Adobe has just unveiled Project Indigo, a new computational photography camera app for iPhones that blends professional-level image quality with advanced manual controls, no Adobe account required.
Available now via Adobe Labs, the free app is compatible with the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max, iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max, and all iPhone 14 models and above, though Adobe recommends the iPhone 15 Pro or newer for best performance.
What makes Indigo particularly exciting is that it was co-developed by Marc Levoy, a key figure behind the Pixel phones’ celebrated computational photography features at Google. Now an Adobe Fellow, Levoy teamed up with Adobe senior scientist Florian Kainz to craft a camera experience focused on natural, SLR-style images.
What Does Project Indigo Do?
Unlike traditional photo apps that snap a single image, Indigo captures a burst of photos and blends them together using Adobe’s image processing pipeline. The result? Photos with lower noise and higher dynamic range, optimized for both casual and advanced photographers.
Key features include:
- Manual controls for focus, ISO, white balance, shutter speed
- Natural-looking, SLR-inspired image rendering
- High dynamic range and low-noise image synthesis
- No need to log into an Adobe account
- For photography enthusiasts, it’s a fascinating glimpse into the future of mobile imaging.
Indigo also serves as a testbed for future Adobe technologies. Features like reflection removal, portrait mode, and even video capture are on the roadmap, alongside a planned Android version.
“This is the beginning of a journey for Adobe,” write Levoy and Kainz. “Our hope is that Indigo will appeal to everyone—from casual mobile shooters to advanced photographers.”
With Indigo, Adobe signals its serious push into mobile photography, aiming to marry cutting-edge AI with artistic control all from the palm of your hand.
