The Polaroid Go is now available in two new colors, Black and Red. In addition, colored filters and an arthouse-style black instant film are available for purchase.
The Polaroid Go is the world’s smallest analog instant camera that you can hide in your pocket and carry wherever you go. It truly pushes the boundaries of where you can “Go Create”. The Polaroid Go comes in at 4.1″ x 3.3″ x 2.4″.
At such a small size for an instant camera, the Polaroid Go does not skimp on features. It comes with a high capacity battery, self timer, double exposure option, dynamic flash, selfie mirror, and now lens filters offering red, blue, and orange tinted photos. The new matte black frame instant film is great for drama and is the smallest of its kind.
The Polaroid Go campaign has featured Miranda Makaroff, a fashion designer, blogger, dj, and actress and Ibby Njoya, a set designer and artist.
“I love the new possibilities that the Polaroid Go creates. It makes it so easy to capture inspiration wherever I travel, which plays a big part into my creative process as an artist,” Makaroff stated.
“For me, Polaroid has always been a tool of documentation and experimentation. As an artist, it’s allowed me to process the development of my skills as a set designer. Getting to experiment with the Polaroid Go’s portability during our shoot in the Canary Islands was so fun, I love how easy it is to bring it everywhere,” Njoya mentioned.
Originally, the Polaroid Go pro only came in white.
“The Polaroid Go has portability and the spirit of exploration in its DNA. We’ve seen an incredible response for this new camera format so we wanted to introduce even more ways for people to dive deeper into their creativity, while making it easy for them to go anywhere and capture whenever inspiration hits,” Oskar Smolokowski, Polaroid CEO, said.
Polaroid is not new to innovation. It produced 3D glasses and ski goggles for the US Army in the 1940s. In 1947, Polaroid created the first instant camera. Many innovations followed, and Polaroid cameras inspired such famous artists as Andy Warhol and Helmut Newton.
With the advent of digital cameras, the end of instant film was announced in 2008, but the last remaining Polaroid factory was saved by instant photography fans and in 2017 a new brand dedicated to original analog instant photography products, Polaroid Originals, was launched. In 2020, another step in the evolution brought all of its products under one name, Polaroid.
Today, you can be part of this tradition with the Polaroid Go, a breakthrough portable instant camera meant to allow creators to go and explore the unexpected places in the world.
Check out the links below for availability:
Polaroid Go Black Camera MSRP: $99.99 / €119,99 / £109,99 Polaroid Go Black Film Double Pack MSRP: $19.99 / €19,99 / £18,99 Polaroid Go Filter Set MSRP: $19.99 / €19,99 / £18,99
You might have lots of black and white photos captured in the days of black and white film cameras or just captured in black and white. Are you interested in colorizing these images?
If yes, you will definitely find this article very useful as it describes all the options you have for performing this task.
In this article, you will learn the different websites, software, and application that you can use for colorizing photos.
Generally, photos are colorized applying different layers of colors, often using proprietary technologies, including artificial intelligence in some software. There are both paid and free colorization options. If you are interested in using the service of a professional colorizer for your monochrome images, you can do that also.
Let us get started.
Why do people colorize photos?
Colorization of black and white pictures helps to give life to the old images. It will make you see the image from a new perspective. You can clearly see many differences between the monochrome image and its colorized version. It also makes them appear more lifelike since we see the world in color outside a camera.
Black and white pictures are known to take distractions away from an image. But, when you colorize an image, you will be able to see more details in the picture. For example, you can see the patterns and textures of the old clothing styles.
It is like seeing the history in color. Some black and white photos can be made more visually interesting and appealing to the viewer by converting them into color.
When did photos become colorized?
It is always good to know about the history of colorized images. The first color photography process came in 1890. It is called the “Additive” coloring process. Here, the colors were generated using the mixing of green, red, and blue light.
It was Fredric Ives, an American photographer, who invented the three-colour separation negatives technique with the help of colored filters. This negative was developed into positive with the help of a special viewer called the Kromskop. But, this system was complex and expensive.
Later, Dr Jon Joly devised another technique of generating the negatives with the help of a single filter comprising red, green, and blue instead of separate filters in 1894. This process was employed commercially in the year 1895. However, the results were not successful because of the limited color sensitivity of the plates.
