An Instax hack that anyone can do in an Instax

Jul 22, 2024

David Prochnow

filters with the Fujifilm Instax mini LiPlay — If your camera features interchangeable lenses, one altered film pack can offer a bundle of visual treats.

Do those fun filters and frames featured on the Fujifilm Instax mini LiPlay have you thirsting for applying that same wacky visual goodness to your own Instax prints? Well, then, this hack is made just for you. Grab a couple of Instax film packs, some tape, various scraps of fabric and colored gels, and, naturally, your Instax camera and head over to the craft table.

Before we dive in, if you are into instant film hacks, check how to make DIY instant film.

Figure 1. Lace fabrics deliver a great venation on open areas.

Oh, you don’t have a craft table? Ok, the floor or your lap will work equally good for performing this hack.

In an effort to quickly stymie any naysayers who lack access to fabric and colored gels, consider this: B&H sells a filter swatch book (see below) that can supply you with all the possible colors and textures that you would ever want to apply to an Instax film pack.

Cinegel filter swatch book — Figure 2. Carefully open your swatch book for removing textures and gels.

Not really feeling the crafty DIY vibe with this hack? No problem. Freestyle Photo & Imaging Supplies offers a pre-packaged kit of Instax film pack filters known as “layers.” Created by KONO Manufaktur, these kits, called KONO!RAMA is a translucent sheet that covers the entire image area of the Instax film pack. Adhered by a sticky tape, each layer is reusable. Finally, there are three different layer kits that feature a unique color theme for influencing each photograph in the film pack. These kits are available here:

KONO!RAMA No.1 Effect Layer for Fuji Instax® Square $14.99 #721002
KONO!RAMA No.2 Effect Layer for Fuji Instax® Square $14.99 #722002
KONO!RAMA No.3 Effect Layer for Fuji Instax® Square $14.99 #723002

Throwing caution to the wind, as you’ll see in the photo below, proceed to prepare an Instax film pack with your chosen effect (e.g., colored gel, fabric selvage, paper, etc.). There are three basic precautions that you must heed to achieve the perfect Instax hack. Just keep in mind that this hack is performed on a brand new unexposed pack of film, and once prepared, this pack is loaded into your camera:

Combining the color hack with interchangeable lenses can give you a lot of experimental image possibilities — Figure 3. Combining this hack with interchangeable lenses can give you a lot of experimental image possibilities.

1. Ensure your selected effect covers the width of your Instax film pack. Use tape to fasten the two ends of your gel, fabric, paper (or whatever) over the plastic film cassette. Refer to the image below.

Tape your selected textures and colored gels to Instax film packs. Remember, your hack will stay inside your camera until all 10 prints have been exposed — Figure 4. Tape your selected textures and colored gels to Instax film packs. Remember, your hack will stay inside your camera until all ten prints have been exposed.

2. Steer clear of the slot at the bottom of the cassette (see below). The Instax camera uses this trough to push the exposed film up and into the moving “development” rollers. If you accidentally block this area, the camera’s film transport mechanism could jam.

Figure 5. Don’t block the area marked by the red circle–it could ruin your camera.

3. It should be obvious that this hack will be applied to all ten prints inside the modified Instax film pack. Nonetheless, feel free to rotate the camera to enable the installed effect to be applied to different areas of your subject (e.g., use the camera turned upside down to alter the sky with your effect). Refer to Figure 6.

Figure 6. You can easily change the location of your hack by rotating your camera upside down before making an exposure.

There’s nothing quite like the excitement of discovering a new visually intriguing technique being applied to a commonplace photographic product. Just one quick “sip” from this creative cup and you’ll soon be slurping up household exotic materials for installing inside your Instax.

Filed Under:

Tagged With:

David Prochnow

Our resident “how-to” project editor, David Prochnow, lives on the Gulf Coast of the United States in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. He brings his expertise at making our photography projects accessible to everyone, from a lengthy stint acting as the Contributing How-To Editor with Popular Science magazine. While you don’t have to actually build each of his projects, reading about these adventures will contribute to your continued overall appreciation of do-it-yourself photography. A collection of David’s best Popular Science projects can be found in the book, “The Big Book of Hacks,” Edited by Doug Cantor.