Why is the Halide app the best choice for your iPhone camera?

The application Halide it basically offers a great balance of many features you could want in an app to improve your iPhone's camera. The app's creators knew what they were creating when they developed the app. Among them are: Ben Sandofsky, former Twitter technology chief for iOS, and Sebastiaan With, former Apple designer. With the knowledge of the market, the founders provided, through the application, surprising functions. So what are these features? Why would anyone want to use a camera app on the Iphone? Is the default iPhone app no ​​good?

Well, for many people, the default app is great. However, the application offers the possibility to change the image exposure compensation and other different features. But can a third-party app provide finer control over shutter speed, ISO, white balance, and focus? Yes, this is possible.

Halide's main differentiators

The team at Halide has taken advantage of this by making their app the best showcase for everything the iPhone XS and iOS 12 have to offer. Today, the Smart RAW feature offers one of the great new features of the app. This new functionality is sure to increase the quality of photographs taken via smartphones to a whole new level for experienced photographers. And with the array of other changes to the app, it's an exciting time for Halide users whether you carry an iPhone XS or not.

The application has the option, with a real-time histogram for measuring luminosity, in addition to the famous 3×3 grid for leveling and application of the famous rule of thirds. With this, you can choose to take photos as RAW or JPEGS, adjust manual focus and even adjust focus peaking and the ability to take amazing photos with full ISO and shutter controls. Plus, using tools like tactile controls to quickly switch between autofocus and manual focus, reduce exposure quickly. In addition, Halide makes it possible to imitate older cameras, such as a Lecia or a Pentax. The application also focuses on giving users super simple access to professional camera tools.

A new app to complement the Apple Watch

Yes, you read that correctly: you can now use your Apple Watch (and the Halide Apple Watch app) to remotely fire shots, release the Halide shutter, and set timers. The company claims the app is "very fast" and says it shows a real-time preview on your watch's display for "taking pictures with ease." To use this new feature, all you need to do is open the app on your phone and open the Halide Apple Watch app later.

a timer

Even if you don't have an Apple Watch, you can still take advantage of the new timer feature. The app now lets you set a 3, 10 or 30 second timer to ensure you get the perfect shot. And if you're worried about not knowing exactly when the shutter will fire, don't worry: Halide also uses the iPhone's flash to show the self-timer progress.

Improved privacy options

With internet privacy issues consuming the news lately, it's encouraging to see a developer providing options you can use to better protect yourself when posting things online. Each time you take a photo with your digital device, its metadata contains information such as the date, time and the location the photo was taken (verified via GPS). If you share this photo online, people may have access to a lot of personal information that you prefer not to share. With Halide 1.8, you can disable embedding location information in photos by turning it off. The Halide team also introduced a new advanced setting that limits location sharing with Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

Why is it worth downloading?

 Since November 07th there is a new version available, the update fixed an issue with Portrait Effects Matte and improved the AR viewer. The new version is a special update for the iPhone XR. Now, whoever downloads the app can use portrait mode. Just tap “Depth” to activate capture with a portrait blur effect that will be applied after taking your photo. iPhone XR users also benefit from the Smart RAW feature we launched for the iPhone XS. When shooting with autoexposure, we optimize the RAW capture for the lowest noise and the best dynamic range.

All of these features, combined with an eye for detail in the interface (look at that shutter button!), make Halide an easy recommendation for anyone who takes iPhone photography seriously and wants a little more control in their hands. In case you're interested, it's good to run: the app — only compatible with iOS 10 and (coming) later — is available on the App Store for $5.

And have you used the app? Tell me what you think!