Next, autochrome was invented for getting colors in the image by August and Louis Lumiere. It was the first successful commercial screen process.
How accurate is the colorization of black and white photos?
The accuracy of colorization of black and white pictures depends on many factors.
You have two options when it comes to image colorization. You can either use a software and do it yourself or use the service of an experienced professional photo colorizer. Both these options have got their pros and cons.
The basic process of colorization involves applying different layers of colors to the monochrome image. Some colorization applications are known to do a great job. But, most such software does not come for free. In the case of a professional colorizer service, you will have to pay for the retoucher.
Color cast in the image was a common issue in the old black and white photos. So, the colorization process needs to include a technique to remove these color casts. Only then the accurate colors can be restored to the image. With the launch of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in photo colorizer softwares, it is possible to get an accurately colorized image with little effort.
Software options for colorizing
There are many software out there that are capable of colorizing photos. I will share the most popular and best software that you can use for colorization.
Picture Colorizer from Image Colorizer
Picture colorizer is a popular software for colorizing pictures. It is available for both Windows as well as Mac OS. It comes at a price of $29.95. All future upgrades are free once you get a license. This software is also capable of repairing old pictures with scratches.
AKVIS Coloriage
The AKVIS Coloriage software is capable of accurate reproduction of colors with minimum effort. It supports different image file formats like jpeg, png, RAW, tiff, and PSD. It is an easy to use software that demands no professional photo editing skills.
Adobe Photoshop
As you all know, Adobe Photoshop is one of the most powerful image editors capable of doing lots of complex image editing. You can also use Photoshop to colorize your images.
Consider watching this video from PixImperfect, where Umesh Dinda explains how you can colorize a black and white photo realistically in Adobe Photoshop.
Blackmagic Photo Colorizer
Black Magic Photo Colorizer is available for the Windows platform. It can generate real-life colors with the help of its proprietary TimeBrush technology. It is also capable of coloring Sepia and Infrared images. It costs $49, and the updates are free for one year.
Websites for Colorizing
There are many websites that offer to colorize monochrome images. Some of the popular websites are listed below.
Colorize.cc
Colorize.cc is one good website where you can drag and drop monochrome images and get them colored. But, it does not come for free. You need to select a plan first.
They have three types of plans- Standard, Advanced, and Pro accounts. The standard one comes at a price of $9, Advanced at $29, and Pro at $99. The number of images supported in each of these accounts will vary. You can also give it a try without paying. But, the final image will come with their watermark.
Image Colorizer
You can drag and drop your black and white image to the Image colorizer website and get it colored for free. The site accepts jpeg, png, and .jpeg files. You don’t need to create any accounts here. It supports images up to 3000 x 3000 resolution.
Playback.fm
Playback.fm website offer free colorization of your black and white images. You can click on the “Upload Photo” option and select the appropriate image from your computer and upload it for processing to a color picture.
The uploaded image will be stored in their server for only 10 minutes. The image URL will be only visible to you during this time. Thus, they prevent others from accessing and using your images. So, you need to download the colorized image within 10 minutes. Otherwise, you will have to redo the whole process of uploading again.
Hotpot.ai
Hotpot.ai is an AI-based website that can convert your black and white images to color. Here, you have the option to select the colorization factors like 12, 15, 18, 20, and 25. You will get a small size colorized image with the free option. However, for a full resolution image, you need to buy credits. Their starter plan of 1000 credits per month will cost you $10.
If you are looking for a website option, you will find the above sites really useful.
Apps for Colorizing Photos
You can also use the apps on your smartphone or tablet to colorize pictures. These apps are available for both Android as well as iOS platforms.
Colorize App
The Colorize app is from the Image Colorizer. It is available for both Android as well as iPhone. You can download and use it for free.
Colorize: Old Photo Colorizer
This photo colorizer app is based on AI and deep learning. It does a decent job of colorizing black and white photos.
Colorize- Color to Old Photos
This app is from the Photomyne company. It is available for both Android and iPhone users. If you have hard copies of the old pictures, you can easily capture the digital copies using this app and convert them into color images.
Another great thing about this software is that it can even scan old black and white film negatives and convert them to color. It comes at a price of $59.99 per year. If you have lots of old pictures to convert, then this app will be a good option. You can always give it a try with their free trial option.
