Tag: gifachrome

New GIFaCHROME technology in development

hand-gifAchrome

Layercake, is a developing technology for the GIFaCHROME camera. Layercake is not quite ready for release but we have a few test images which give some idea of the affordances of the new subsystem. Layercake allows your images to take a jump out of the frame. Currently it is not known if Layercake is a lens or film format.

facegifaChrome

Technical Specs

Layercake is based on a very simple concept, adding another layer over the film stock. At its simplest a Layercake image consists of three main layers.

  1. The traditional gif layer. Unlike regular GIFaCHROME images this extends under the frame layer..
  2. An extended GIFaCHROME frame. This borrows from the Polaroid print and is an extra transparent, or white frame surrounding. This is a shared layer, shared across all frames.
  3. The external layer. On each frame a section of the extended gif layer is copied above the frame layer. This layer can have an optional drop shadow.

As an aid to creating Layercake images the frame layer is hidden, or added at the end of processing. There is often a guide layer which is hidden before the final gif-printing.

Click to expand
Click to expand

Currently Layercake images are developed using fireworks processing, it is envisaged that this could easily be converted to GIMP or photoshop style workflows.

More examples and technical details are expected to follow.

Pioneering use of GIFaChrome

egypt-strip Recently discovered in the back of a dusty drawer is compelling evidence of the early adoption of the GIFaChrome format by pioneering female photographers.

These women were not discouraged by the predominant male view that the photographic image should be static or that the gif format was not suitable for serious subjects.

The rare filmstrip present here hints that the format was used around the world. Already archeoloGIFts are on the look out for other caches of this rare film. The film can at first glance be easily mistaken for other formats, overlooked or discarded.

Modern GIFaChrome artist Rochelle Lockridge who has done much to popularise the format was unavailable for comment at time of writing, her work on the recent history of the GIFaChrome Camera is essential reading for those interested in the format. We hope to have a triple-troll-quote from Rochelle later today.