Give your photos a new Base with this sleek camera app

Base – Film Stock Camera ($0.99) by Stay Kids is a replacement camera app that wants to give your photographs a new foundation. If you’ve been wanting to spruce up your photos before going into a photo editing app, then Base should help you out.

Ever since I got my first iPhone many years ago, I’ve developed a growing passion for mobile photography. Even though the iPhone camera didn’t get excellent until the iPhone 4 came along, the power of mobile apps made it a fun experience when it came to capturing photos and editing them. However, while it’s always good to have the original, unedited image, sometimes I wanted the base to be a bit different, kind of like the analog film days. Fortunately, Base is an app to help you recreate that.

The interface of Base is fairly simple and straightforward, making it a breeze to use whenever you need it. In fact, it’s pretty similar to the main Camera app, so it also feels natural but with bonus features. The viewfinder takes up most of the screen, and there are toggles in the top left and right corner for the flash and switching between the front and rear-facing cameras, You can also tap to focus, though there are no separate focus and exposure controls, unfortunately. To capture the image, just tap on the large shutter button centered at the bottom.

But there is more to Base than that. While the main interface is familiar, the app adds some nice extras that make it stand out among other camera replacements. There are 15 dots (the kind that indicate pages on your iPhone home screen) underneath the viewfinder that represent the film filter that you can use while shooting. Sliding your finger along the dots allows you choose which one to use, with the no film option directly in the center. Each filter represents an old-school film that you would have used back in the day, and they are all subtle and tasteful.

Another unique feature of Base is the fact that the 14 filters also have an “expired” version, where they shift colors and change appearance the longer you use the app. To toggle the expired versions of the films, all you have to do is tap on the button in the bottom right corner. There isn’t going to be much difference if you just started out with the app, but it becomes noticeable over time.

Any image that you take with Base is automatically saved to your Camera Roll, so you don’t have to think about it. Additionally, you can access recent Camera Roll images in Base by tapping the button in the bottom left corner. When viewing an image in Base, you can use the iOS Share menu to swifty open it in your photo editor app of choice or even send it off to your favorite social networks.

While I’ve been using the native Camera app lately to get quick shots with my phone, I think Base is an interesting app to keep around for when I’m going out and actively seeking unique photos to work with later. It is simple to use, the effects aren’t over-the-top, and the expired film feature is a cool addition that makes it stand out from the competition.

I recommend checking out Base if you are looking for a camera replacement app that gives you a new canvas to work with for your projects. Base – Film Stock Camera is available on the iPhone App Store as a $0.99 download.