A Softer World filter?

cooljammer00

I just really started reading the web comic (sort of) A Softer World, and besides it increasing my depression/urge to delve into photography, I was just wondering if anyone knows what that filter seems to be on most of the photos. The ones that make the photos look like they were shot with a Polaroid in the 60's.

Unless it's actually just Polaroids. Then I feel dumb. But I figure it's got to be some sort of PS filter, maybe.

Actually, is there a photography board/thread here? I should probably go check. Anyway,

Example:

Jasconius

It's just a noise filter, used in a certain way. There's no magic photoshop button that will give you that exact effect, it's a combination of things - but chiefly the Noise filter.

Neaden

try emailing to ask. I mean, they'd know better then anyone else and it is worth a shot.

japan

Honestly, they look like the photos my digital camera takes without the flash under insufficient artificial light.

Szechuanosaurus

japan wrote: »

Honestly, they look like the photos my digital camera takes without the flash under insufficient artificial light.

Yeah, I'd go so far as to say they're just shot with a slightly crappy cellphone camera. Then shove the brightness and contrast up a bit in photoshop to compensate for the low light and that comes complete with more noise becoming visible because of the poor lighting.

Forbe!

It could just be a noise filter. Higher film ISO also generates noise.

DiscoZombie

as an interesting side note, Polaroid has discontinued their instant film for Polaroid cameras. That era is dead and gone

japan

DiscoZombie wrote: »

as an interesting side note, Polaroid has discontinued their instant film for Polaroid cameras. That era is dead and gone

Are you sure? They seem to still be selling it from their website.

supabeast

Looks like the shitty-camera-and-bad-lighting filter to me. It’s hard to believe, but images can be created without using Photoshop.

Willeth

Oh Christ, I've been looking for this comic for ages now. I found Tiny Ghosts but it's just not the same. Awesome, thanks.

Reckless

DiscoZombie wrote: »

as an interesting side note, Polaroid has discontinued their instant film for Polaroid cameras. That era is dead and gone

http://gizmodo.com/5036267/polaroid-bringing-back-classic-4x3-insta+prints-with-forthcoming-digital-zink-cam

KrunkMcGrunk

It looks like it's just poor lighting.

AtomBomb

Yeah, I'm guessing poor lighting too. You can do it in PS if you want. This is a couple of minutes in gimp:

Random picture I got by searching for 'portrait' in google images:

Bumped up red, more contrast, less bright, noise filter, misc. tinkering:

cooljammer00

Willeth wrote: »

Oh Christ, I've been looking for this comic for ages now. I found Tiny Ghosts but it's just not the same. Awesome, thanks.

hmm, I like Tiny Ghosts, and this is the first time I've ever read it.

Seems a lot less morose than ASW.

edit: Never mind, you emo motherfuckers!

Pheezer

Increase contrast, play with the tint (more green/less red) and run a mild noise filter.

Pheezer

Forbe! wrote: »

It could just be a noise filter. Higher film ISO also generates noise.

No, it has GRAIN. Grain looks different (and better) than digital sensor noise.

Pheezer

Actually upon really looking at it, I'm certain that it's a noise filter and not a low quality/low lighting digital camera. See how the noise doesn't have globs of bright yellow or red or green throughout it? It's pretty uniform, and it's just lighter coloured speckling. Digital cameras give you noise from false triggering pixels on the sensor, and so you'll get coloured spots, not white ones. The lack of coloured spots makes it seem more likely that it's Photoshop.

Willeth

Wait, did Pheezer actually just give a lengthy explanation that made sense for 'I can tell by some of the pixels and having seen a few shops in my time'?