Just in time for the holidays we are rolling out ProCamera v15.2 – another major update!

ProCamera v15.2 brings a completely redesigned Control Panel, a brand new Quad-Shot function, an additional saving option, Perspective Correction in LowLight mode and more…

NEW CONTROL PANEL

True to our mission to strive for the best camera interface, we completely overhauled our control panel. The new, more easy-to-use SwiftUI-based control panel provides a faster and more convenient way to change settings.

It opens as a sheet which means you can quickly close it by simply swiping down. Above all, the complete rebuild serves as the basis for great new features – like the innovative Quad-Shot.

QUAD-SHOT

Don’t miss the decisive moment: With a single tap you can now take four photos in very quick succession.

Via control panel, assign the new Quad-Shot to the 2nd Shutter. Once it’s activated, you can tap the Secondary Shutter – the smaller button right next to the main shutter button – any time to take a set of four individual images. Taking four photos instead of just one highly increases your chances to capture the perfect moment.

ADDITIONAL SAVING OPTION: ORIGINAL ONLY

A new, user-suggested saving option to only save the original 4:3 photo – no matter which capture aspect ratio you currently have selected. This behavior can be activated via Settings > Edited Version > Capture Aspect Ratio.

Example: If you have selected “Save Original” and 16:9 is set as your capture aspect ratioyou will still only get the original 4:3 photo and no additional 16:9 edited version. In this case, the 16:9 viewfinder image is just a preview of how this scene would look like when cropped. Most of the users who requested this setting are RAW-only shooters who only want the original 4:3 RAW without an additional JPEG.

LOWLIGHT AUTO PERSPECTIVE CORRECT

For ProCamera Up members, our sophisticated APC feature – which automatically corrects perspective distortion based on the angle you are holding your iPhone – is now also available in LowLight camera mode. This combination is especially great for blue hour architecture photography. You get the benefits of lower ISO values due to longer exposure times and you avoid perspective distortion for more professional results.

Tip 1: Our LowLight mode lets you utilize longer exposure times up to the maximum of your device. To define the maximum value for your current scene, tap the new clock icon on the viewfinder (see screenshot).

Tip 2: If you are a ProCamera Up member but you don’t see the APC button on the viewfinder yet, you simply need to activate it in the Control Panel. Afterwards, its displayed left of the new clock icon.

GENERAL IMPROVEMENTS

A lot of performance improvements have happened in the background. Stay tuned for exciting new features coming next year, enjoy the holidays and have a great start into the new year
– The ProCamera Team 

As with all new updates, if you have any questions, suggestions, or find a bug, then please let us know via in-app support or email us at support@procamera-app.com.

Every single new or refreshed review is much appreciated. Thank you!
If you’d like to support our development, please help spread the word and consider leaving a review in the App Store: https://review.procamera-app.com

Full Support for ProRes Video Capture

Now you can record brilliant Apple ProRes videos with your iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max. In fact, we added four different ProRes formats to ProCamera so there is the right option for every use case.

What is ProRes?

The choice of many professionals: ProRes is a high quality, lossy video compression format developed by Apple with excellent properties for post-production. All ProRes 422 variants use chroma subsampling of 4:2:2 at 10 bit color depth.

How to use it in ProCamera?

Our update v15.1 brings ProRes support to the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max. To activate ProRes video capture, go to Settings > Video Quality > Video Codec: ProRes 422. Here, you will see ProRes as a third option next to the H.264 and the H.265 (HEVC) codecs.

Tap “Advanced Settings” on this page to specify your preferred ProRes format. Four ProRes formats are available (ProRes HQ, ProRes, ProRes LT, ProRes Proxy) and they vary in data rate – with Proxy being the most compressed and HQ being the least compressed variant.

Where can I check if ProRes is active?

As stated before, the primary place to activate ProRes is via Settings > Video Quality. Since ProRes is currently not available for very high frame rates, we also added a dedicated Codec field to our info panel in Video mode. Right next to resolution and frame rate, the panel will tell you which general Codec and even which of the four ProRes formats (e.g. ProRes HQ) is currently active. Once you dial in a camera configuration that isn’t compatible with ProRes (e.g. 240fps) the codec will automatically switch.

