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<td><a href="http://thebeginnerslens.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Swankolab.png"><img title="SwankoLab" src="http://thebeginnerslens.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Swankolab.png" width="472" height="344" alt="SwankoLab"></a></td>
<td><img title="SwankoLab" src="http://thebeginnerslens.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Swankolab-Logo.png" alt="SwankoLab App Logo" />

SWANKOLAB, developed by the same folks behind Hipstamatic, takes us back into the era of pre-digital photography where photos are developed inside a darkroom with utmost care. 

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Let's get to the gist of it in the tabs below.

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[tabhead id="1"] Overview [/tabhead] [tabhead id="2"] Cheers [/tabhead] [tabhead id="3"] Jeers [/tabhead] [tabhead id="4"] Who is it for? [/tabhead] [tabhead_last id="5"] The Verdict [/tabhead_last] [tab id="1"] [list style="orb" color="grey"]
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<li>Developed by Synthetic Infatuation</li>
<li>Eight photo-altering  chemicals</li>
<li>Purchase other chemicals at Uncle Stu’s Photo Emporium </li>
<li>Create and save your own formulas</li>
<li>Retina display support</li>
<li>Share photos via email and Facebook</li>




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<li>Stylish interface</li>
<li>Good set of preloaded formulas</li>
<li>Formulas can be saved for future reuse</li>
<li>Nicely processed images</li>
<li>Brings the experience of developing photos in a darkroom</li>







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[/list] [/tab] [tab id="3"] [list style="orb" color="grey"]
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<li>Mixing chemicals may turn off the impatient users</li>
<li>User has to wait  for seconds while the app is processing the photo</li>
<li>No way to fine-tune or preview the final result</li>


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<strong>√ Beginner iPhone Photographers</strong>
 Advanced iPhone Photographers
 Anyone

SWANKOLAB is perfect for beginners who have all the time – and patience! – in the world to experiment with different effects in a virtual darkroom setting. 

[/tab] [tab id="5"]A virtual darkroom on your pocket, SwankoLab provides a fun way of interacting with and developing your photos. Use it sparingly though; the novelty factor may wear off after many uses. Also make sure to have a dose of medicine called patience.[/tab] [/tabswrap]

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<h4>The Beginners Lens Verdict</h4>

SWANKOLAB is basically a photo darkroom installed in an iPhone. It enables the user to “develop” a photo by selecting from the preloaded formulas or by trying out some virtual chemicals.

First, users have to choose from the existing photos saved in their photo library or they can use other camera apps for taking shots before processing it in SWANKOLOAB. They can then mix and match the chemicals (including how small or big the volume of a chemical is) to create a desired look. Thankfully, the developer also enabled saving of custom formulas so users do not have to mix chemicals all over again to achieve the same effect in the future. Before the user gets too excited of dishing out chemicals left and right, the app limits the number of chemicals used.

As you tap on the bottles containing your preferred chemicals, the liquid comes out and gets poured on the darkroom tray. Turn on the switch and the timer will start to tick. You will see then that your photo gets submerged into the tray. You can slide the photo around it just like the real thing by moving your iPhone. After more than several seconds – which is quite long – the timer stops, then the photo is removed from the tray and gets pinned and hung up on a clothesline for display – again, just like the real thing.

SWANKOLAB also brings you Uncle Stu’s Photo Emporium, a darkroom supple catalogue that serves as an app store where you can get new chemicals for a fee. You can also choose to subscribe to the catalogue for a couple of dollars more for a lifetime supply of add-ons.

Targeted towards the adventurous and creative iPhoneographer, SWANKOLAB’s success stems out from its uniqueness. Since the focus of the app is purely on the processing stage, somehow it helps the users appreciate the process of darkroom photography of the old times where every photo is crafted meticulously to achieve perfection. Mind you, the process of mixing and matching chemicals can get addicting at some point. Its most notable difference perhaps from a real darkroom is the use of chemicals instead of a stop bath and fixer.

This app also produces nice-looking photos, what with the unlimited amount of chemical combinations you can use. The experience becomes all the more enjoyable through the striking interface. After that, you can share over your work to Facebook or via mail.

Because the app tries to mimic a true darkroom to be authentic enough, SWANKOLAB also inherits some of its shortcomings. For one, the process of developing photos is very tedious. If you are unlucky, it will be a trial-and-error process of combining certain chemicals before you get your desired look. Like in the real darkroom setting, there is no way for you to preview or fine-tune the photo. If you got it wrong, you have to start all over again.

It also takes time for the app to “develop” the photo and we’re sure the impatient ones will not like it. It would have been better as well had the app incorporated sharing to other social networking sites like Flickr and Twitter, aside from Facebook.

With all these said, SWANKOLAB is a swanky app (no pun intended) that produces intense results. But with the limitations mentioned, it is just not for everyone. The nostalgic experience is admirable but there will come a time that it’ll get old. 


 

<h4>The Beginners Lens Flash Rating:</h4>

<img title="3.5 Flash Rating for SwankoLab App" src="http://thebeginnerslens.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/3.5flash.png" alt="We give SwankoLab App 5 Flashes" />
<a title="The Beginners Lens Flash Rating System" href="http://thebeginnerslens.com/about#rating">Learn more about our rating system.</a>

&nbsp;
<strong>Review Digest</strong>

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<td style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"><strong>APP REVIEW WEBSITE</strong></td>
<td style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"><strong>WHAT THEY HAVE TO  SAY</strong></td>
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<td style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"><strong><a href="http://appmodo.com/17681/swankolab-review-for-iphone-and-ipod-touch/">AppModo</a></strong></td>
<td style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;">“SwankoLab comes highly recommended to photography fans everywhere. Not only is it a fun application to use, it also produces amazing results.”</td>
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<td style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"><strong><a href="http://www.148apps.com/reviews/swankolab-review/" rel="shadowbox;width=1000;height=640">148Apps</a></strong></td>
<td style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;">“A gorgeous virtual darkroom in your pocket from the guys behind Hipstamatic. Could there be anything wrong with this picture?”</td>
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<td style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;"><strong><a href="http://www.macworld.com/appguide/app.html?id=496664&expand=false" rel="shadowbox;width=1000;height=640">MacWorld</a></strong></td>
<td style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;">“SwankoLab is not just about having fun mixing chemicals and getting your darkroom fix vicariously through Uncle Stu, however. The results produced by the app can be stunning.”</td>
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