.)Bypassing Image Editing: Capturing Snapshots on iOS Devices Directly
Your iPhone camera ain't just savvy, it's downright brilliant. It can tweak your selfies' lighting and remove distractions from your snaps like it's no big deal. It's like wielding an Infinity Stone, but without the pesky Have-A-Nice-Day speeches from Nick Fury. However, this level of smartness can sometimes mess with the authenticity of your photos, making them look more like fantasy than reality. But don't sweat it, there are alternatives.
Now, keep in mind that achieving absolutely zero processing on any smartphone camera is a tall order. There's always some degree of data interpretation to make the photos viewable. Nonetheless, we want to minimize your phone's decision-making power over how your photos should look, such as adjusting saturation, focus, and lighting. At times, letting the phone make these choices might be convenient, but if you're after more control, these tips are for you.
Embrace the Flexibility with Apple ProRAW
Typically, your phone compresses images to save space and tosses unnecessary data to display them. But that data is handy if you want to do some custom photo editing. That's where Apple ProRAW steps in. This format saves nearly all the data from your camera's sensor when the photo was taken.
This allows you to tweak things like exposure, contrast, saturation, white balance, and basic image aspects. There's still some processing involved with ProRAW photos, but it gives you a lot more control over adjustments than regular images.
Enabling ProRAW images is easy-peasy. Tap the RAW button while using your camera to activate it for the current session. If you prefer to set it as your default setting, head to Settings > Camera > Preserve Settings, then enable ProRAW & Resolution control. With this setting, your camera will be in ProRAW mode unless manually turned off.
Ditch the AI with ZeroCam
ZeroCam claims that less is indeed more. It hardly has any features, only a shutter button. No post-processing or filters are available, and you even select your camera lens optionally. It's about as straightforward as it gets, for better or worse.
In my experience, ZeroCam performs best in well-lit conditions, delivering somewhat natural-looking photos compared to the stock camera app. However, low-light photos had noticeable noise, which is expected with less processing.
The main downside to ZeroCam is its subscription cost: $2/month or $13 per year. You can enjoy a free three-day trial if you opt for the monthly plan, and a week if you go for the annual plan. After the trial, you'll likely know if it's worth the price for you.
Take Control with Halide
Unlike ZeroCam, Halide Mark II offers extensive manual controls similar to those found in DSLR cameras. You can fine-tune focus, ISO, shutter speed, and white balance before capturing an image. Some of these controls are available in the default camera app, but Halide adds special features like focus peaking and live histograms.
Halide also features a Process Zero mode that bypasses AI-driven enhancements entirely, providing images as close to straight-from-the-sensor as possible.
Like ZeroCam, Halide isn't free, but you can try it out for a week with its free trial. After that, subscriptions start at $10/month, or you can shell out $20 for a year. If you're in it for the long haul, a lifetime license will set you back $60.
Master AIs with Blackmagic Camera
Blackmagic makes the free video editing suite Davinci Resolve, as well as cinema cameras that deeply integrate with the software. More recently, they released an app for the iPhone that leverages their expertise for your mobile camera. The Blackmagic Camera app is mainly tailored for video, but you can use it for still photos as well.
If you're only after still photos, another option on this list might suit you better, but this app is a winner for videographers. It offers pro-level camera controls like ISO, shutter speed, and white balance, as well as features like an RGB histogram and image stabilization to reduce camera shake.
- Tech enthusiasts and videographers might find the 'Process Zero' mode in Halide Mark II useful, as it bypasses AI-driven enhancements to deliver images that are closer to straight-from-the-sensor, providing better control over their iPhone photos.
- For those seeking an alternative approach to iPhone photography, ZeroCam offers a unique, minimalist experience with limited features and no post-processing or filters, which can produce more natural-looking images, especially in well-lit conditions.
- To delve deeper into photographic control on an iPhone, consider utilizing Apple ProRAW, which saves nearly all the data from the camera's sensor when the photo was taken, allowing for custom adjustments like exposure, contrast, saturation, white balance, and more, giving better photos on iPhone a more authentic touch.
