Hasta La Ideas

Polaroid’s (recently reversed) decision to discontinue its instant photography products has led to more than widespread film hoarding. We’ve also detected a swell of nostalgia for the distinctive look of the company’s photos, tucked inside their invariable white frames and immune to the magic of Photoshop. Even the digital realm that sped the demise of instant photography is getting into the act, with a range of standalone tools that allow users to “Polaroidize” any photo. We like Poladroid, an easy-to-use application that transforms digital photos into high-resolution pseudoPolaroids. The program comes complete with Polaroid sound effects and quirks: sessions are limited to ten images (just like a Polaroid film cassette), virtually shaking the photos seems to hasten their development, and the resulting images contain “random and realistic Polaroid-like color variation.” Picture imperfect.

(Poladroid photo by Flickr user bawtrees)

Previously on UnBeige: