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

Artificial intelligence everywhere you look now, it’s creeping into music streaming, social media, video games, web search, and every other field of technology. Every time a new phone or laptop is launched these days, the first thing that is always mentioned is how much AI it has.

The reach of AI also extends to mobile photography. It started with smart, algorithm-guided tweaks to color and brightness in your mobile photos. Now we’re ready to drop people into pictures that weren’t there at the time—or, alternatively, erase people and things from the picture. Both Android and iOS use machine algorithms to make colors in photos “pop” and add energy to photos.

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

Zerocam

Zerocam proudly promotes its AI-fighting principles, describing itself as “the easiest way to take pictures,” with the idea that it’s as close to a real point-and-shoot camera as possible. A natural, realistic look is in—the app actually shoots in RAW format—and artificial over-processing is out.

There’s not much to say about how to use the app: You insert a photo frame, then press the yellow shutter button (with a rotating carousel of labels on it, including “zap” and “piu piu”). The only specific button on the interface lets you control the zoom options, which will vary depending on the phone you’re using.

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

The developers of the app are involved with their community, and are currently running a “365 Challenge” to encourage users to take a day off. You can see the instructions when you set the Zerocam widget on your home screen. It is also possible to launch the app from the lock screen if you want.