Photography
Adobe’s “Project Indigo” is the iPhone Camera App We’ve Been Waiting For, and It’s Awesome
A new, free computational photography app from Adobe Labs is here to challenge the iPhone’s native camera, offering professional-level control and stunning, natural-looking images that will make you forget you’re shooting on a phone.
San Jose, CA – In a move that has sent ripples of excitement through the mobile photography community, Adobe has quietly launched “Project Indigo,” a new, experimental computational photography camera app for iPhones. Available now and completely free, Project Indigo is not just another filter-heavy photo app; it’s a ground-up reimagining of what the iPhone camera can be, and frankly, it’s awesome. For anyone serious about mobile photography, this app is a game-changer, offering a level of control and image quality that leaves the standard iPhone camera app in the dust.
Unlocking the True Potential of Your iPhone’s Camera
At its core, Project Indigo is built on the principle of “computational photography,” but with a philosophy that diverges significantly from the often over-processed look of many smartphone images. Instead of the overly bright, heavily saturated, and artificially smoothed aesthetic, Adobe is aiming for a more natural, “SLR-like” quality to its images.
To achieve this, Project Indigo employs a sophisticated multi-frame merging technique. When you press the shutter button, the app captures a burst of up to 32 underexposed frames. These frames are then intelligently aligned and merged to create a single image with a significantly higher dynamic range, reduced noise, and a remarkable level of detail, especially in challenging lighting conditions.
What’s truly revolutionary is that this powerful processing is applied even when shooting in RAW (DNG) format. This gives photographers the best of both worlds: the immense flexibility of a RAW file for post-processing, combined with the computational benefits of multi-frame imaging right at the point of capture.
Specs and Features that Impress
Project Indigo is packed with features that will appeal to both photography enthusiasts and professionals:
- Full Manual Controls: Take complete creative control with manual adjustments for focus, shutter speed, ISO, exposure compensation, and white balance (with separate temperature and tint sliders).
- Superior RAW Capture: The app’s ability to create computationally enhanced DNG files is a standout feature, preserving more data for editing in apps like Adobe Lightroom.
- Multi-Frame Super-Resolution: This innovative feature significantly improves the quality of digital zoom, producing sharper and more detailed images than the native camera’s digital zoom.
- Zero Shutter Lag: In its standard “Photo” mode, Project Indigo offers zero shutter lag, ensuring you never miss the perfect moment.
- Dedicated Night Mode: For stunning low-light photography, the dedicated “Night” mode optimizes settings to capture incredible detail and clarity.
- AI-Powered Tools: As an Adobe Labs project, the app also includes experimental AI features, such as “Remove Reflections,” which can intelligently eliminate distracting reflections from your photos.
- Seamless Lightroom Integration: As expected from an Adobe product, Project Indigo offers tight integration with Adobe Lightroom, allowing you to send your images directly to the powerful editing app.
A Clear Cut Above the Standard iPhone Camera
While the native iPhone camera app is excellent for point-and-shoot simplicity, Project Indigo operates on a different level. Here’s how it stands out:
| Feature | Project Indigo | Standard iPhone Camera App |
| Manual Controls | Full control over focus, shutter speed, ISO, exposure, and white balance. | Limited to exposure and focus lock. |
| RAW Capture | Computationally enhanced DNG files with higher dynamic range. | Standard RAW files without multi-frame processing. |
| Image Philosophy | Aims for a natural, “SLR-like” look with less processing. | Often produces a more processed, brighter, and saturated look. |
| Digital Zoom | “Multi-frame super-resolution” for sharper zoomed images. | Standard digital zoom with noticeable quality degradation. |
| Advanced Features | AI-powered tools like reflection removal. | Lacks advanced experimental features. |
It is worth noting that the intensive processing of Project Indigo can cause some iPhones to run warm, an issue Adobe is likely to address in future updates.
Who is Project Indigo For?
Project Indigo is designed for a broad spectrum of users. Photography enthusiasts who have felt constrained by the limitations of the native camera app will revel in the newfound creative freedom and manual controls. The ability to fine-tune every aspect of a shot and capture high-quality RAW files will undoubtedly elevate their mobile photography.
Professional photographers will find Project Indigo to be an indispensable tool for scouting, quick captures, and even for producing high-quality images when their primary camera isn’t on hand. The “SLR-like” image quality and Lightroom integration make it a seamless addition to their workflow.
Even casual shooters who simply want better-looking photos without much effort will benefit. The app’s intelligent processing delivers more natural and pleasing results straight out of the camera, making their everyday snaps look more professional.
Currently, Project Indigo is available for iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max models and newer, as well as non-Pro iPhone 14 models and newer. As an experimental app from Adobe Labs, it is available for free and does not currently require an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription.
In a world where the smartphone has become the camera of choice for millions, Adobe’s Project Indigo is a powerful statement. It’s a testament to the fact that with the right software, the pocket-sized device we all carry can produce truly breathtaking images. If you’re an iPhone user with a passion for photography, downloading Project Indigo is a no-brainer. It’s a glimpse into the future of mobile imaging, and it is, in a word, awesome.