Adobe has unveiled a new photography app for iPhone users called Project Indigo, which reimagines how smartphone cameras should function. Developed by a team that includes former engineers from the Google Pixel camera project, this app aims to deliver professional-level photos with natural tones and AI-assisted enhancements.
What Makes Project Indigo Unique?
Unlike typical smartphone cameras that often rely on excessive post-processing resulting in overly sharpened or color-boosted images Project Indigo follows a more balanced approach. It applies minimal tone mapping and color enhancement, keeping the images closer to what you’d expect from a DSLR.
The team behind Project Indigo, including noted engineers Marc Levoy and Florian Kainz, believe that photographers aren’t necessarily looking for completely unprocessed photos. Instead, they prefer visuals that look natural and true to life something between raw and refined.
Pro-Level Manual Controls + AI Innovation
Project Indigo gives users full manual control over key camera settings such as exposure, focus, and white balance. It also leverages computational photography the software-driven technique made famous by Google to capture and process high-quality images. According to the developers, the app captures up to 32 frames per shot and combines them to create a sharper, better-exposed image, whether you’re saving as a JPEG or RAW file.
The app also introduces some futuristic AI features, such as “Remove Reflections,” which lets users automatically eliminate distracting reflections from photos perfect for shooting through glass or shiny surfaces.
Why This Matters
Adobe’s Project Indigo enters a market where most users rely on their phone’s default camera. However, this app caters to those who want more creative control and better photo quality, especially mobile photographers, influencers, and content creators.
Levoy and Kainz, who joined Adobe after leaving Google in 2020, have been working toward building what they call a “universal camera app.” Their goal is to combine professional-level output with AI efficiency, making high-quality photography more accessible on smartphones.
Availability
- Now available for iPhone 12 Pro and newer, including iPhone 14 and later models.
- Free to download via the App Store.
- Android version is currently in the pipeline and expected to launch in the near future.
Project Indigo presents an exciting new option for photo enthusiasts who want the power of a DSLR with the convenience of a smartphone all without the typical software gimmicks that dominate today’s mobile photography landscape.
