The iOS app Luma aims to provide photographers with a unique, fun and customizable photo and camera experience. Leveraging the power of RAW images on the iPhone, Luma also allows users to create custom processing pipelines saved as presets.
“My goal was to allow mobile photographers to break free from Apple’s overprocessing and allow them to build their own custom processing pipelines with the power of RAW photos,” explained Rafal Kopic, Luma’s sole developer. petapixel,
Compared to competitors like Halide, Kopiec believes Luma does a better job of straying away from Apple’s default RAW processing implementation.
With Luma, I invite budding photographers to take control of the photo development process by encouraging them to create their own presets. That way, the pictures they take are really of them,” says Kopiec.
Within Luma, photographers can carefully craft the look of their images throughout the entire image, from before capture, during capture, to final export.
Using Bayer RAW images (up to 12 megapixels) or Apple’s ProRaw Photos (up to 48 megapixels on iPhone 14 Pro models), Luma allows users to save processed images directly to the native Photos app. Original RAW files are saved in Luma.
The Apple iPhone 14 Pro includes a 48-megapixel image sensor, which is the highest resolution iPhone image sensor ever.
Presets are among the key features of Luma. As mentioned, users can create their own presets within Luma, adjusting parameters like exposure and white balance to their own preferences. The app also includes an in-app preset store, where users can download additional presets. In addition to presets created or downloaded within Luma, the app also supports Look-Up Tables (LUTs).
The app’s built-in camera includes a user-configurable layout, allowing users to tailor the app to their own preferences. A simple “auto cam” layout includes three buttons that control the flash, exposure lock, and shutter release. From within the viewfinder, users can tap for focus and exposure, just as when using the built-in camera app on the iPhone.
A more advanced layout, “Pro Cam”, provides additional access to controls. Users have direct control over ISO within the Pro Cam, allowing advanced users to bypass the behavior of Apple’s built-in Camera app in low-light environments. Kopic recommends the “Pro Cam” for photography in challenging lighting conditions. Otherwise, he usually sticks with “auto cam”.
The Luma uses the 12-megapixel Bayer Raw format by default. ProRAW is also available, and the 48-megapixel ProRAW format unique to the iPhone 14 Pro series is an option on these phones. Unfortunately, Luma users can only affect exposure bias when using ProRAW 48MP.
In short, Luma offers iPhone photographers a RAW photo camera app with full preset support. Customizable presets are applied upon capture. The app includes full RAW editing tools and two camera styles, Auto Cam and Pro Cam.
Luma is now available for free on the App Store.
Image Credits: luma
