Interview With Simon Fil...Glow - A Beautiful Mess

4/10/13 Interview with Simon Filip, Creator of Afterglow - A Beautiful Mess

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Interview with Simon Filip, Creator of Afterglow

We recently became friends with Simon Filip, a really talented photographer and the creator of Afterglow. We love his app and felt really

inspired by his story. Simon was kind enough to allow us to ask him a few questions about his experiences.



What sparked the idea for your app?

The idea for Afterglow started while I was working on a new collection of Photoshop actions near the beginning of the year. (See Simon's

actions here.) I had the thought to turn my actions into something bigger, and the idea for Afterglow slowly began from there. We tried to get

as close as possible to our general idea of a powerful, but still fast and simple photo editor. All of our adjustment tools, in some way, are

created uniquely in Photoshop, so it's kind of like using Photoshop when you use Afterglow. I like things to have parts with a collaborative

feel to them, so I worked on some guest filters with Instagram users early in the development, to have a very unique section of the app. We're

only a team of two people and we don't even run a company, so it has been really great to get other people involved.

Did you feel intimidated by the process of developing an app?

Absolutely. The idea started out as a Photoshop plugin, and creating an app was such a crazy and impossible thought at the time. Once the

Photoshop plugin idea didn't work out, I decided to throw myself into developing Afterglow as an iPhone app. It was definitely the best

decision I could have made at the time, even though I had no experience at all with apps.



All successful business people have obstacles to overcome. Can you tell us about your journey to success?

I had quite an obstacle to go through in the first few months of development that resulted in a lot of mistakes, wasted time, and losing

money. Though once that was over, I was very lucky to quickly meet my now good friend and business partner Sangmook Lee (keynut.com).

Everything about working with him has gone really well, but the only problem we have had is not that bad, but a little funny. He's from

South Korea, so there has been a slightly difficult language barrier, which results in him using google translate to communicate with me

strictly through email. Haha.

What are some steps you took before developing your app?

While I was sorting out the development of the app, I spent a lot of time working on textures and a crazy amount of time working on filters.

For the past 6 months until the release, I tweaked the filters daily, putting a lot of hours into each one. Creating and selling Photoshop

actions in the past has definitely made the development much easier on my part. I've been really into editing color in different ways ever

since starting photography, so I was comfortable with the process of manipulating color. But some days I would feel a little crazy after

looking at slight color changes for hours.



How does shooting with film affect your work? Did you use it in the development of Afterglow?

Shooting film for my photography has taught me to be careful and to put everything I have into each photo—rather than simply snapping

away without giving it much thought and having to sift through a lot of photos later. I think shooting strictly film for a while has definitely

enhanced the way I work and the way I look at photography. Film was used in a big part of the texture section of Afterglow. I shot a few rolls

of film and did some intentional light leaks for use as textures in the app. I'm really happy I decided to go for it, since it has had a good

response. Though that was definitely a little awkward and confusing to get developed. Haha.

What was it like collaborating with other people for some of the filters?

Collaborating on the guest filters of Afterglow was definitely a good experience. It has been a really great addition to the app to have every

guest filter from a different Instagram user. Working with them was always fun and exciting to see the results, since each filter has a very

different coloring style from the others. I think they give the filter section a lot of personality. I'm going to always be collaborating on more

free guest filters for each Afterglow update, so it has been really great to work with people from around the world and to see it grow.



What has been the most funny/interesting response you've seen from users to Afterglow?

The overflow of shaped frames on Instagram, specifically circles, has definitely been the funniest. It was also the most exciting response

from users we've seen so far, since we could watch it spread around. I don't mind it at all. It was really cool to see, but still funny that

Instagram was flooded with shapes right after the release. Another interesting response also involves the frames, and that has been people

mixing the frames in unique ways. Seeing that has given me lots of ideas for future features!

What can we expect from Afterglow in the future? Any big updates on the horizon?