Cost to colorize an old photo
There are some websites and apps that offer image colorization for free. You can also go for the paid software and websites. The color reproduction accuracy will be better for the paid ones. The cost of the application will vary for different software.
If you don’t want to use any of the websites, software, or apps to colorize your images, then you can consider using the service of a professional image retoucher who can colorize your pictures. Now, lets talk about the cost of colorization. The actual cost will depend on various factors. Different photo editors charge differently. It will also depend on the condition of your image. If the monochrome image is in good condition, the charge will be less. If there are lots of scratches etc in the picture, then they tend to charge more.
The cost will be less for a single portrait when compared to a group portrait. You can either go for a digital copy of the final colorized image or get the hard print copies along with the digital copies. Some even offer it as a package. In the case of the package, there will be multiple package options, and you can select accordingly.
Oh, the good old days. The days when taking a photograph was a rare occasion. Those are the words that someone born way back in the early to mid-20th century would tell a millennial or a Gen Z youngster. You can tell how their eyes would light up when taking you through the few available photos of their young escapades.
As you travel down history lane, you can’t help but wonder how far technology has brought the photography industry. You imagine how someone who didn’t get to witness how technologically advanced photography has become would marvel at people taking selfies. You also wonder about the future of photography – what would it look like a few decades down the line? Will photography vanish, or will it flourish to infinity? Let’s find out!
In general, photography is not a dying industry. There have been great strides in technology that have availed some of the best photography equipment the world has ever witnessed. The stiff competition in this industry has also seen the best photographers win awards for their unique pieces. The photography industry is only changing for the better, making it one of the most lucrative businesses individuals can venture into.
Even better, the presence of social media platforms has increased the demand for photography. Businesses and individuals use it for marketing their products online and attracting customers. Therefore, there will be a continued demand for professional photography to help brands reach out to their customers and market themselves.
This industry has also been at the forefront of capturing and maintaining historical moments worldwide. Photography covers everything, from landmark election victories in the world’s most powerful economies to a gut-wrenching photo of a starving child in a poor third-world country. All it takes is one timely photo that speaks volumes about a particular event to get the world talking about it. So, could a simple photograph that gets the masses talking about an event signal a dying industry? The answer is no.
Is Photography a Dying Art?
No, photography isn’t a dying art. On the contrary, it has been thriving because of various technological advancements.There are better cameras with high-quality lenses to capture moments in the best way possible. Think of it this way- a social media influencer has landed a huge deal to promote a certain corporate product. The influencer would have to utilize the services of a big team, including a makeup artist, a stylist, and a professional photographer. The effort and time the team would use to capture the most captivating photo that would appeal to the brand’s audience is not a walk in the park.
Also, the photographer has to ensure that the influencer sticks to a particular theme to create the best environment of taking the most alluring image. Social media influencing is only gathering steam and will be around in the forthcoming years, and so will be the art of photography.
Another reason that would prove to you how photography isn’t a dying art is the presence of camera-enabled smartphones. According to a recent research, 50 % of the global population (approximately 4 billion people) own smartphones. Most smartphones have cameras, the best in the market, having super high megapixels to capture the best quality photos.
The presence of such gadgets means almost anyone with a good quality smartphone camera can identify the perfect moment to capture a breathtaking photo. Posting such a photo online could attract attention and even enable the individual to make money. Other aspiring photographers see the success of their colleagues as an opportunity to continue scouting for the most outstanding photo. In hindsight, they are keeping the photography art alive.
Is Photography as a Career Dead?
Photography as a career is not dead. This industry has seen a steady influx of individuals who want to pursue photography as a full-time career. Aside from the countless photos online from amateur photographers, many individuals see photography as their job and not a hobby. You will support this notion if you have been keenly following worldwide happenings in recent years.
For instance, various red-carpet events host famous individuals- from movie stars to popular sports or music industry figures. These public figures often pose on the red carpet to show their sense of fashion. Many photographers jostle to get the best angle of famous personalities, and the best photo can go viral within seconds.
