Polaroid (polarizer) Polaroid (polarizer) Polaroid is a type of synthetic plastic sheet which is used as a polarizer or polarizing filter. A trademark of the Polaroid Corporation, the term has since entered common use. The original material, patented in 1929 and further developed in 1932 by Edwin H. Land, consists of many microscopic crystals of iodoquinine sulphate (herapathite) embedded in a transparent nitrocellulose polymer film. The needle-like crystals are aligned during manufacture of the film by stretching or by applying electric or magnetic fields. With the crystals aligned, the sheet is dichroic: it tends to absorb light which is polarized parallel to
Polaroid art Polaroid art Some Polaroid instant films are suitable for various forms of alternative processing leading to artistic effects. One form was the manipulation of SX-70 using various tools before the emulsion dried to create an oil painting effect. However, SX-70 is no longer in production and similar films by the Polaroid Originals do not have the same manipulable qualities. Emulsion lifting can be achieved by soaking Polaroid, Fuji peel-apart, and some Impossible Project's films in water and then transferring the emulsion to a new surface like wood, metal or paper. Image transfers are another method of transferring the image from