RitchieCam is an iOS Camera App with Streamlined No-Edit Filters
RitchieCam is a new camera app developed by Ritchie Roesch. Roesch sought to make a camera app that was both universally simple but still capable of making compelling photos.
Roesch has previously created apps designed to hold recipes for Fujifilm and Ricoh GR cameras but has been working on a new camera app with developer Sahand Nayebaziz to target what Roesch believes is an underserved aspect of the market: the desire for great photos that doesn’t require editing.
Bringing the Fujifilm Experience to iPhone
Basically, Roesch realized that as much as he was simplifying his workflow with his full-sized cameras, he wasn’t achieving that level of simplicity with his iPhone.
“I noticed that my process when shooting on my iPhone is much different than with my ‘real’ cameras,” he explains. “You see, I’m a straight-out-of-camera JPEG photographer. I don’t edit my pictures. I’ve created over 250 JPEG camera settings for Fujifilm X and Ricoh GR cameras to achieve in-camera various looks, many based on classic film stocks—no need for Photoshop (or any other photo editing software).
“With my iPhone, I would shoot with the standard Camera app, and then edit the pictures with various filter apps. I was using a one-step process with my Fujifilm and Ricoh cameras, and a two-step process with my iPhone.”
Roesch says that about a year ago, he noticed that most of the pictures he saw in his social feeds were unedited smartphone shots, but were nonetheless captures of important life moments for those people.
“As I was viewing the images, I thought, ‘Why didn’t they edit their pictures? These could be so much better with some simple touchups!’ Maybe they didn’t because picture editing is intimidating to them,” he continues. “Perhaps they just don’t have the time. It could be that they don’t realize their pictures could look better with some adjustments. Then I asked myself, ‘Why should they have to edit their pictures?'”
Roesch desired to create a way for iPhone shooters to get excellent-looking, straight-out-of-camera photos like he does on his Fujifilm cameras.
“I began researching and, of course, camera apps that can do this already exist, but why aren’t they widely used? What I determined is that these apps are often designed for photographers, and not necessarily the general public,” he says.
“What was missing was an app that was simple and intuitive, designed similarly to the iPhone camera app that comes standard on your phone so that anyone and everyone could be comfortable using it, yet has nice built-in filters that are ready-to-go as soon as the app is opened.”
The RitchieCam App
The basis of these discoveries is the core of how RitchieCam works. From the second it is opened, it’s ready to take better-quality pictures with no editing required. Roesch says that app has minimalistic, intuitive controls that are easy for beginners to grasp yet still useful for more experienced photographers.
“If you’ve ever used the Camera app that comes standard on your iPhone, you should feel right at home with RitchieCam,” Roesch says. “The design and fictionality are intended to be familiar. The learning curve is very minimal — literally anyone can become proficient with this app very quickly. Features such as EV +/- and Filter Intensity are great tools for those who want just a little more control over their pictures.”
The RitchieCam app offers 17 filters, 14 in color and three in black and white. Roesch says all the filters are inspired by film, a craft he has grown particularly good at over the course of making the many recipes available in his Fujifilm and Ricoh GR apps.
“Inspired by film, I crafted these filters to have an analog essence. None of them are intended to mimic any specific film exactly; instead, they’re made to produce analog-like memory color,” he explains.
Examples of all 17 filters can be seen on RitchieCam’s website.
RitchieCam is free and Roesch says he has no intention of ever including ads. He also says that he won’t sell any user’s data, as the app doesn’t even collect it. The monetization of the app is far simpler: it’s free to download and use, but runs on a “freemium” model: a one-time $10 payment fully unlocks all the filters and features.
RitchieCam is available on the Apple App Store.
