App Review: Film Lab, the film simulator in your pocket
Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 10:00AM | Glyn Evans 
Film Lab from the developer of RetroCamera is billed as "a film simulation application program", but just what can it do that other apps can't?
The App
When you first launch the app you are presented with a pop-up menu that tells you exactly what each of the menu icons across the bottom of the screen do.
After you have loaded a photo, tapping the Toolbox icon reveals the options available to you, and just like any other photo editing app you can adjust...
- brightness and contrast
- color
- hue and chroma
- sharpness
- blur
...but unlike any other app currently in the AppStore it has a 'Film Simulation' button.
Film Simulation
Tap this and you enter the world of 'Film Lab', where you have the choice of 79, yes that's 79 different film stocks and effects. Each of these can be accessed by scrolling the film simulation icons across the bottom of the screen from right to left and back again. As you touch each effect you will briefly see across the top of the screen the manufacturers name and film type, and these range from Kodak to Agfa, from Fuji to Ilford. Not only does this app have the widest range of colour film stock effects, but also the widest range of mono ones as well (outside of the Tiffen fx range), so if you are a fan of old school black and white photography like me, then you will almost certainly find your favourite film stock here.
What do I think of Film Lab?
OK, this app is not without its bugs, with the orientation bug raising its head in this app (work on a landscape photo and it save as portrait), but it does support full-res which is something missing from many of todays apps, and just like Live FX, I would like to see labels on the effects before selecting them.
Despite these 2 niggles, this app is worthy of space on anyones iPhone, and whilst it has features found in many other apps, it is the 'Film Simulation' mode that makes this app stand out from the others.
So ratings; whilst this app does not fall in to the must have category, for me it comes close, very close, and so scores a firm 4 stars.
AppStore Link: Film Lab - Price £0.59/$0.99
Film Lab in iPhone App Review
Reader Comments (11)
I really couldn't believe how many B&W effects are on this app, it's what makes it for me. I think the other effects on the app are handy, but I'd gladly swap that blur setting for a vignette one.
I love this app - bought it at the same time as Swankolab and have used this much more often (though I'm loving Swankolab too - just don't quite know what I'm doing with it yet...). A vignette tool would be nice but I might be in danger of overusing that effect so it's no big deal it isn't there. Can't go wrong for only 59P though!
ya this app is a no-brainer. swankolab+film lab are great ones to spice up the photos. Hipstamatic is everywhere these days, its nice to get something different.
I am all over this app and using it quite extensively right now.
The app is pretty good, but sometimes I feel the sheer number of choices can be paralyzing. Still, brings a certain life to photos.
Agreed, Glyn. The monochrome effects are gorgeous and the ones I'm using the most right now. I think they're worth the price of the app alone.
=M=
Agree with Ivan. The sheer number of choices (often some with the slightest, but crucial, of differences) can be overwhelming. I keep having to back up and approach this app slowly in order to appreciate it.
Yes, the silly number of film option can be overwhelming, at times I lose my spot and forget where I was lol. Maybe if they grouped them into categories?
Loooooove this app. Purchased this and Swanko together and like @Rob have yet to find an appropriate situation to use swanko.....but I use FilmLab almost religiously on a daily basis!
I made a group for this app.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/filmlab
Thanks for posting this review. I had seen others but wasn't convinced. Yours tipped the balance for me. I've been working on images for a project and I re-processed some architecture shots with this app and they have been lifted to the next level. Great B+W option as you say. I can see this being a front page app for me.
A good app but I just wish there was a direct before/after comparison when choosing a film type and the dev should remove this stupid message popup that tells you that a tap on the screen brings you back from full preview to the menu. it's ridiculous and always sits right in the middle on your photo.