Use the ‘Anti-AI’ Camera Apps Zerocam and Hallide to Keep Your Photos Looking More Natural

December 20, 2024:

Artificial intelligence is everywhere you look right now, making its way into music streaming, social media, video games, web search, and just about every other technological field. Every time a new phone or laptop is launched these days, what’s invariably mentioned first is just how much AI it has on board.

AI’s reach also extends deeply into mobile photography. It started with the smart, algorithm-led tweaks to color and brightness in your mobile photos. Now we’re all the way up to dropping people into photos who weren’t actually there at the time—or, alternatively, erasing people and objects out of a shot. Both Android and iOS also apply machine algorithms to make colors in photos “pop” and to add more dynamics to images.

It doesn’t have to be this way. You can still find mobile camera apps that shun AI and give the control back to you, so taking pictures is more about framing moments and scenes rather than any kind of AI fakery. These are two of the best.

Zerocam

Zerocam proudly promotes its anti-AI ethos, describing itself as “the simplest way to take photos,” with the idea being that it’s as close to an actual point-and-shoot camera as possible. Natural, authentic looks are in—the app actually shoots in the RAW format—and artificial overprocessing is out.

There really isn’t much to say in terms of how to use the app: You frame the shot, and hit the yellow shutter button (which has a rotating carousel of labels on it, including “zap” and “piu piu”). The only other button on the interface lets you control the zoom options, which will vary depending on the phone you’re using.

To begin with, it’s a bit unnerving to have such a simple and minimal interface to work with, but I found I quickly got used to it. It feels liberating to just point and shoot without worrying about anything else—and the Zerocam social media feed is full of examples of the great photos you can snap with this app.

The app developers get involved with their community, and are currently running a “365 Challenge” to encourage users to take a snap a day. You can see the prompts if you set up the Zerocam widget on your home screen. It’s also possible to launch the app straight from the lock screen if you want.

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