Introduction: Physical Purple & Blue Camera Filter

About: Boston undergrad studying Mechanical Engineering & Experience Design. I love to play guitar, go on hikes and bike trips, and make things out of wood!
In this Instructable, I will be teaching you how to create a physical camera filter for your iPhone/iPad.

This project came about when I had noticed some scraps of colored cellophane lying around the house. I was intrigued to see if i could use them in a camera filter, and eventually ended up with a reversible purple & blue filter that slides over the camera. This filter can quickly change the temperature in any photo, and applies an interesting grainy effect. I also noticed that this filter reacts much more dynamically to changes in light and exposure than a digital filter, which can help create some interesting pictures.



Note- this is my first instructable, so any support is greatly appreciated!

Step 1: What You Will Need for This Project

TOOLS
For this project, you will need:

A drill

assorted drill bits around 3/8th size (Slightly larger than the size of the camera lens)

A hot glue gun

Pliers

Scissors

MATERIALS
For this project, you will need:

A piece of sheet aluminum, approximately 4" by 3/4" ( If you do not own any strips of sheet metal like this, don't worry. You can substitute a piece of tough, flexible plastic or cardboard)

Two adhesive felt pads, with a diameter of approximately 1". (If you cannot find any of these, you will simply have to cut standard felt into circles. 

Two bottle caps (it is okay if they are different colors or sizes)

Two scraps of cellophane, purple or red and blue (these should be bigger than the bottlecap)

 
 
 

Step 2: Constructing the Base

Now, we will be constructing the base of the filter.

1. Drill a hole in each of the felt pads.

2.Drill a hole at either end of your metal/plastic/cardboard strip (mine came pre drilled, you can use the picture for reference if yours isn't)

NOTE: when drilling these holes, you may achieve a "spotlight" effect around the picture as shown above. You can do this by making sure that the holes you drill are not too large to "escape" the camera. I found that I rather liked it, but you may want to use a slightly larger drill bit  to take normal pictures.

3.Peel off the backing to the felt pads and stick the pads onto each hole on either end of the strip

4. Bend the strip around your Phone/Tablet with the pliers (see the picture) It should fit snugly. If it is not tight, use rubber bands wrapped around to keep it from getting loose.

When using the camera you should be able to see the "spotlight" if you used a smaller drill bit, or see perfectly clear if you used a larger one.

Step 3: Constructing the Filters

Now, we will construct the filters themselves.

1. Begin by cutting each color cellophane to fit inside of the bottle cap.

2. Drill a hole in the center of each bottle cap using the 3/8th drill bit.

3.Hot glue each cellophane circle into the corresponding bottle cap.

Step 4: Finishing the Assembly

Now, we hot glue each bottle cap filter onto the backside of the corresponding base holes, and we are done!

Step 5: Taking Pictures

Here are some examples of the pictures I took. You can notice the "spotlight" effect around each picture.

Please vote for me in the Epilog Challenge V and Purple Contests!

Cheers,

        MU5ICI4N