Adobe / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET
Snapping photos through your mobile phone is certainly convenient. But it's not necessarily the best option, especially if you're looking to capture high-quality images.
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Now, Adobe has released a new camera app that aims to address some of the limitations of mobile photography.
Possible Camera app replacement
Available now in the App Store, the free Project Indigo app serves as a possible replacement for the built-in Camera app. But you'll need the right type of phone. The app works with all Pro and Pro Max iPhones starting with the iPhone 12, and with all non-Pro iPhones starting with the 14.
Adobe stresses that Indigo performs some heavy-duty computing, so the newer your phone, the better. Besides being free, the app requires no Adobe account or sign-in.
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Indigo offers several features designed to improve the quality of your photos, Adobe said in its new research post. First, it offers manual controls so you can set the shutter speed, ISO, exposure, focus, temperature, and other elements. Second, it enhances your photos with a more natural SLR -- like look. Third, it taps into computational photography. That third feature is the one worth exploring.
By default, most mobile camera apps take a single shot of a scene or subject. That single resulting image often suffers from what Adobe refers to as the "smartphone look" -- one that's overly bright, low in contrast, high in color saturation, too smooth or soft, and sometimes overly sharp. That type of photo isn't necessarily what you want.
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