Folo
Platform
iOS
Built with
Swift/Xcode, Google Cloud Platform
Started
October 2019
Check it out
Not available right now
Folo is an iOS app I made during my second year of university that provides users a camera that mimics the polaroid style. I released the app in December 2019 but had to take it down due to a copyright claim from Polaroid. Once I remove the rainbow lines, I can re-release that app.
This app was a really fun project to work on, and was the first project that I've worked on that uses in-app purchases and advertisements.
I also created a machine learning model to make an image look like it was taken on a polaroid but I had lots of trouble figuring out how to store them online and allow users to download each one without using a lot of bandwidth. Since I couldn't find a feasible way, I resorted to using filters I created using Apple's Metal framework. The filters are not as authentic as the machine learning model but they are convincing enough for now.
I created the model by training the model what polaroid photos look like (I scraped the internet for polaroid photos) and then trained it to convert an input image to match the style of actual polaroid photos.
Currently, Folo is unreleased as I had to take it down since Polaroid claims my app design infringes on their marketing. While it is annoying that I have to change the app, the silver lining is that my app was big enough for Polaroid to take notice.