P: Introducing the Project Indigo camera app

Report · May 23, 2025

This post applies to the Project Indigo iOS camera app.

Adobe Labs is excited to share an early look at Project Indigo, an iPhone camera app we've started to develop, to get feedback from the photography community. The app offers full manual controls, a more natural ("SLR-like") look, and high image quality in both JPEG and raw formats. It also introduces some new photographic experiences not available in other camera apps. For more information on the underlying technology, please refer to this Project Indigo blog post.

Before you start with Project Indigo

We recommend using Project Indigo on iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max or newer devices.
(Also supported are 12 Pro/Pro Max, 13 Pro/Pro Max, and all 14-series devices.)

You should have at least 1GB of storage space left for the app, the downloadable AI Models inside the app, and for captured photos.

Download the app from the App Store.
Check out the Project Indigo FAQ, which is updated regularly with new explanations.

Recipes for success when using Project Indigo

To get the maximum out of your images captured with the app, follow these guidelines:

When reviewing the results, focus on Project Indigo's more natural look (in both SDR and HDR). If you haven’t done this before, try viewing the images on your laptop or desktop device, preferably on an HDR screen.

Capture with both JPEG and raw DNGs with file saving enabled. Project Indigo produces computational photography DNG files, which have the same natural look as JPEG images, but much more latitude for editing after capture.

Take control of the camera with the built-in Pro Controls, including controls that are exclusive to a computational camera: Frames to Merge and Merge Method. These may be intimidating for beginners, but with Project Indigo, you can try them for free, and nothing will break—you can always reset the settings to ‘Auto’ and let the camera take back control.

Go to the Indigo Labs page and play with the latest innovations our team can offer. These are only available on mobile via Indigo!

Be patient! Project Indigo is doing a lot of heavy lifting under the hood, and it will reward you with great photos. In return, it may ask you for a bit of time to set up captures when needed, and to wait a few seconds for the image processing to finish.

Sending feedback

Please try the app and share feedback in this community forum thread. If you report a problem you encountered, it would help to include details like which device you are running Project Indigo on, what kind of scene you were trying to capture, what you were trying to achieve with the camera, and as much information as possible about what you like or do not like about the resulting photo quality. Our team will continually monitor this thread to track issues and improve future experiences.

To improve the performance and results of Project Indigo, it is important that examples of images that do not meet your expectations are forwarded to the team via your report. A large variety of file formats are allowed as attachments in these forum posts. The best option is to attach your image's raw file directly to your feedback post. Note that there is a 50 MB limit on an attachment's file size. If your raw file is too large to attach, the best option is to share the file via a file-sharing service (Dropbox or similar) and then share the link in your feedback post. Thank you for continuing to provide feedback on the Project Indigo camera!

Boris Ajdin: Product Manager, NextCam

Posted by:

Rikk Flohr: Adobe Photography Org

Report · Jun 29, 2025

I have done more tests with 2x and 10x. The 2x is ok but I guess still have too much denoising applied! The 10x is outright heavily denoised vs apple's own 10x albeit it theirs have more oversharpening and noisier but weird noises. PI still experiences artifacts with motion/and or merging artifacts.

Report · Jun 29, 2025

Overall having a good experience.

the look is overly processed - would be nice to tune strength. Alternatively, need to add digital grain.

since we're doing all this processing, would be cool to see film sims like Fuji.

Report · Jun 30, 2025

Ich finde, das Programm ist sehr gut. Ich würde mir wünschen, dass es auch in Deutsch geben wird.

I think the program is very good. I would like it to be available in German as well.

Report · Jul 07, 2025

Hallo Oliver - vielen Dank für Ihr Feedback. Wir planen, in Zukunft Unterstützung für Internationalisierung in das Projekt Indigo zu integrieren.

PS

I speak some German, but on this I relied on ChatGPT to translate. 🙂

Report · Jun 30, 2025

Pi immediately replaced the default camera app for me. One thing I'm wondering is that I always see a crossed out and red HDR sign when displaying images on the filmstrip. iPhone 15 Pro. I wonder why that is.

Report · Jul 07, 2025

Hello - thank you for trying Project Indigo and for your feedback. The red crossed HDR icon indicates that the display doesn't have enough headroom to show HDR content properly. This can be due to a variety of reasons, including being in bright environments, device overheating, device being in low power mode, etc.

