SwankoLab on Sale for 50% Off This Weekend Only!
Saturday, April 10, 2010 at 6:01PM | Marty Yawnick 
SwankoLab, the new photo app from the creators of Hipstamatic, is on sale this weekend only for $0.99. The app normally sells for $1.99.
SwankoLab is a virtual darkroom for your iPhone, complete with excellent animation. It creates excellent analog film styled effects. Filters are applied by mixing "chemicals" and then watching your prints develop in the soup. SwankoLab differs from Hipstamatic in that you can apply effects to any image from your photo library.
SwankoLab looks to be another big app from Synthetic Infatuation. There is rarely a sale on their apps, so grab SwankoLab for 50% off now! The sale is good through April 11, 2010.
App Store link: SwankoLab
=M=
~~~~
In addition to posting here, Marty Yawnick also pens the blog Life In LoFi where this has been crossposted. You can follow him on Twitter under the name MartyNearDFW.
SwankoLab in Price drop
Reader Comments (19)
I bought it a few hours ago for the full price... :-/
it's well worth it though...
sonofabitch. They're putting a very buggy app on sale? seems right....so far film lab is farrrr ahead of these guys, their app actually works lol
But seriously, I feel as though synthetic just took advantage of us. Their app has yet to produce ANY results for me. It's too much flash and not enough function.
@Leon that is what happens when you develop with Style of Substance as your driving force. People will buy their stuff because it is flashy and cool. I never felt though that any of it was %100 useful. Hipstamatic did not have camera roll access so i never used it. This is only camera roll access and the results are usually nothing to write home about. Why the app is on sell already is a bit weird to me. So far though I have really liked FilmLab. Sometimes it has an issue with orientation but I would image this will be ironed out in an update.
I've heard too many negative things about Swanko to bother. I've been having way too much fun with FilmLab and will continue to use it!
It is funny because I have the OPPOSITE reaction to most of you. I'm loving Swankolab, I paid full price and have no objections as I made up for the buck differnce in fun factor within 10 minutes of toying with it.
I FAR prefer it to Filmlab, which I bought first... I find it generic and predicatble, what I lobe about SL is that it is unpredictable, the order of chemicals, including the same, result in different results etc.
Then animations and time delays don't bother me and I don't mind the delay in processing either... used to take much longer with film!
Cheers
Matt
@Matt i think that is what bothers me is it feels nothing like what developing film and processing images was like. To it it is just an overly complicated interface that does what hipstamatic should have done in the first place.
I bet I will be in the minority. Although I am sort of surprised at how many people dont really LOVE the program. I figured since Hipstamatic was such a success everyone would love this one too.
Well I love the app from day one!
It is NOT going to be your average filter app that is just like every other.
It is what a large majority had wished & requested that could be done with Hipsta.
Yet it gives the users the freedom & also (many might like or dislike) the unknown freedom to play with the formulas & make your own combos, formulas & filters from scratch. I do wish however that you could add more to the combos than they allow (sometimes I want 2 more things added in). But it's the interesting fact of many of these unknown creations that is the exciting part. For those that only want certain effects & a filter of a specific type added this may not be the app for you... But for those who want more unique freedom than many other apps allow... This will be a huge favorite.
As for the animations, sounds etc I can appreciate them & see both sides to the like dislike factor here.
As for FILM LAB... Just another awesome app! SwankoLab & FILM LAB are both very worthy purchase additions you can enjoy. And on a side note they are not anything alike so no need to compare since it's apples & oranges when it comes the two.
SCW
I think you guys are too demanding for a app that main focus is having fun rather that being practical, if you want speed you should stick to Apple's camera app. not to mention, it's $2.
I'd have preferred the 'lab' element to be added to Hipstamatic, as an in-app purchase if it's about money.
Maybe the issue I am having is the interface. It just keeps me from using the program. I know I would like some of the results if I took the time to try everything out. I have tried a bunch but not all that I could. Also I think maybe I have a very weird OCD issue that the picture in the development tray had a border but the end resul does not. I know that sounds weird... I do like the app it does have redeeming qualities. I woul not want to dissuade anyone form using/buying it. Just personally speaking there is something holding me back from using it.
