Award-winning iPhone camera app Halide was today updated to version 2.15, which includes a new feature that allows users to take photos devoid of all image processing for a more natural look.
Halide's new image processing pipeline is called "Process Zero," which uses "zero AI, no computational photography whatsoever – offering photographers a counter to the increasingly AI-heavy processing and tooling on smartphones," according to app developer Lux Optics.
Process Zero uses a fast process based on a single exposure RAW file. The file itself is a 12 megapixel image plus a RAW DNG file for additional editing.
"Process Zero is fast, capturing at anywhere from 10 — 25× the speed of a ProRAW capture. Much like film, it can feature natural sensor grain, slight color aberrations, and is much less usable in low light. This makes for its natural look, like taking photos on an older classic digital camera," explain the developers.
Halide 2.15 still allows photographers the choice of process before or during shooting – users can choose processing at setup, or while shooting, picking from ProRAW, standard iPhone photo processing, reduced image processing, or Process Zero.
In addition, the Halide update includes a dial in the app's new Image Lab which lets users re-develop the RAW file with Process Zero for different exposure levels.
Lux Optics is eager to stress that many of Apple's image processing features still benefit users, but with Process Zero they can see exactly what images look like when it's completely taken away.
Halide 2.15 is available today from the App Store with a limited 1-week discount on all new Halide memberships for $11.99 per year (usual price is $19.99). There is also a 1-week free trial with a membership, or users can opt for a lifetime purchase of $59.99.
