iPhone App Review: Cool fx from Tiffen Filters

Following the success of Photo fx from Tiffen Filters comes Cool fx. Billed as the definitive set of color and black and white film/photographic looks for the iPhone and iPod Touch, Cool fx has 172 visual presets simulating a variety of color and black and white photographic looks.

Having played with Cool fx over the past week since its release, it is very apparent that Cool fx is more of an add-on to Photo fx, as it adds the filter options that Tiffen missed out from Photo fx, as has been pointed by reader Paul Miller "Photo fx only has 3 pages (27) of the "looks" presets. Cool fx has 9 pages of presets. Basically all of the looks from Tiffen's Dfx Photoshop plugin, plus Diffusion, Grain, and Temperature. So it essentially rounds out the stuff that was left out of Photo fx."

So what is the app like?

Cool fx uses the same interface as the updated Photo fx (so if you are using Photo fx, you will be familiar), so I'm not going to cover this in any depth, other than to say, you simply launch the app, and select a photo from your album.

Once the photo has loaded it is time to apply filters of your choice, which are Black & White, Color, Diffusion, Grain or Temperature, and can all be selected by touching on the corresponding icon across the bottom of the apps screen.
Under the Black & White options you have 42 different filtered effects, ranging from a grainy 8mm effect through to good old sepia. For me there are some disappointing effects in this category, most noticeably the Grape effect.
Above: Grape effectHead over to the Color filter options and you will find 25 different effects, which again includes a coloured version of the 8mm effect (the very same one as appears in Photo fx), through to effects like Day for Night.
Above: Day for Night effectNow on to Diffusion, and it is here that you get a taste for some completely new effects, not seen in one of Tiffen's iPhone apps. Here you will find 50 effects, although to be honest I am not sure when, where or if I would ever use these, as the subject matter would have to suit the effect.
Above: Diffusion Cloud effectMoving swiftly on we come to Grain, and here you have 27 grain effects with the majority emulating the grain effects produced by traditional film speeds, ranging from 25ASA right through to 1600ASA.
Above: Grain, 800 ASA effectFinally we have the Temperature filter, and it is here to can apply a cool or warm effect, with the temperature effects being measured in percentage (%) increases or decreases. For example the cool effect is measured in plus (+) and ranging from +10% through to +90%, and the warm effect being measured in minus (-) and ranging from -10% through to -90%.
Above: Temperature rangeLike Photo fx, all the above filter effects can be tweaked, adjusted and even merged with each other with the aid of layers, and so can produce some very good, and not so good results.
Above: 800 ASA, Antique and Vignette combinationFeatures:

• Select from 70 different color and black and white film/photographic looks
• Add realistic diffusion to photos using a library of 50 different textures
• Choose from 27 grain presets to simulate popular motion picture film stocks
• Modify color temperature to be either warmer or cooler using one of 18 presets
• Add a vignette to any preset
• Add multiple presets without saving
• Modify presets by fine tuning sliders
• Shake on the Preset screens to choose a random filter
• Shake on the image editing screen to reset controls
• Edit in portrait or landscape mode
• Crop and Rotate

So what do I think of Cool fx

With the additional filtration effects, Cool fx is able to achieve results not present in Photo fx, but for me Cool fx is more of an add-on pack for Photo fx with a few cross-over effects like 8mm. I am a big fan of Photo fx, and whilst Cool fx does offer the extra filtration options for me these are not enough to warrant the extra cost on top of the price of Photo fx, and as a standalone app does not offer a wide enough range of effects to meet the requirements of most people’s needs.

AppStore Link: Cool fx - Price £1.79 ($2.99)

Comments

[jsaper]

thanks for the review. I think Photo FX is great, but there seems to be too much overlap between Tiffen's 3 iPhone offerings Cropulator, Photo FX and Cool FX. Disappointing.
I'm glad I happened to purchase Photo FX first.