Adobe’s new Project Indigo app might just be the camera app serious iPhone photographers have been waiting for. Built by a team that includes developers behind Google’s legendary Pixel camera, Indigo is a direct response to a common frustration: smartphone photos that look overly processed, artificial, or “too perfect.”
Instead of delivering hyper-sharp, ultra-bright images designed to impress at first glance, Indigo focuses on realism, manual control, and subtlety, much like a DSLR. Here’s what makes it stand out:
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Less Processing, More Reality: Indigo avoids the typical smartphone over-processing. You won’t see plastic-looking skin, HDR overkill, or neon-saturated colours. The results are more organic and true-to-life.
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Full Manual Controls: You get DSLR-like precision over focus, shutter speed, ISO, and white balance, plus the ability to shoot in RAW (DNG) or JPEG. This is ideal for enthusiasts who want to fine-tune every shot.
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Computational Photography, But with Restraint: While Indigo still uses techniques like multi-frame merging (up to 32 images) to improve low-light performance and reduce noise, it does so with subtlety—preserving detail without the harsh edge enhancements or AI "guesses" seen in other apps.
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Night & Long Exposure Modes: These features help capture motion blur (think waterfalls, light trails) and low-light scenes with extended exposure suggestions—all without needing third-party gear or apps.
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Super-Resolution Zoom: Unlike the usual digital zoom that introduces blur and artifacts, Indigo’s multi-frame super-resolution captures and blends several images to deliver sharper, cleaner zoomed-in shots.
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Lightroom Integration: Tap once, and your photo opens in Adobe Lightroom Mobile—whether it’s a JPEG or RAW. This makes Indigo a perfect fit for users already invested in Adobe’s ecosystem.
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Coming Soon – Live Previews: Adobe is developing a live editing preview system, letting you see the final look of your photo (including Lightroom presets or edits) before you press the shutter. This could revolutionize mobile photo composition.
Currently available only for iPhone and free on the App Store, Project Indigo feels more like a tool for creators than a filter-happy social app. It brings pro-level features to everyday mobile photographers and leans heavily into authenticity over flashiness—a refreshing take in an era of algorithmically perfect pictures.
In short, if you’ve ever wished your iPhone shots looked more like they came from a DSLR, Indigo is absolutely worth trying.
