What Is It?
Think of the filters in Instagram and Snapchat, but apply them to video. The app captures video and then lets you make it look vintage. What’s old is literally new again. It will also load videos already on your device. Depending on what era you want, included are 1920, Noir, the 60s, 70s, Sakura, XPro, Siena, Pela, Indigo, Tuscan, and Two-Color. As a child of the 70s, I can confirm the 70s does look realistic. In-app purchases let you add more themes.
If the skewed colors aren’t enough, the app lets you put in a “jitter” to have the frame shake. It even lets you add the sound of a projector.
Who Is It Good For?
Those of us who remember what a film projector was can relive the old days of the videos. Users who grew up in the digital generation will learn how far we’ve come in capturing the true world. Those skips and flaws in older equipment gave character to our memories.
Kids will love playing around with how quickly the world changes when you switch to black and white. I’m looking forward to answering the question, “Were colors really like this in the 70s?”
Why Did Apple Pick it?
The striking feature of 8mm is the skeuomorphism: changing the video is just like it was “in the old days.” The buttons and dials make sense and create the theme. This app has been around since 2010 without many changes, so I think Apple wanted to pull it from the archives and remind people it’s a cool app.
Should You Download It?
The app takes up a piddly 22MB and requires iOS 8.0. Those minimal requirements make it great to hand down an older phone to a child to play with, just be sure to get a good case for it. Obviously, the video created could take up space here. Comment Name * Email *
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