Pixels, filters, and code – as explained by Instagram founder Kevin Systrom

If you are not familiar with Code.org, and you are interested in mobile applications, you should probably check the organization out as it is a powerful advocate to get people to learn how to code.

The organization has broached the topic on many different levels, but in this instance, it put together a really simple explanation of how code works within a specific topic: images. To do that, Code.org teamed with Kevin Systrom, co-founder of Instagram and a photographer named Piper. The two of them plainly down digital imagery down into binary.

We discuss a lot of the technology behind pixels, color, and resolution in cameras and smartphone displays. Kevin and Piper take it to a fundamental level in how all these factors fit in the world of code. Instagram was founded in mobile, and Kevin explains the basics behind how Instagram’s filters work.

If only all technology was this simple a concept right? Well it happens in steps, and at the rate technology is advancing, the next idea you have, or the next problem you solve, could start as just as simple an idea. Remember, Instagram started, lives, and flourishes in mobile. What problem do you want to solve?

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