Create retro pixel art

Make your photos look like vintage graphics

- CRAIG GRANNELL

WITH COMPUTERS, PIXEL ART was once just art. Today, pixelsare too small to notice. Butdecades ago, they could be sochunky, your imagination had to fill inthe gaps. Each system had its own visualflavor, too, from the Mac's detailed blackand white dithering to the ZX Spectrum'seye—searing hues.

If you grew up in that era — or justlove old—school graphics — Retrospecsis a must, letting you quickly transformphotos and videos to look like they camefrom classic computers and consoles.

The free download for iPhone/iPad (whichis also Mac—compatible) will get youstarted with basic editing features andseveral systems, including the AppleMacintosh — a likely favorite amongMacLife readers!

Pay the tiny one-off $1.99 in—apppurchase and you unlock many moresystems, settings, and features, suchas video support, customization, andoutput upscaling to make those crisp retrovisuals more suitable for modern displays.

Choose a filter

From the main screen, tap abutton to shoot a photo or load a picturefrom your iPhone. In the System tab,drag left and right to see what's available.Tap Nintendo Game Boy to apply thatfilter, then Save to send it to Photos.

Explore modes