Use “Anti-AI” Camera Apps Zerocam and Hallide to make your photos look more natural

It is artificial intelligence it goes everywhere you look right now music streaming, social media, video games, web searchand almost all other technological fields. Whenever a new phone or laptop is launched these days, it’s the first thing that gets mentioned how much AI it has on board.

The capabilities of artificial intelligence extend deep into mobile photography. It started with smart, algorithm-driven tweaks to color and brightness in your mobile photos. Now we’re ready to include people who weren’t there at the time – or alternatively, remove people and objects from the frame. Both Android and iOS also apply machine algorithms to make colors “pop” in photos and add more dynamics to images.

This should not be the case. You can still find mobile camera apps that bypass AI and give control back to you, so taking pictures is more about framing moments and scenes than any AI trickery. These are two of the best.

Zerocam

The Zerocam interface couldn’t be simpler.

David Nield

Zerocam proudly promotes its anti-AI ethos and describes itself as “the simplest way to take photos”, the idea being that it’s as close to an actual point-and-shoot camera as possible. The natural, authentic look is in — the app actually shoots in RAW — and artificial over-processing is removed.

There’s not much to say about how to use the app: You frame the shot and press the yellow shutter button (it has a rotating tag carousel, including “zap” and “piu piu”). The only other button on the interface lets you control the zoom options, which vary depending on the phone you’re using.

To begin with, it’s a little frustrating to have such a simple and minimal interface to work with, but I found I got used to it quickly. It’s free to just point and shoot without worrying about anything else and Zerocam social media feed full of examples of beautiful photos you can take with this app.

The app’s developers are engaging with their community and are currently running a “365 Challenge” to encourage users to take a photo a day. If you install the Zerocam widget on your home screen, you can see the prompts. If you want, it is also possible to launch the app directly from the lock screen.