The photograph you see above was taken mid-day.
We have mostly seen similar filters across smartphone apps to give your photos cool or warm feels. There is indeed a lot of apps that do the same thing today. These filters have now been built-in into the phone’s software natively. You just take a shot, edit it right from your camera gallery, apply a filter of your choice and share across multiple social platforms.
There have also been some AR filters, known as “Lenses”, built right into native camera apps. Those lenses would allow you to add computer-generated subjects into the frame before you capture it. They, however, haven’t bothered the users to use it like they would use other standard filters.
Adobe seems to be determined in delivering more interesting stuff in that area of technology. The company, last month, introduced a dozen new releases and updates to existing products in its Creative Cloud at Adobe Max. One of those products was the cutest, I’d say, Photoshop Camera. Unlike many premium and professional products, the Photoshop Camera is basically for smartphone users. The users; who are always ready to experience new things to share on their social platforms. It’s also for some technical users or creators, I’ll add a bit about them at the end.
Photoshop Camera basically needs your phone’s camera — sometimes flash too. The app uses artificial intelligence (AI) to apply its effects in realtime. This means you will be seeing exactly what the app is going to capture when you tap on the shutter. In addition to the realtime camera usage, the app can also work with your existing photos.
Just look at a few samples I took while was out specially to test this app.
The app interface is pretty much simple with a viewfinder and a couple of elements across the frame which includes some basic set of options. But the most important one is the “Lenses” which powers the app’s intelligence. Just go to lenses library through the icon on top left corner and download the lenses — huh! I downloaded all of them.
Then each lens normally provides more than one visual effect to use. To switch from one effect to the other within a lens, you just need to swipe left or right.
The app can literally recognize what’s in the frame — whether it’s a landscape scene or a portrait. Then it tags the lenses with a small icon on their corner, so you could start with them easily. However, you must note that the app will not work efficiently in lowlight conditions.
Repositioning and Readjusting
There is little more to predefined effects, that some of them are combined with embedded AI objects, such as a moon or a sun. There could be different styles as well of those objects, such as a lunar eclipse, or a solar eclipse, etc. As I mentioned that swiping over the lens window will switch the effect. By using two fingers, you can pinch to zoom those objects and reposition them on the frame.
Check the following shots with resized and repositioned object. This, however, won’t affect the AI-generated base-effect.
There are some cool portrait effects with fancy elements as well as some decent ones such as Studio Light. Well, that decent Studio Light effect is not among the following four.
In addition to those brilliant night skies effects, the app also offers some more often usable scenery effects, e.g. the first shot below. But the app has some even crazier things to offer. A lens called, “Supersize”, works out with the app’s AI capabilities and offers to add supersized elements, mostly animals and birds with the likes of what we saw in the movie, The Mysterious Island.
I really found this app as cool to do some crazy things, but if you are thinking about the limited set of Lenses. Then they are not actually made to always be limited. It’s an open feature that you, being a user, can use like just what I did for this post. But in addition, this feature is open for creators as well. They can add their own crazy ideas to be used with this app.
The app is yet available in beta and only limited to invitations. You can apply as well when it’s open for applications. You can also check details about how you can add your ideas to be used by the users. Being a creator, you need to have some skills with Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, and After Effects.
