It’s been a while since Nick Campbell last updated the app Cross Process for iPhone– over a year, in fact.
The 2.0 update of Cross Process has just been released. While light on new features, this is a good opportunity to revisit this simple, classic digital lo-fi photo app that adds very nice looking analog effects to your photos.
More after the jump. >>>
Like Banana Camera Co.’s other photo app, the excellent fauxlaroid app ShakeItPhoto, Cross Process is a very easy to use app that adds color and character to your photos by emulating the look of Cross Processing film. You can either shoot within the app or import existing images from your photo library.
While there are now a ton of other photo apps which emulate cross processed film, I like the randomness of this app’s processing. The high quality effects are based on looks from real film stock. The processing adds noise to simulate film grain, as well as other lo-fi artifacts.
The new update is much faster than the previous version. On an iPhone 4S, processing takes about 6 seconds per image, down from over 10 in the previous version. UPDATE: Not really see below. Unfortunately, this comes at the expense of the processing animation. The app no longer briefly shows a negative image while processing.
In addition to in-app Facebook sharing, you can now share directly to Twitter as well. There is also an in-app link to a new tutorial video which helps sort out the app’s settings and how they work.
One change that isn’t mentioned is that the app is no longer old-iPhone friendly. The previous version of the app would run on any iPhone, even an old 2G (the iPhone equivalent of the Mac Plus). This new update requires iOS 4.3 or newer.
Cross Process supports the full 8MP resolution of an iPhone 4S. Be sure to check your settings after updating. Mine reset to medium resolution after the update. Click on the “i” button to change.
Sometimes simple is better. Both of Banana Camera Co.’s apps are easy to use, one-click procesing apps that allow you to shoot, process quickly, and move on. The effects in both Cross Process and ShakeIt Photo are great looking and well-rendered.
UPDATE: Big thanks to reader Robert-Paul Jansen for pointing out that the app now also preserves and saves EXIF data including Geotags.
Cross Process does not preserve square format photos. It does not distort them, but it crops the top and bottom of the image.
And reader Tomba is correct — Cross Process isn’t really faster than the previous version. I inadvertently did my speed tests in the lower resolution mode. When using the app in high res mode, processing times were about 10-11 seconds on a 4S, the same as the previous version. My oversight. =M=
Cross Process is $1.99 in the App Store. It’s a free update if you’ve already bought the app. Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.Requires iOS 4.3 or later.
=M=
…
~~~~