@Robert I'm gonna go ahead and say that Swankolab ONLY supports camera roll importing. That's right, I've figured it all out finally! This POS only processes photos on your camera roll taken with the iphone camera!!! Makes it just as, if not more useless than hipsta was! I load full size pics from my DSLR to my iphone and pretty much do all my workflow from within my apps. This app will NOT process large files, EVER!!! So I might go ahead and delete this one since it's whole purpose was to process my photos not taken on my phone. They sure are tricky bastards, they claim camera roll import but only support photos in the camera roll that were taken onboard, therefore making it IDENTICAL to hipstamatic. Only difference being that with this app you get to keep the original, unlike hipsta. Shoulda seen this coming from synthetic!!! If they disappoint once.....they're bound to do it time and time again
Filmlab does have some orientation issues, but that's easily remedied with a rotate app. Also, the fact that for .99 you get a RIDICULOUS variety of film to choose from makes this a huge winner for me. Interface is simple, which makes room for faster processing.
@ Leon
WOW! Now that is the most retarded comment about an iPhone ONLY app I have ever read.
I know huh how dare an iPhone app developed for use on an iPhone & process images up to a certain size/resolution ie: max recommended sizing be the largest possible full sized iPhone 3GS res of 1536x2048. How idiotic of Synthetic to not consider you in their plans of development to omit the desired processing of other non iPhone camera images from a 5MP - a 12MP DSLR camera! That's it I am never going to buy another dedicated iPhone photo editing app again that won't process my larger DSLR photos! ROFL !!!
WTF are you kidding me?
Ummm use your computer if you want to edit your DSLR images. But to get mad & blame an iPhone photo editing app for NOT working correctly or your oversized photos to your desired liking is shall we say absolutely ridiculous.
Enough said ;p ;p ;p
SCW
@scw
So far every other photo app out there with the ability to import from the camera roll has been able to accomplish this with no problem whatsoever, these guys didn't have to "consider" me in their plans yet here we are, with dozens of photo apps in my catalog that DO.
Really? You find it absolutely ridiculous? Well guess what? If I had worded it like you and said I would never buy another iphone dedicated photo editing app if it wouldn't process my DSLR images then that would leave only SWANKOLAB. I invested a few $$$ into Hipstamatic and really do love it. For you to say it's absolutely ridiculous to ask for something that is typically accomplished by your everyday photo app in itself is ridiculous, I just refuse to share your narrow vision my friend..
p.s. never said I was mad, I'm just quite expressive with my writing sometimes, and to go and personally attack me in itself makes you retarded. so go suck a fuck.
Wow, what vitriol, so much testosterone floating around that I'm bound to become a guy just by proximity. Okay, that's all I have to say on that subject.
As for the app itself, I kind of wish I had waited til it went on sale before I bought it. But I have to admit it's a fun app to have, interesting effects and I don't mind so much the animations or sounds that go along with the processing. I will say, though, that it won't be one of my most used apps, but neither do I plan on deleting it from my phone either. Sometimes, I just want to randomly play with my pictures and see what happens.
BTW, I also happen to like Film Lab too. The two apps may be similar in some ways, but they are both different as well. And what the hey; they're only the cost of a cup of coffee - together. Not a big hit on the pocketbook.
Leon, congratulations on your "expressive writing."
Wow, yeah I looked back at that and that does look a bit too intense. I apologize to scw and everyone else here.... Didn't mean to get like that!!
LoL. I think it is great we can all get up in arms about a $$$ in apps. Reminds me about the old arguments you would have about different types of film/paper/chemicals and also witch camera type is better in general. I am having allot of fun with LiveFX and FilmLab though.
Personally, Film Lab doesn't really connect with me, but it might be that I haven't used it enough. The film filters are very similar to each other and I don't see as dramatic a difference using them as with other camera apps (which is both the attraction and the detraction of the app).
@Leon,
It takes a certain amount of balls to come back and apologize, so I just wanted to give you a public "thank you" for owning up. I understand how we all can get too intense sometimes in our discussions.