3GS or newer. If so, how is it that Hipstamatic can accomplish this on my old 3G?
Bought it, love it on iPhone. Was bummed it doesn't work on my iPad since I have tons of photos on it. Glad to hear you are working on iPad support. Hope it's coming soon, the effects are so great but would love them on the big screen. Keep up the great work!
The app's great, but as an aside, I find it interesting that you're using the 24-70/2.8 and 50/1.2 in a normal zoom with nested prime lens kit.
How bout an Android version? Please?
I'm about to get an HTC Evo 4G and the one thing keeping me from converting is this app. Please promise an Android version :) I'll pay double!
This is awesome, there should be something like this for video... ;-)
I'm wondering what's the difference to Toycamera Analogcolor - which has been out there for a long time and seems to do exactly the same thing?
Consider this another android vote. Seriously- i would kill to have this on my nexus.
Got it, nice app- amused me a bit that the video on your blog promoting an iPhone app is in flash and so won't play on an iPhone
Cerl, click on through, Vimeo videos play fine on iPhones.
Why don't you just shoot actual film?
Another failed attempt to replicate the authenticity of film.
This is absolutely absurd, you know you can still buy film right?
"Why don't you just shoot actual film? Another failed attempt to replicate the authenticity of film. This is absolutely absurd, you know you can still buy film right?"
I think you're missing the point. The thing about film is - that it isn't WYSIWYG, it isn't cheap to play around with, and it takes time to develop - not practical for Facebook, Twitter, MySpace or other medias for instant-holiday-updates...
Brilliant photography app! I really makes my pics pop with retro grade goodness ^_^
I would love to see this for Android. As a developer and an open source enthusiast, I'd also love to see the source code.
It'd be real cool to see something like rectangular half frames or even quad shots... real cool.
Love it! Please do a universal version for my iPad!
Any chance for an iPad version?
Amazing app.. i am a pro photographer but currently working on an iphone project.. i have used a few apps for this and have found plastic bullet to surpass all the others... the project is in its very early stages but i am certain it will heavily feature this app...
Would be very interested in discussing my project with the developers
Just got plastic bullet and it's great. But there are a couple of simple things that I wish you guys could fix (or hire me too if you're too busy).
First, please update it for iOS4 and take advantage of the higher res camera.
2. You are downsizing the photos and there's really no legitimate reason to do this.
3. When I take a portrait photo in the new iPhone 4 it's getting rotated sizeways and ends up back in my photos sideways. Which sucks because then I can't just upload to facebook from the phone. If I have to bring it into photoshop to rotate it I might as well be applying a filter there too. Please fix this.... or.. call me and I'll do it for you.
Hi Michael, fixes for all these things will be in a free update soon!
long time lurker, but,
+1 for an Android version as well, love Vignette, but it could be better.
Love the Rebel's Guide by the way.
I just switched from iOS to Android and I am DYING to get Plastic Bullet for the Andoid!! Any plans yet??? Amazing app... great work.
Dan
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