Report · Jun 30, 2025

In the introduction article about indigo, it is written that you plan to add video recording, including some cool computational video features you're cooking up in the lab. This is why I would like to propose both photos and video features.

I would absolutely suggest you to add open gate recording to be able to record 4:3 video and use the whole sensor of the iPhone. Also, an option to use mireds instead of Kelvin for the color temperature would be welcomed, in both photo and video mode. Finally, when using 0.5x mode, a lot of distorsion typically appear on the edge, it can be corrected using a similar approach as the one described in this article, where a different projection algorithm is used for faces and building https://people.csail.mit.edu/yichangshih/wide_angle_portrait/

Report · Jul 09, 2025

In the introduction article about indigo, it is written that you plan to add video recording, including some cool computational video features you're cooking up in the lab. This is why I would like to propose both photos and video features.

I would absolutely suggest you to add open gate recording to be able to record 4:3 video and use the whole sensor of the iPhone. Also, an option to use mireds instead of Kelvin for the color temperature would be welcomed, in both photo and video mode. Finally, when using 0.5x mode, a lot of distorsion typically appear on the edge, it can be corrected using a similar approach as the one described in this article, where a different projection algorithm is used for faces and building https://people.csail.mit.edu/yichangshih/wide_angle_portrait/

By @elias_6024

Hi Elias - thank you for your interest in Indigo. We are indeed considering the best ways to explore adding video to Indigo. Your suggestions definitely make sense and we'll take them into consideration.

Report · Jun 30, 2025

I love Project Indigo on my iphone 16 Pro. I wish there was a setting to capture just the DNG's without the JPEGS. When I download the images via Bridge (import from device) I have to go through and select just the DNG files, which is an extra step it would be nice to be able to avoid.

Report · Jul 07, 2025

Hello - thank you for your feedback. DNG-only capture is on our roadmap and we'll have an updated release supporting this as soon as it is ready.

Report · Jun 30, 2025

Add me to the list of Android users who would love to try this. How about making it run on recent Pixel phones. I hear that one of you knows a thing or two about them 😉

Report · Jun 30, 2025

In the app I read through the info, checked all the boxes needed. I chose to have it tied to my Lightroom Mobile app. (I pay for the whole Creative Cloud from Adobe so I have the extra features in Lightroom.)

I managed to set up Lightroom to prefer (open) Indigo for its camera. I managed to get to the camera in Indigo.

I think a problem/bug I ran into is this: When I hold my iPhone vertically (portrait mode) in Indigo for the camera, I can see that there is a Settings (gear) icon near the top to the right of the choice for showing over-exposure, but I can’t actuate the Settings. It disappears when I drag to the left at the top for what I guess is the “pro” mode. Even if I use my left hand to try to hold open the choices when I swipe left, I still can’t access Settings. It that only because of the relatively small screen on my iPhone 16E?

Even if I go to Landscape mode with my iPhone, the choices don’t to to the top, but stay on the left, so that still didn’t let me access Settings (gear icon).

I checked on the Web for a fix for this to be able to access Settings, but couldn’t find a way to (yet) to do this. (Right now it’s like only being able to go “forward” with your app, but not go backwards to the initial setup screens.)

Is this a bug? If so, could you please fix it?

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Before using your app, I would use the ProCamera app to be able to use a gray card calibration at times to set the white balance. How do I do that in Indigo? (I’m guessing it’s by getting to the circle with quadrants and tapping in the middle of it when I have the gray card in front as a target. Correct?

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I think a problem/bug I ran into is this: To the left of the Compositional Grid icon is a Timer icon. I can see it, but I can't choose it. It’s as though the choices in that row are spring-loaded so I can’t stop it at the Timer to be able to change settings on it.

Help, please?

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I couldn’t find the answer to these questions in your FAQ:

How do I actuate the focusing loupe?

Is there a self-timer mode (for using the iPhone on a tripod)? (If not could you please add that feature to Indigo?)

Is there a way to instead take the photo using a Bluetooth remote while using Indigo? Is there a way to use my Apple Watch for this (or can you add that feature to Indigo?)

