Introducing Archetype: Six New Filters Available Now in Aviary App

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A fresh filter pack (the third in our series of artist collabs) is launching today, brilliantly masterminded by photographer and designer Ilitch Peters.

Taking a cue from Ilitch's moody, linear aesthetic, the Archetype filters will boost the depth and intensity in your landscape and subject photography, helping to highlight points of focus and subtly boost vibrancy. Download them now, and don’t forget to share your creations with Ilitch using the hashtag #aviary!

iOS | Android

Archetype_Upside_Aviary

Photographer: Ilitch Peters  |  Filter: Upside

Archetype_Hush_Aviary

Photographer: Ilitch Peters  |  Filter: Hush

Archetype_Terminal_Aviary

Photographer: Ilitch Peters |  Filter: Terminal

Shadow Pro Pack Available Now in Aviary App

Shadow Pro for Aviary

Great news filter fans! The new Shadow Pro pack has officially dropped. Emphasize contrast, improve skin tone and fade harsh lighting with Shadow's six pro-grade effects.

Get the pack now in Photo Editor by Aviary.

iOS | Android

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Photos by

Mike Mignano

As always, we'd love to hear your feedback in the comments below.

Cheers!

Could the Stickiest Form of Mobile Brand Engagement be Stickers?

Last April, we took a cue from our third screen savvy friends in Japan and launched one of Aviary's first special edition sticker packs. As part of a creative partnership with Atlantic Records, we teamed up with the visual artist John Gourley (aka the multi-talented frontman of exploding band Portugal. The Man) to design a perfect photo editing feature for fans - something that would both connect fans with the band and give them something really, really fun to do (and share). In Japan, where brands have been distributing branded digital sticker packs in messaging and photo apps for about a year (often to coincide with releases of their infamously good commercials), this interactive and social medium has a strong reputation as a powerful third screen marketing and engagement strategy. And after our first five experiments with stickers outperformed normal iOS CTRs by an average 1100%, we could definitely understand why (email me for case studies).

StickerPost_Aviary

Now - before I go any further - let me explain something about "stickers," because whatever you're visualizing when you read that, you're probably wrong:

A few years ago, digital stickers were a lot like everyday stickers. You know, like the ones your kindergarten teacher would shell out as a reward for turning in your homework on time. As a result, using these stickers on digital photos was like a Martha Stewart craft gone off a cliff - all cartoony, a little cheesy, and maybe best reserved for kids.

But these days - thanks to some very talented designers and some very advanced technology - stickers aren't really stickers anymore, they're just incredibly easy ways to realistically "superimpose" elements into your picture (and/or communicate complex emotions in one click). With stickers like these, you can make your house look 2000 years old. You can make a convincing album of that time you flew to space on the very first Virgin Galactic flight (wink wink). And of course, you can make your picture look like John Gourley drew his doodles all over it, in exactly that way that he's known to do.

Before and After - Galaxy Stickers Aviary

For people that love editing pictures, this sticker revolution means that you can now create the sort of ridiculous images that only the most talented digital artists used to be capable of, in seconds (for another great example of that, check out the Dead Yourself app). For brands, it means that with the right strategy, you can empower a huge audience to create awesome content on your behalf. And for the rest of us, it probably means that we're going to be seeing a lot more of them.

You definitely will be in Aviary; in fact, check out your "sticker" feature right now, and you'll find three (free!) special edition sticker packs - all brought to you by brands and bands* that are savvy enough to understand how you really engage with your mobile phone, and see value in meeting you on that level. Special edition packs in Aviary have already been downloaded close to four million times, and we have no doubt that our users prefer it to more traditional mobile advertising - where average CTRs still hover around  0.86%.

On that note, we are massively grateful to the innovative brands and agencies that have already stepped into this new territory with us. To the fine folks at Digital Kitchen, Gap, Diane von Fustenberg, H&M, Redbull, Starcom and Atlantic Records: you are brave, bold, and great at what you do, and we're so honored that you've trusted us to get your feet wet. Thank you!

*Yes, Portugal. The Man fans, your beloved stickers are back this week. So you can stop emailing us.

Five more awesome filters added to Aviary's Cloud API

The filters in Aviary's Cloud API can be used alone through our server or integrated into our web/mobile SDKs. Add them to your app or website, or try them out with any pic you want! We've just added another handful of new effects to our Cloud API - some of our personal favorites to date, actually.

Read on to see the details, or jump right to our developer site to check out the full list!

Note: even if you’re not a developer, you can still use these awesome effects on your photos! Eventually they’ll all be available in our embeddable editors for web and mobile, but until then you can use them through our developer site. Just upload the photo of your choice and go!

First Photo: A hip upgrade to the classic old-timey filter. Make all your photos look not just old, but timeless!

First Photo

Malibu: Transform even your dullest, most poorly lit moments into ones that might have been enjoyed in the California sun. We're all about making you look better. You're welcome.

Malibu

Maya: I went on about this filter for so long that they named it after me. It's like our super-dramatic cinematic filter, but retro! The best of both worlds.

Maya

San Carmen: Speaking of things we can't stop talking about, this filter has definitely been turning heads at Aviary HQ. It's that perfect retro effect we've all been craving for our terribly modern profile pics.

San Carmen

Sin City: Make everything you do look tougher, edgier, and a little bit chilly.

Sin City

Keep in mind that the parameters for these filters are different every time, so you can refresh to tweak your results. What are you waiting for? Go try these effects on your own photos now!

To stay up to date with the latest filter releases, subscribe to our blog, or follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

Six brand new filters added to our Effects API!

Great news, everyone! Our awesome effects engineer Joe (I like to call him our imagineer) has been hard at work cranking out even more awesome filters to use with Aviary's Effects API. Here are the five we launched earlier this week, including our beloved Auto Enhance, if you need a refresher.

Note: even if you’re not a developer, you can still use these awesome effects on your photos! Eventually they’ll all be available through our simple editor Feather, but until then you can use them through our developer site. Just upload the photo of your choice and go!

Here's a peek at today’s new filters. Take a look, and then try them out yourself over on our developer site. Enjoy!

Always Sunny: Bring the sun with you wherever you are. Make all your friends jealous by going on a tropical vacation in your own backyard! They'll never know.

Always Sunny

Code Red: Tired of looking at life like it's not a post-apocalyptic video game? We've got you covered.

Code Red

Color Operations: Mess with the colors in your photos all you want. You'll find the regulars like saturation and brightness, but also some advanced things like hue shift and gamma adjustments.

Color Operations

Meme Generator: Already a crowd favorite here at Aviary HQ. Everything is funnier when you put silly text on it! This filter has been tested and approved by your fellow Redditors.

Meme Generator

Negative: Turns your world inside out!

Negative

Outline

Outline: This one's really cool. You kind of have to try it to get a sense of its power. Try variations with different outline colors and backgrounds for a ton of effects.

To stay up to date with the latest filter releases, subscribe to our blog, or follow us on Twitter and Facebook!