Frequently asked questions
About Afterhours Camera, the app and the shelvesQuick answers to the questions we get most. For the argument behind the app, read Camera Simulation vs Filters. For every camera individually, the shelf is here.
What is Afterhours Camera?
Afterhours Camera is an iPhone camera app built around real-time camera simulations. It ships twenty cameras across two shelves — twelve on the AFTERHOURS shelf (camcorders, disposables, digicams, instant film, Super 8, CRT playback, computational glass) and eight on the FILM shelf (colour negative, chrome slide, black-and-white, tungsten night, daylight compact). Each camera is a real capture simulation, not a filter applied after the shutter.
Is Afterhours Camera free?
Afterhours is a free download. It includes a set of free cameras — NS-8, SNAP-27, DV-90, G8X MIII, SPECTRA-16, and CRT-9 — that ship at no charge. A handful of paid cameras (CZ-30, HDV-2000, VHS-83, POLAROID-90, SUPER-8, FLUX-1) unlock individually as one-time in-app purchases. There is no subscription. Current pricing is shown at the App Store paywall.
What iPhone and iOS version do I need?
iPhone only, iOS 16 or later. Afterhours is not available on Android or iPad.
Does Afterhours Camera work offline?
Yes. All camera and film simulations run on-device. No internet connection is required to shoot, develop, or export. The only network activity in the app is purchase-receipt verification for optional paid camera unlocks and (rare) sample-reel downloads for the CREATE templates section.
Does Afterhours require an account?
No. There is no account, no login, and no email required to use the app. Every capture stays on your device.
Does Afterhours upload my photos or videos anywhere?
No. Captured photos and videos never leave your device. Afterhours has no servers to receive them. See the Privacy Policy for the full detail.
What's the difference between the AFTERHOURS shelf and the FILM shelf?
The AFTERHOURS shelf is twelve vintage-capture cameras — Hi8 camcorder, VHS-C, MiniDV deck, MiniDV fisheye, Super 8, disposable 35mm, instant Polaroid, 2004 CCD digicam, Y2K digicam with effect dial, modern compact, CRT playback fiction, and a computational-glass camera. Each has its own capture flow. The FILM shelf is eight film-forward cameras with a shared 'stocks viewfinder' — the device grammar is intentionally sparser because film-forward shooting is about the material more than the body. Both shelves run through the same live-in-viewfinder pipeline.
Are the cameras real simulations or just filters?
Real simulations. Every camera runs live in the viewfinder before the shutter, and different cameras behave differently at capture time. SNAP-27 enforces a real 27-shot roll (code-level, not decoration). POLAROID-90 makes you wait 20 seconds for the deterministic chemical reveal. G8X MIII fires an ambient exposure 200 ms before the flash for slow-sync fusion. VHS-83 is a direct port of ntsc-rs — real composite-video math, not overlaid noise. See Camera Simulation vs Filters for the full argument.
Which cameras are free vs. paid?
Free cameras: NS-8, SNAP-27, DV-90, G8X MIII, SPECTRA-16, CRT-9. Paid cameras (one-time in-app unlock, no subscription): CZ-30, HDV-2000, VHS-83, POLAROID-90, SUPER-8, FLUX-1. The FILM shelf cameras (MONO 100, MORNING 01, STILL 02, FADE-200, VERDE 50, NOCT-800, HIBI-200, DAILY 01) are shipped through their own release structure — check the app for current pricing.
Is Afterhours available on Android?
No. iPhone only. The engineering repo's internal name and Android package identifier are legacy artifacts; the shipping product is iOS only.
How do I get support?
Email bricksandcanvas@gmail.com. That's Peter Garcia directly — expect a real reply, not a support script.
Who makes Afterhours Camera?
Peter Garcia, founder of Bricks & Canvas. Peter designs and builds every camera in the app, writes the engineering docs, and publishes the editorial guides on this site. More on the About page.