Latest news with #iPhoneApp
Phone Arena
7 hours ago
- Phone Arena
Your iPhone camera can now take better photos thanks to the minds behind Google Pixel
Adobe launched a new iPhone camera app to help you capture sharper, clearer photos. It is free, works on recent iPhones and doesn't even require an Adobe account to start shooting. Adobe just dropped a new computational photography app for iPhones called Project Indigo. And interestingly, one of the people behind it is Marc Levoy, the same guy who helped build the computational photography magic that made Google's early Pixel cameras stand out (and no, it's not available on Android yet, which is kind of ironic).Released last week via Adobe Labs, Project Indigo is free and you won't have to bother with logging into an Adobe account to use it, too. It works on iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 13 Pro/Pro Max and all iPhone 14 models and up. However, Adobe recommends using it on an iPhone 15 Pro or later for best results. The app captures up to 32 frames and combines them into a single photo – kinda like HDR or Night mode on your iPhone, but taken further with more control and more frames. Sure, you'll sometimes have to wait a few extra seconds after snapping, but the payoff is cleaner shadows, less noise and better dynamic range. See the difference: left is a single iPhone shot in very low light (1/10 lux), while right is Indigo's handheld photo, merged from 32 frames to cut down on noise. | Image credit – Adobe You can also adjust how many frames the app captures in each burst, giving photographers the freedom to choose the right balance between how long the shot takes and how much noise ends up in the photo. Plus, there's a Long Exposure mode for those who want to experiment with cool motion blur effects. Indigo offers a "Long Exposure" button. | Image credit – Adobe The app relies on AI to save photos in both regular dynamic range and the more detailed high dynamic range. Adobe mentions that Project Indigo plays well with Camera Raw and Lightroom for further editing. And, just like you'd want from a pro-level camera app, it gives you hands-on control over things like focus, ISO, shutter speed, white balance (with fine-tuning for warmth and tint), and exposure adjustments. Project Indigo also improves digital zoom by using a multi-frame super-resolution technique. When you zoom in beyond 2×, it snaps several slightly shifted shots – thanks to your natural hand movement – and merges them to create a clearer, sharper photo. On the left, a San Francisco snapshot from an iPhone 16 Pro Max (5x lens, 10x digital zoom). On the right, the same scene via Indigo's multi-frame super-resolution. Notice Indigo's clearer detail and less noise, especially in the building windows. | Image credit – Adobe Unlike some AI zoom tricks that just make up details, this method relies on actual tiny shifts to rebuild the image resolution, resulting in a more authentic and higher-quality app is serving as a testing ground for features that could show up in other top-tier Adobe products, like a tool to remove annoying reflections. Looking ahead, the team is working on adding an Android version, a portrait mode and even video capture capabilities. Your iPhone can take better pics. | Image credit – Adobe One of the coolest things smartphones brought us is having a decent camera right in our pockets – ready to snap good photos with just a tap. Plus, you can edit and share those shots all from the same device, which is super Project Indigo tackles some of the biggest gripes people have with phone photos today – like images that are too bright, lack contrast, have way too much color saturation or suffer from heavy smoothing and sharpening. Adobe is aiming to fix those issues right at the source. Full disclosure: I couldn't try the app myself because I have an iPhone 13 mini, which isn't supported due to 'physical memory constraints' (bummer). The app also doesn't work on iPhone 12 or 12 from what Adobe's shown, Project Indigo looks like a real step up – delivering sharper details, better lighting and photos that look great even blown up on big this is just the beginning, it's exciting to think about what Adobe might bring next – whether that's a new version of Indigo or something fresh that blends mobile photography and editing with next-level computational photography and AI. Oh, and speaking of AI – Adobe's Firefly app just launched on iOS and Android, letting anyone create images and videos just by typing what they want. Secure your connection now at a bargain price! We may earn a commission if you make a purchase This offer is not available in your area.
The Verge
a day ago
- The Verge
Adobe launches a new ‘computational photography' camera app for iPhones
Adobe has a new computational photography camera app for iPhones – and one of its creators, Marc Levoy, helped make the impressive computational photography features that made some of Google's earlier Pixel cameras shine. The new app, called Project Indigo, was released last week by Adobe Labs. It's free and available for the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max, iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max, and all iPhone 14 models and above. (Though Adobe recommends using an iPhone 15 Pro or newer.) It also doesn't require logging into an Adobe account to use. 'Instead of capturing a single photo, Indigo captures a burst of photos and combines them together to produce a high-quality photo with lower noise and higher dynamic range,' according to the app's description. Indigo tries to produce a natural, 'SLR-like' look for photos, and it also offers a bunch of manual controls like focus, shutter speed, ISO, and white balance. To really understand what's going on under the hood of Project Indigo, though, I highly recommend reading a detailed blog post from Levoy, now an Adobe Fellow who joined the company in 2020 to build a 'universal camera app,' and Florian Kainz, a senior scientist. The post covers things like why smartphone cameras are good, how its computational photography works, how it creates the natural look for its photos, and some details about its image processing pipeline. It is here I must confess that I am not a camera expert by any means. But even I found the post pretty interesting and informative. The photos in the post do look great, and Adobe has an album of photos you can browse, too. In the post, Levoy and Kainz say that Project Indigo will also be a testbed for technologies that might get added to other flagship products, like a button to remove reflections. And down the line, the team plans to build things like an Android version, a portrait mode, and even video recording. 'This is the beginning of a journey for Adobe – towards an integrated mobile camera and editing experience that takes advantage of the latest advances in computational photography and AI,' according to Levoy and Kainz. 'Our hope is that Indigo will appeal to casual mobile photographers who want a natural SLR-like look for their photos, including when viewed on large screens; to advanced photographers who want manual control and the highest possible image quality; and to anyone – casual or serious – who enjoys playing with new photographic experiences.'