Which bit rates can I expect?

This is a list of average bit rates we metered when filming ProRes clips. Please bear in mind that high bit rate recordings result in very large files. ProRes recordings can in fact be 30 times larger than HEVC files. So make sure that enough space is available on your device or switch to one of the more compressed formats for smaller video files. In ProCamera you have all the options available.

Filming in HD at 30fps

Filming in 4K at 30fps

As with all new updates, if you have any questions, suggestions, or find a bug, then please let us know via in-app support or email us at support@procamera-app.com.

Every single new or refreshed review is much appreciated. Thank you!
If you’d like to support our development, please help spread the word and consider leaving a review in the App Store: https://review.procamera-app.com

ProRAW Capture and Editing is here!

Capture more information and a higher dynamic range. The innovative new ProRAW format combines sophisticated computational photography processes with the acclaimed flexibility of RAW photos. For the very first time, you can now get both features in one file.

What exactly is a ProRAW photo?

Until now, you had to decide between the added editing flexibility of RAW files on one side – and advanced computational photography techniques (such as Deep Fusion and Smart HDR) on the other. With ProRAW, multi-image fusion and processing techniques are now available in a RAW-based workflow!

Apple’s ProRAW is a demosaiced RAW format that gives you a 12-bit Linear DNG file which retains more information and dynamic range. While you only need to tap the shutter button, the camera automatically captures and merges multiple exposures and also reduces image noise in the process.

How to capture ProRAW files in ProCamera?

Taking a ProRAW photo is basically no different from shooting JPEG, HEIC, or TIFF. Yet, there are some special characteristics to keep in mind:

• The ProRAW capture process is based on parameters only the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max can provide (hardware limitation)
• Your device needs to run iOS 14.3 or newer
• ProRAW is available for all lenses on the new Pro iPhones – this means you can take ProRAW photos with the ultra wide and the front-facing selfie camera (not possible with standard RAW)
• ProRAW is also available in ProCamera’s automatic A mode, which means it supports multi camera fusion (merging image information from various lenses/sensors), while standard RAW strictly requires single-lens capture. Standard RAW is therefore only available in M or SI mode as it contains unprocessed sensor data.
• Current 12 megapixel ProRAW captures are approximately 25 MB
• Open the Control Panel in Photo or LowLight camera mode to activate RAW capture
• Via Settings > File Format > Raw format you can determine whether standard RAW or ProRAW is available in the Control Panel

How to edit ProRAW files?

By leveraging the A14 Bionic processor, ProRAW files will look nice right from the start. In contrast, standard RAW files generally require some tweaking before they are ready for presentation (contrast, highlight detail, noise reduction,…).

Since ProRAW files also utilize the DNG file format, you will need a dedicated RAW converter to edit these files. ProCamera offers a full-featured editing suite for RAW and ProRAW photos. Speaking of, we have also introduced a completely new editing tool called “Tonemap” especially for ProRAW photos.

How can I tell if a photo is a ProRAW file?

Since you will probably have a mix of JPEG, HEIC, TIFF, PNG, RAW, and ProRAW photos in your camera roll soon, we have implemented clear labelling:

• In album and single image view, all (Pro)RAW captures are marked “RAW”
• In addition to that, our EXIF Viewer (tap “i” button) will also tell you if your file is a standard RAW or a ProRAW photo

Will ProRAW replace standard RAW?

We have been offering standard (Bayer) RAW in ProCamera since it was technically feasible. That was way back on the iPhone 6s! We continue to offer standard RAW as an option – even on the brand new iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max (see screenshot above on how to select your preferred RAW format in settings). The reason why we still offer RAW next to ProRAW is that you will get different results.

With new sensors and lenses, standard RAW also improved with every iteration of the iPhone. It’s to be expected that ProRAW will also undergo continuous development with new iPhone and iOS generations. We encourage you to try both formats and find out which one you prefer. We will do the same thing in the coming weeks.

As with all new updates, if you have any suggestions or find a bug, then please let us know via in-app support or email us at support@procamera-app.com.