We're currently planning an update to the app for every month of next year, starting with a big one in January. We've got a lot of big ideas for

the future, but we've just got to figure out how to execute them in the best way possible. A clarity adjustment tool and a double exposure tool

are just a couple of things we're going to work on soon. Our main focus for every update is to add new free tools to make the app more

powerful, and of course lots of free filters, frames, and textures. Frequent updates are something I always wished to see in photography apps,

so I'd like to do that with Afterglow.



Do you have anyadvice for young people with big ideas?



My advice, if you have a big idea, would definitely be to simply go for it. I didn't have any knowledge in the process of creating apps beforestarting, and I definitely wasn't ready financially. But with a big idea, you can definitely get where you want to be if you push hard enoughfor it.

Thanks so much for sharing your work with us Simon!!! xo. Elsie + Emma

*All photos by Simon Filip

Posted on November 26, 2012 in INTERVIEWS | PermalinkTweetTweet | |

Comments

Afterglow is amazing! Thanks for introducing me to it!

Posted by: tinacious me | November 26, 2012 at 02:37 PMInspiring!! Thanks for sharing.

Like 92



Posted by: Joanne | November 26, 2012 at 02:41 PMSo cool to read about! I've seen a few things about Afterglow but haven't checked it out yet...definitely going to now!

Posted by: Carrie Rosalind | November 26, 2012 at 02:50 PMLove this app! I downloaded it almost immediately after its release. I'm pretty excited that they're planning so many updates next year - I love thechange :)

xx Ashleighwww.ashflynn.blogspot.com

Posted by: Ashleigh | Love Stoned | November 26, 2012 at 02:56 PMThank you again Elsie and Emma! I've already downloaded most of the photo editing apps you've mentioned in earlier posts and E-Courses, and theyhave been so much fun and helpful for my blog and pictures of my 2 little kids. Afterglow is a new favorite! I love it.

Posted by: Priska | November 26, 2012 at 02:59 PMI love Afterglow - it's so great to get to know even more about it!

Posted by: Katha // kathastrophal | November 26, 2012 at 03:02 PMI'm loving using Afterglow! It's refreshing.

Posted by: Amy Powell | November 26, 2012 at 03:08 PMThanks for the information, can't believe I just knew.

Posted by: Nataya A | November 26, 2012 at 03:12 PMIt looks great! Please, please, please make an Android version... XOXO

Posted by: Jen | November 26, 2012 at 03:14 PMWhen the version for Android?

Posted by: charline | November 26, 2012 at 03:19 PMWow, what a cool app! I'd never heard of it before, but after reading this interview I really want to check it out! :)

-Lindseyhttp://ettu-tutu.blogspot.com

Posted by: Et tu, tutu? | November 26, 2012 at 03:21 PMReally great inerview and amazing pics. Perfect job. Have a nice day.

http://www.fashiondenis.com/

Posted by: Denisa | November 26, 2012 at 03:23 PMI really enjoy Afterglow! It has been great!

Posted by: Savannah Layne Morgan | November 26, 2012 at 03:34 PMI've been looking for a new photo editing app that doesn't cost a fortune! This app is perfect!! I will definitely be downloading it when I get home! =)

http://chloemoonergo.blogspot.com

Posted by: Chloe Moon | November 26, 2012 at 03:49 PMI love this app!

Posted by: Erika @SausageJar | November 26, 2012 at 03:52 PMI LOVE Afterglow - one of my favorite apps for sure! Thanks for the great interview!

Morganseemomogo.blogspot.com

Posted by: Morgan - See Mo Go | November 26, 2012 at 04:00 PMSo very awesome! Love Afterglow!

Posted by: Jane | November 26, 2012 at 04:06 PMI LOVE afterglow! And feel so great that I have helped a guy achieve his dreams by editing my photos on it x

www.illuminatedteapot.blogspot.co.uk

Posted by: Issey | November 26, 2012 at 04:07 PMi LOVE afterglow! i actually posted about it yesterday on my blog: kellygeorgette.com ..love the interview :)

Posted by: Kelly | November 26, 2012 at 04:11 PMI love love love this app! One of my favs for photos!xo edenhttp://edenmarie44.blogspot.com

Posted by: Eden | November 26, 2012 at 04:16 PM



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