I just released RitchieCam update 1.2.0! If you have RitchieCam on your iPhone and it didn’t update automatically, be sure to manually do it right now. If you have an iPhone but don’t have RitchieCam, go to the Apple App Store and download it today!
For those who don’t know, RitchieCam is an easy-to-use streamlined camera app intended to bring one-step photography to the iPhone. There are 18 analog-inspired filters so that you don’t have to edit your mobile pictures if you don’t want to. It is intended to be simple enough to be useful for anyone and everyone with an iPhone, and robust enough that even seasoned photographers should find it satisfying. Visit RitchieCam.com to learn more. Also, be sure to follow RitchieCam on Instagram!
What’s new in this update? There are three new features: drag to switch filters, 65:24 aspect ratio, and straight-down level indicator. Each one of these is discussed in detail below. There are also several small improvements and refinements, which will mostly go unnoticed—the most obvious is the enlarged EV +/- switch, hopefully improving its ease of use. Many other features and improvements are in the works, but it takes time to bring them to fruition, so be patient if this update doesn’t include what you were hoping it would—for certain, many great things are coming down the road.
Let’s take a look at the three new features!
Drag to Switch Filters
There’s a new way to select your desired RitchieCam filter even faster—simply drag your finger across the viewfinder! If you are a RitchieCam Patron, far-left is Standard Color, far-right is Dramatic B&W, and the 16 other filters are in-between; otherwise, left is Standard Color, middle is Analog Color, and right is B&W Negative. This is a quick and fun way to get to whichever filter you want to use, or to see which filter might be the best fit for the scene.
The video above is a screen-recording I made using this new feature. Just picture a finger dragging across the screen, left-to-right. I was trying to be slow and smooth, but this is a snappy function, so it is as quick as you are—you are in control of how fast or slowly you swipe through the filter options.
Drag-to-switch is a new way to find and select filters, but the previous methods still work as they always have. I think a lot of you will prefer this new method, but it is completely optional, so nothing changes for you if you like your current process; however, if you ever wished that there was a quicker way to switch filters, now there is!
65:24 XPan Aspect Ratio
The 65:24 aspect ratio was made popular by XPan cameras, a joint venture between Fujifilm and Hasselblad. I received a lot of requests for this aspect ratio, so I am happy to announce that it is now an option on RitchieCam! You can capture panoramic pictures straight from RitchieCam, no cropping required.
Currently there are six aspect ratios to choose from: 4:3/3:4, 5:4/4:5, 1:1, 3:2/2:3, 16:9/9:16, & 65:24/24:65. The panoramic 65:24 ratio can be challenging to use, but also highly rewarding, producing cinematic feelings that are only possible by going wide—give the XPan ratio a try today!
Level Indicator for Straight-Down Photography
If you ever do product photography that requires you to shoot straight down, it can be difficult to get the camera level. I’m always off by a little, tilted slightly one way or another. But RitchieCam is here to help!
Now, when the phone is flat (parallel to the ground), the gyroscope activates a white and yellow plus that, when aligned (indicated by the yellow plus as the only one visible), lets you know that the phone is level, not tilted in any direction. This feature is always on, so anytime the phone is flat when using RitchieCam, the pluses will appear. Some of you might not ever use this, but for some of you this is a really big deal.
Hi Ritchie! I do not have the option to update, neither in the application nor in the App Store. I live in Spain, in case it has something to do with it.
There’s not an ability to update the app from within the app itself, only from the Apple App Store. Once you locate the RitchieCam app in the App Store, if it says “Open” instead of “Update”, your phone likely auto-updated the app, and there’s nothing you need to do. If it says “Update” obviously tap that. If it says “Open” but RitchieCam hasn’t updated (the XPan aspect ratio isn’t an option, for example), then I’m not sure what the issue is, since Apple claims that it’s available right now for everyone, but it would be something on their end. The only other potential solution I have would be to restart your phone and try again. I hope this helps!
Ok, I’ve uninstalled and re-installed the App and it works now! Thanks my friend!
Sorry that you had to go through the trouble, but glad it’s now working!
Hi Ritchie, what a great app! I would love to see this app for Android as well. Is that possible? Is it planned? Many greetings from Germany, Niklas
Thanks!
There are no current plans for Android. Unfortunately, it would be a lot of work—more than for iPhone, which began nearly a year before it was released, plus plenty of work after release. I said at first, “If it does well enough on Apple I’ll consider bringing it to Android.” It has just barely reached the break-even point (which is fine, I didn’t make it to become wealthy), and it is much more difficult to profit on Android than Apple. The reality is that it would be a large time and money commitment, and not “worth it” financially—probably a loss. I hope this makes sense.
I appreciate your enthusiasm and kindness!
It is wonderful that you are adding quite an interesting set of functions, Ritchie. In my Samsung (and in no way this is a hint to ask you to make the app for it as I know how challenging it is for giant mainstream apps as WhatsApp or Lightroom which have limited functions and maybe only for the top of the top models) I love to use its level to get natural perspectives of leafs and patterns in the floor. I’d wish it would be the same for vertical surfaces but I guess that would require more sensors as there is no gravity to guide the level. The color X-Pan photo seems like made with a large format camera, although I have had not used one there is some tree-dimensional rendering of the landscape, with the distant background in focus, that is mesmerizing.
Thanks so much for this message! A lot of effort went into maximizing the image quality as much as practical (it’s a lot of give-and-take, balancing this-with-that kind of stuff). I hope one day you can try thee app for yourself 🙂 .
Hey there! I’ve been having a blast with the app. Is it possible to add some extra information to the
photo metadata to include which film simulation was used in the photo? Right now it just says “saved from RitchieCam” plus the iPhone HEIF metadata.
I’m not sure if this is even possible but it would be cool to have this feature as it would allow be to better track which film simulations I like for specific situations.
Yeah, I definitely want to do this! There’s not any official way (it’s not something supported by Apple), but we’re trying to find some backdoor loophole to accomplish it—it’s a matter of figuring that out and writing the code. Hopefully it won’t be too much longer. Thanks so much for the feedback!
Awesome app! Is there a way I can upload my pictures instead of taking pictures?
No, not yet. The hope is to add that ability at some point. I appreciate your feedback!