Every single new or refreshed review is much appreciated. Thank you!
If you’d like to support our development, please help spread the word and consider leaving a review in the App Store: https://review.procamera-app.com

Our first iOS 14 release brings major enhancements to ProCamera’s Video Mode

Video is becoming increasingly popular and with v14.0 we introduce a whole set of advanced features so you can film like a pro: manual controls, external microphone support, stereo sound, a brand new video info panel, and more…

MANUAL CONTROLS IN VIDEO MODE

Record professional videos with custom values for exposure time and ISO! Like in our Photo mode, switch from Auto to M-Mode in the control panel to enable manual exposure controls and manual white balance. When M-Mode is active, you only need to tap the exposure time or ISO display in the top bar to enable swipe dials for both values.

Info: When switching from M to Auto-Mode, dual and triple lens devices make use of the fusion camera. This allows you to switch lenses even while recording.

REVAMPED VIDEO MODE

Everything at a glance: the brand new display panel in Video mode shows all relevant capture information directly in the viewfinder – such as resolution, frame rate, recording time, audio levels, microphone input, battery status, and remaining disk space.

Info: You can customize the appearance of the display panel by selecting one of the three available On-Screen-Display Modes in the control panel. “Standard” shows the full panel, “Medium” uses a more compact version, and “Light” hides the panel altogether.

SUPPORT FOR EXTERNAL MICROPHONES

Support for external microphones means you are not limited to the built-in microphones when recording videos. This includes microphones connected via lightning cable as well as bluetooth microphones like Apple AirPods or Instamic. When ProCamera detects a microphone connected via lightning cable, it will be used preferentially. Disconnect mics connected via lightning cable and activate Bluetooth in the control panel in Video mode in order to connect to a bluetooth microphone.

Info: When using AirPods in combination with ProCamera, they won’t deactivate when you take them out of your ears. This special feature allows you to use AirPods as tiny remote microphones, for instance for interviews or recording faint ambient noises from a close distance.

STEREO AUDIO VIDEO RECORDING

Now you can record videos with stereo sound (iPhone 11 and up) – because we think great audio quality is essential for professional videography.

REDESIGNED PROCAMERA WIDGET

Our newly designed widget has been optimized for the new iOS 14 home screen. To add the widget to your home screen, tap and hold an empty spot on one of the pages then tap the “+” button” in the top left corner of the screen. In the iOS 14 widget list, you will find ProCamera with a current selection of two different widget sizes.

Info: You can tap the smaller square widget on your home screen to quickly launch ProCamera. The larger widget offers five camera mode icons, so you can swiftly start ProCamera in any of those. The order of camera modes displayed in the widget depends on the order of modes you are using inside the app. To customize the order, open the camera mode selector on the capture screen and swipe all the way to the right.

PRIVACY PROTECTION

We take privacy very seriously. That’s why we have incorporated a new option for limited library access. In gallery view, you will notice a new icon in the top bar if you chose “Select Photos…” instead of “Allow Access to All Photos” when first starting the app after updating to iOS 14. This button allows you to easily update your custom selection of photos and videos which can be accessed via ProCamera. You can determine the access to photos for each app at any time via iOS Settings > App Name > Photos.

iOS 14 SUPPORT & GENERAL IMPROVEMENTS

We are pleased to now offer official support for iOS 14. In addition to that, this version includes various smaller advancements and behind the scenes enhancements.

This update opened up a whole new area for iPhone videography. If you have any concrete feature suggestions (semi-automatic shutter priority mode for videos? support for multiple bluetooth microphones?) please let us know. We are always happy to incorporate user requested features if they benefit a significant group of users. In order for us to consider new features, it’s very helpful that we can learn about the envisioned use case (how does it work? why do you need it? where can you access the feature inside the app?).

As with all new releases, if you find a bug or have a question then please let us know via in-app support or email us at support@procamera-app.com.

