Popular photo taking app Halide Camera was today updated to version 1.10, introducing a number of new features including Smart RAW for iPhone XS and iPhone XR, and a tweaked watch app for Apple Watch Series 4 models.
The Smart RAW feature works using a new automatic logic built for getting the best RAW shots out of the iPhone XS and XR, enabling photographers to get even more detail out of their iPhone camera.
According to developer Sebastiaan de With, the Halide auto-exposure on iPhone X already optimizes for the lowest possible ISO and the highest amount of detail, making Smart RAW unnecessary on the iPhone 8 and X. However the iPhone XS and XR benefit from Smart RAW because of the new sensors in the phones.
The Smart RAW feature is on by default and promises to bring noticeably lower noise and better highlight recovery in RAW shots taken with auto-exposure. Interested users are encouraged to search Instagram using the #SmartRAW hashtag for some early examples of the enhanced shooting mode.
This update also adds an option to compare JPEG images with RAW equivalents, while the Halide watch component has been optimized to make better use of the larger screen on Apple Watch Series 4. Lastly, the developer has done some cleaning up and managed to cut down the app size to half of what it was in the previous version.
Earlier in the week, Sebastiaan de With published an in-depth look at the front and rear-facing cameras in the iPhone XS and XS Max, providing some insight into complaints about a possible skin smoothing "beauty mode" that results in less realistic selfies than prior iPhone models.
Halide costs $5.99 and is available on the App Store for iPhone and iPad. [Direct Link]
Top Rated Comments
Back in reality, this is a WONDERFUL app. I bought it once they announced the smart raw was coming, and it is truely fantastic. I preferred it over the stock app even before the functionality was implemented.
It is the only camera app I use now.
You can do everything and much more with free Lightroom CC.
[LIST=1]
* Most apps can take only photos. I want an app that can also take Videos.
* Many features that I use frequently are not available in most/all 3rd party apps, such as Live Photos and Burst mode.
* I am not sure whether all the machine learning based features like Smart HDR are available on 3rd party apps. It would be nice if the developer points out what isn't possible.