Pokémon GO is the most popular app in the world right now. But another new app is also getting a lot of attention. And it’s free. Prisma lets users add filters to photos to interesting, beautiful and strange effect. The app is going viral this summer with over 1 million daily users in its first month.
Prisma is a free app that adds filters to your photos to turn them into beautiful works of art.The app has 35 filters to use with your photos. All of the filters are included free with the app.
Each filter gives a different look to photos. Many of the filters are in the style of famous artists.
They range from pencil drawings to modern art to classic art with many styles in between. Filters have names such as Coloured Sky, Tokyo, Papered Art, Heisenberg, Mosaic, Illegal Beauty, Dreams, and Running in the Rain.
How Prisma Works
Using Prisma is about as easy as an app can get. Download the Prisma app to your phone or tablet and give it permission to use your photos and camera.
The Prisma app is available free for:
No need to set up an account. Users do not have to log in or link any social media accounts to use the app.
The phone must be connected to the Internet for Prisma to work. The app works in the Cloud, not on your phone. Users who have a limited data plan may want to use Prisma when connected to a Wi-Fi network.
Filtering a Photo
Tap the small square in the lower right corner of the screen to see the photos on your phone.
Choose a photo, then tap Use in the upper right corner of the screen. The next screen has options to crop and rotate photos. Prisma only works with square photos.
After the photo has been cropped or rotated, tap Next to add filters to the photo.
The filters are shown below the photo. Tap a filter and a triangle will appear that becomes solid as Prisma completes the effect.
When Prisma has finished, the photo will appear and look like a work of art.
If you are not satisfied with the photo, you can change the intensity of the filter.
Settings
Prisma automatically adds a watermark to the photos. But you do not have to keep it. Touch the gear icon to open Settings within the app. Slide the watermark off to remove the Prisma watermark.
The app will remove the watermark on all future photos.
Another Settings possibility is to save every photo automatically, although this is a bad idea. You will likely try many filters and if you save every photo you create, you will be filling up your phone fast. Better to manually save the photos you like. If you forget, you can always create the artwork easily again.
Saving and Sharing Your Prisma Photos
When you have created a piece of art you want to share, tap the sharing icon, then tap Save Image. Your Prisma art will be saved and can be found in your Photos app.
The app also allows users to share their Prisma art on social media.
Examples of Prisma Art
Here are some examples of Prisma art.
More Prisma art can be found on Twitter:
What Else You Need to Know about Prisma
Prisma does not work every time. The app gets very busy because it has become popular so quickly. Sometimes you have to wait and try again.
Prisma is free. The app’s only advertising is for an American soap company called Palmolive. The company added its name to the Impression filter. But the name does not appear on photos. Prisma’s privacy policy and terms of use suggest that the app may add advertising in the future.
Prisma does not gain ownership of the images users create through the app. But Prisma does get an unlimited license to use those images. Be sure to read the privacy policy and terms of service if these issues concern you.
I'm Patrick Merentie.
Carolyn Nicander Mohr wrote this report for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.
Have you used Prisma? Do you like using apps to filter your photos?
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Words in This Story
filter – n. a program that changes lighting levels in specific ways to create special effects (photography)
range - v. to include everything between specified limits
Cloud – n. storage on a computer that is accessed using the Internet
data plan – n. a service offered to access the Internet using a cell phone network
crop - v. to cut off part of (a picture or photograph)
rotate - v. to move or turn in a circle
watermark – n. an image added to photos to show a brand
automatic - adj. allow something to work or happen without being directly controlled by a person
manually - adj. operated or controlled by a person
advertise – v. to make the public aware of something (such as a product) that is being sold
license – n. the ability to use a work of art