Every single new or refreshed App Store review is much appreciated. Thank you!
If you’d like to support our development, please help spread the word and consider leaving a review in the App Store: https://review.procamera-app.com

Exposure bracketing is a proven technique that ensures proper exposure even in difficult lighting situations

Instead of a single photo, an exposure bracket comprises a series of photos – all captured at different exposure levels

In addition to the “normal” exposure, you will get (one or more) underexposed as well as overexposed photos to also capture detail in the very bright and really dark areas of the scene. When merging these photos later using specialist software, you can create an optimized final photo that is more detailed and more true to the human vision.

What’s the benefit of exposure brackets?

The general purpose of exposure brackets is to avoid having large areas in your photos without information – like blown out bright white skies or shadows without visible detail.

In post-processing, you can merge the bracketed photos to create an image with (more) detail in the highlights and shadows. Depending on your workflow and your editing software, you may either create an HDR image or a compositing (stitching/blending together the best pieces).

Since the bracketed photos need to align to create a seamless final photo, the technique is not well suited for moving subjects (street traffic, sports, etc.). Also, you’ll want to hold the iPhone as steady as possible during the capture process or use a tripod.

Side Note: In case you prefer a quicker and easier process to get a proper high dynamic range (HDR) image, try our HDR camera mode. It also takes multiple photos but merges these images right on the device in no time.

How does Exposure Bracketing (EB) work in ProCamera?

To capture a manual exposure bracket, go to Photo mode and make sure that M/SI (manual or semi-automatic mode) is activated in the Control Panel. When you have a running ProCamera Up subscription, you will see an Exposure Bracketing button (EB) in the viewfinder.

When tapping the EB button, a special EV dial is displayed with blue markings indicating the different exposures. By moving the outer blue bracket markers on the Exposure Bracketing dial, you can set the maximum over-/under-exposure for the series – optionally up to 7 f-stops apart! You may even dial in an EV value other than 0 for the medium exposure.

Which advanced settings are available for the EB feature?

For advanced users, we have incorporated additional features and settings:

FILE TYPE: Our exposure bracket capture supports all available photo file types. This means you are not limited to JPEG series, but you may also take HEIF, TIFF, RAW and even RAW+JPEG brackets!

LENS: You can shoot brackets with all available lenses of your device – from ultra-wide to tele. As usual, the front-facing camera and the ultra-wide lens don’t support the RAW file format (iOS limitation).

NUMBER OF PHOTOS: Via Settings > Exposure Bracketing you can choose to take brackets consisting of 3, 5, or even 7 photos. When brackets of more than three exposures are captured, you will hear two shutter sounds.

ASYMMETRIC BRACKETS: When activating Settings > Exposure Bracketing > AMEB (Advanced Manual Exposure Bracketing) you can set the amount of over- and underexposure independently. This allows you to capture “lopsided” brackets like -2, 0, +1.

Should I always shoot 7-photo exposure brackets?

The new and advanced option to take brackets consisting of 5 or 7 exposures ist great for scenes with extreme differences in brightness. Yet there are still good reasons to pick the standard 3-photo bracket on some occasions:

CAMERA MOVEMENT: For series of 3 photos, the capture process is shorter, which means it’s easier to avoid camera shake. This is especially true when shooting without a tripod.

MOTION IN THE SCENE: Because all bracketed photos need to align, any kind of motion in the scene (birds, cars, swaying leaves, etc.) poses a problem. With the shorter capture process of the series of 3, you increase your odds of avoiding motion.

Post-Processing Example: Photoshop (Adobe Camera RAW)

There are various specialist programs available to process the bracketed photos in order to create an optimized final image. To conclude this post, we will show one exemplary post-processing workflow using Adobe Photoshop:

• Open Photoshop and select File > Automate > Merge To HDR Pro
• Browse, select, and open all the photos of one exposure bracket
• Check “Attempt To Automatically Align Source Images” in case you didn’t use a tripod
• Choose the bit depth for the final image (32 Bit can store the entire dynamic range in the merged photo)
• Select 32 Bit and check “Complete Toning in Adobe Camera RAW”, then tap “Tone in ACR”
• Make exposure adjustments in Camera RAW. You will notice that you are able to drastically darken/brighten the image without losing details.