The phone 16 Pro has previously impressed us with its incredible picture quality, standing tall and tall in front of the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Pixel 9 Pro, two additional premium Android devices. The default camera apps makes it simple to get quick snaps, but it lacks features that enthralling photographers require. Adobe has rushed to fill in where Apple had left a difference, though.

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In addition to offering AI-based features like quality interpolation for 10x focus, denoising and representation removal tools, Adobe’s fresh camera game, Indigo, offers detailed control over camera settings like bright balance and shutter speed. &nbsp,

Since the game is currently only available for iPhones, I took it for a fast flip around Edinburgh. &nbsp,

This is my favorite second glimpse of a bird flying through Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. I’ve exploited two aspects of this. First of all, I can now significantly warm up the scene thanks to the human white balance, which is frequently what causes the iPhone’s default camera app to lean toward the cool side. The accents that are used here are gorgeous. Second, the game has a zero-lag shutter, which made it possible for me to immediately capture the moment when the bird was perfectly positioned next to the church spire. &nbsp,

Although it’s a challenging picture to nails, having no postpone between pressing the shutter button and taking the picture makes a world of difference. Adobe claims to do this by” frequently capturing raw photos while the camera is running,” which means that the picture has officially now been captured when you press the button. A zero-lag screen is a great option for those who want to capture high-definition photos of sports games or their dog jumping for frisbees.

While the smartphone’s center optical zooms out at 5x, the Adobe Indigo software allows you to online zoom in even further and get better quality. They retain more information than just zooming in to 10x in the normal cameras game by using AI and combining various frames to premium those images. I used it around, and I’m impressed by how clear the field is total.

The AI Denoise application from the app was also used on the picture. Although there wasn’t much image noise at first, the device has the added advantage of sharpening an image, which has truly helped give the grass and tree bark blades some further fine detail. I’m impressed by this because, unlike frequently the case with these kinds of tools, the image doesn’t appear unduly digitally sharpened. For a zoomed-in shot, the picture appears unexpectedly healthy and clear. &nbsp,

Despite that, it doesn’t always appear to do a great career. &nbsp,

Here, the image taken with the iPhone’s built-in camera app at 10x digital zoom ( left ) appears sharper and more contrasty, giving a richer image. The same scene taken with Indigo ( right ) at 10x zoom appears flat and contrast-sensitive in comparison. &nbsp,

But in general, that’s not always a negative thing. In truth, I discovered that many of my test pictures had a normal appearance with genuine highlights and colors. Phone software frequently causes images to appear very processed, especially on the OnePlus 13 and other phones that try to soften the shadows too much, but Indigo’s images have a great stability, even without any Adobe editing after the capture.

Speaking of which, it should come as no surprise that Indigo makes it simple to communicate the photo immediately to Adobe Lightroom for editing purposes. DNG raw data are usually simple to work with (you must have HDR enabled, as using information seems to quickly smear any shows ), but the same folder didn’t look as good when I opened it in Google’s free Snapseed writer. There are likely to be just early compatibility issues, which I anticipate will resolve over time.

Should you use Adobe Indigo for iPhone?

I’ve had a good time using Indigo, and I’m looking forward to using it in the coming weeks. It undoubtedly provides more functionality than Apple’s default camera app, including the ability to change the white balance and other settings. I also appreciate the flexibility of editing in Lightroom and the natural look the images give. Additionally, I haven’t tried any other features beyond noise reduction, reflection reduction, and night mode.

Using Indigo as your camera does not mean sacrificing Apple features like Live Photos and Photographic Styles, which are great for giving your photos a filmic feel. &nbsp,

I dislike the idea of using a separate camera app, especially since I frequently switch between recording still images and videos, which is simple to do with the default camera. In the ideal world, I’d like to see Adobe collaborate with Apple to incorporate these features into the core camera experience. &nbsp,

However, Indigo is undoubtedly worth installing and playing around with if you’re a keen photographer and want to have more granular control over your images when you’re out shooting. Despite Adobe telling CNET about its app back in 2022, it’s still best viewed as beta ( the company refers to it as an “experimental camera app” ), with features like creative looks, portrait modes, and even more advanced tools like exposure and focus bracketing potentially on the cards for future updates. Additionally, an Android version is” for sure” on the table.

It’s worth trying out given that it’s currently free to use and requires no sign-in with an Adobe subscription.