Report · Jul 07, 2025

Hello - thank you for trying Project Indigo and for your thoughtful message. I will try to address the issues you raised in my reply:

About being unable to access the settings icon, do you by any chance have 'Button Shapes' toggle enabled in the device settings under Accessibility -> Display & Text Size? Alternatively, do you have Display Zoom set to 'Large' in device settings under Display & Brightness?
To use the grey card, you can do the following: open Pro Controls, open the White balance settings (the temperature icon) and then simply tap on the grey card. This should set the Temperature and Tint settings such that the grey card is rendered as grey. The grey wheel you can turn on and off to check whether another grey object in the scene is rendered approximately gray if you change the Temperature or Tint manually by moving the slider, but you shouldn't need the wheel if you just tap on your grey card.
- Note that Pro controls have to be turned on for this setting to take effect. If you turn Pro controls off, then your manually set white balance will not be active. All Pro controls settings will be remembered the next time you open Pro controls however, so you do not have to do the grey card again, as long as you are capturing the same scene.
Accessing the timer issue is the same as accessing the settings issue - once we fix one the other one will be fixed as well.
- This is the self timer mode you asked for later in the message.
For focus loupe, open Pro controls, then open the focusing control (first on the left) then tap on the magnifying icon left of the slider.
You can already take a photo with a Bluetooth remote, but Apple Watch is not yet supported. This will be on our todo list.

Report · Jun 30, 2025

I’m using an iPhone 16 Pro, which shoots RAW (ProRAW) perfectly with the built-in Camera app. However, when I shoot with Project Indigo, even though I have the setting on DNG + JPEG, only the JPEG is saved — I don’t see any DNG to export or find in Files.

Report · Jul 01, 2025

Already asked and answered many times. If posters would use the search function, the community wouldnt be flooded with the same questions again and again.

Currently there is no separate dng.

Report · Jul 01, 2025

My iPhone saves images in Raw file format when I use the apple camera app but not when I use PI

Report · Jul 01, 2025

It does, if you've chosen to do so (button on the upper left). All you have to do is read this article https://gregbenzphotography.com/photography-reviews/project-indigo-the-best-camera-app-for-smart-pho... (that has been posted here multiple times) and follow the instructions on how to get the DNG to your computer.

Report · Jul 01, 2025

iPhone 15 Pro Max, Indigo 1.0.2. The settings gear icon is visible when I swipe left but doesn't remain visible. That menu bar always shifts right though to hide the gear icon., so it can't be pressed.

Report · Jul 02, 2025

Same here with my 14 pro. I posted UI issues a couple of days ago. I thought it's only an issue on non-Max phones but obviously it's a common problem.

Report · Jul 02, 2025

On my phone it is linked to display settings/display zoom/larger text. Changing to normal fixes the problem. I’ve already used the feedback link to log this with adobe.

Report · Jul 01, 2025

When will it be available in Japan?

Report · Jul 07, 2025

Hello Hugo - thank you for your interest in Project Indigo. As you may have read in the forum or in other comments, Indigo doesn't work well in Japan and South Korea at the moment because it produces a shutter sound every time it requests a raw frame. And to offer Zero Shutter Lag capture, it requests raw frames all the time (up to 30fps). We are working with Apple to remove these unnecessary shutter sounds, but until that is done, we cannot ship in those countries.

Report · Jul 02, 2025

iPhone 13 PM, iOS 18.5Good Camera app , the zoom quality is much better as the original. Urs the right way!

My iPhone Overheating always when i work with the app und the battery discharges quickly.

Report · Jul 02, 2025

Rick,

I'm wondering why I shouldn'tt shoot just JPEG. While RAW certainly gives me more information I rarely shoot images that cross over the exposure lines. I'm wondering what I could be losing with this "old man" approach? I really like the images I'm getting JUST in JPEG. So how to I approach the challenge?

Samples from a rainy day in Carolina.

Regards,

Frank Herzog

Report · Jul 07, 2025

Hello Frank - thank you for trying Project Indigo and for your stunning captures! These are really wonderful!

The truth is, if JPEG is sufficient for your needs, then keep capturing with JPEG-only. DNG is supposed to offer a few things in editing which JPEG does not, including things like more dynamic range (with less tone mapping, especially local tone mapping, baked in the image itself), ability to modify image temperature and tint better, control the amount of denoising you like, etc. Whether that matters or not is up to you. It may also not impact each image as much, so depending on your typical shooting scenes and conditions, you may benefit from raw DNG captures more or less.