Such a photo can help the brands whose fashion items the celebrities have adorned increase their sales. This occurrence comes from the fans’ desire to dress like their favorite style icons. Hence, brands with similar outfits can sell out the items quickly. The fact that photography helps keep the fashion industry alive proves that photography as a career is alive and will remain so for a long time.
Another reason that proves the photography career is still thriving is the increase in the number of educational institutions offering photography courses. Not to mention professionals who often advertise online to train interested individuals on photography. Had the photography career been dead, very few individuals would want to pursue it, and it would only remain as a hobby. The influx of photography courses indicates that many people are trying to leverage their skills in this industry, keeping the profession alive.
Besides, this profession has numerous advantages that pull individuals into the career to try and reap the benefits. They include:
The career allows individuals to travel the world. While traveling, they can sightsee and have fun interacting with new people and cultures.
There is a constant demand for professional photography, making it easier for talented photographers to find work.
Photographers can make a decent income from the industry whether they pursue it full time or as a side hustle.
This career is flexible and allows individuals to have a healthy work-life balance.
Photographers can choose to work under an employer or practice freelance photography, giving them the freedom to work wherever they feel most comfortable.
Is Photography Business on the Decline?
The photography business isn’t on the decline- it is steadily improving. As you have read above, there are many areas where photography is a critical component. Photographers commercialize their trade by taking photos of events, people, animals, and many other types of scenes and selling them to get an income. They can also set up studios or get hired to take professional photos and get paid for their services.
Marketers, large corporations, publishers, graphic designers, and small/medium enterprises are some of the notable customers a photographer can sell their services to. The photography business will always be in demand for brands as long as they want to remain relevant among their target audience.
Is a Photography Business Profitable?
The photography business is profitable for those individuals who know how to do it right and that comes with experience. Professional photographers can make good money taking pictures of products for sale, beautiful models, public figures, or wildlife and many other subjects. The pictures are in high demand in select industries, and a smart photographer can earn some good income from the trade. Many factors influence photography, key among them being the type of photography jobs one does. The types of jobs include:
Food photography
Fashion photography
Commercial photography
Portrait photography
Sports photography
Freelancing photography
Medical photography
Wedding photography
Nature photography
Film set photography
The following are some of the most profitable photography jobs with the highest earnings:
Photography Type
Average Yearly Salary
Commercial photography
$100,000
Food photography
$92,000
Portrait photography
$82,000
Sports photography
$70,000
Freelancing photography
$56,000
Medical photography
$59,000
Wedding photography
$50,000
Nature photography
$40,000
Film set photography
$50,000
Fashion photography
$70,000
Of course if you make a name for yourself and become a famous photographer, there is no limit to your earning potential. It may be in the millions.
Are Photographers Still Needed?
Yes, photographers are essential to many personal and business aspects of life. These individuals help capture monumental events that preserve history for future generations. Not only that, they help brands achieve marketing success with creative photos that appeal to the intended audience.
Photographers also play a critical role by highlighting social injustices like police brutality and war. They bring the world to the attention of the plight of individuals suffering from these injustices. Photographers also help maintain art alive when they continue to capture masterpieces showing unique angles of certain objects. With all the good services they offer, photographers are still needed in today’s world.
Will Photography Be In-Demand in the Future?
Yes, photography will be in demand in the future. Technology will grow, social media will improve, and brands will continue to compete. Putting these aspects into play, you will see how photography remains a profitable venture. For instance, when technology advances, higher-quality cameras will be on the market to capture better images.
Social media will continue to support photography with the increased demand for breathtaking images. Consequently, brands will continue to recognize and appreciate professional photography as a critical element in their marketing campaigns. All factors held constant; photography is here to stay well into the future.
For more information, check out this video that talks about the future of photography:
Final Thoughts
Photography is not a dying industry. Not with all its life-changing capabilities and role as a key preservative of history. The industry has much more to offer than simply taking photos-people can make reputable careers out of it. Interested in reaping its fruits? There’s only one way to find out: venturing into the photography business!
As you have seen, the future of photography is bright. If you’re willing to know more and stay updated, learn more here.
One of the most common image quality challenges in photography is to get sharp corners. Landscape photographers (among others) often pay big bucks for lenses with high resolving power at the edges of the frame. But a new lens may not solve your problem – because blurry corners usually aren’t due to the lens.
