How To: Create "Frame Within a Frame" Photo Effects on Android

Creating interesting photographs used to be more fun, before we all collectively decided that color filters and rotations qualified as "unique" smartphone pics. Scrolling through my Instagram feed only confirms that these supposedly special, filter-laden photos are actually the norm now.

In this guide, I'm going to show you how to escape the banality of Instagram filters and add a psychedelic Droste effect to your pics using Photo Window (free) from Vacuapps. This creative Android app gives you an easy way to create interesting frame-within-a-frame effects, where it looks like a picture is infinitely appearing within itself to the point of abyss.

Step 1: Add Your Window

Choose an image from your gallery or take a picture from within the app, then edit the window frame in real-time. Tap the icon on the top left to adjust the shape of the window frame, or even make it circular, and use the grid points to shape it as you please.

Adjust the focal point of the Droste effect by tapping inside the window, and adjust the intensity of the effect with a pinching gesture. Once finished, just tap the check mark.

Step 2: Save to Gallery & Other Options

You'll see a few more options after saving the image: Immersive Animation, Edit, Share, Save to Gallery, and Trash. The immersive animation is the most captivating feature as it endlessly zooms into your image and window, which is key in the recursive Droste effect.

Photo Window is simple to use, and because it's a relatively new app, look for improvements and added features, like creating GIFs out of the animations. Let us know what you think below in the comments, and as always, on Facebook and Twitter!