I was skeptical at first, but after playing with the Art Filters for a little while they became addictive. I'm not particularly fond of a couple of them--pale and light color and light tone, especially--but the rest are kind of nice. Unfortunately, you do take a bit of a performance hit for the processor-intensive filters, like Grainy Film and Pinhole. I also wish you could combine them--like Grainy Film with the vignette effect of Pinhole--as well as set a few parameters like the amount of graininess in Grainy Film to mimic high ISO black and white films.
Lori Grunin
I've been reviewing hardware and software, devising testing methodology and handed out buying advice for what seems like forever; I'm currently absorbed by computers and gaming hardware, but previously spent many years concentrating on cameras. I've also volunteered with a cat rescue for over 15 years doing adoptions, designing marketing materials, managing volunteers and, of course, photographing cats.
Unfortunately, at this small size you can't really see the effect of the grain, but it still works as a high-contrast black-and-white filter. (inset: unmodified raw shot)
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Light Tone
This example makes the Light Tone look a little warmer than it actually is. Mostly, it just seems to add a cloudy overlay to the image. (inset: unmodified raw shot)
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Pale and Light Color
The Pale and Light Color filter seems to produce the faded, bluish tone of an old Polaroid. It doesn't do anything for me.(inset: unmodified raw shot)
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Pinhole
With its darker exposures and vignetting, Pinhole is one of my favorite effects. (inset: unmodified raw shot)
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Pop Art
I suppose it goes without saying that Pop Art should be used with discretion. While it can turn a warm photo into fire breathing, it can also produce a subtle but surprisingly attractive effect to metals. (inset: unmodified raw shot)
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Soft Focus
This is pretty straightforward, but it seems like a nice implementation. It really does look like a softer focus rather than just a global blur. (inset: unmodified raw shot)
