Steve Yedlin, the cinematographer behind Knives Out, helped build a $13 iPhone app that gives photos a film-style look with no editing.
A camera app made with a Hollywood cinematographer has become a surprise hit. Chromagraph Camera costs $13 once, works only on iPhone, and applies the kind of color processing that Steve Yedlin uses on movies. After director Rian Johnson promoted it in late October, it became the top paid download in the iOS store.
Yedlin shot Knives Out and Star Wars: The Last Jedi with Johnson. He says he writes all of the image processing used on those movies. Instead of the iPhone's built-in processing, the app shoots RAW image data, which is the unprocessed information from the camera. It then runs that data through a formula similar to his film work.
The result is a stylized photo with a specific tone, color and grain, and no fiddling on your part. Yedlin calls the look "opinionated." He describes the app as a curated tool that takes pictures the way he and Johnson like them.
The viewfinder does not show the final look. The app "develops" each photo after you take it, because it needs a moment to apply the tone, color and grain effects. Afterward, you can adjust the overall exposure or texture of the processed image.
A Wired writer who describes himself as far from a photography expert tried it around San Francisco. He enjoyed getting highly stylized shots without adjusting anything, even though Apple already offers plenty of color tools of its own.
Yedlin is also frank about the limits. He says the idea that a phone can give you the control of a professional camera is not really true. Apple's rules limit how far software can push the phone's hardware.
The app suits people who like a strong, film-like look and do not want to edit each picture. Anyone who wants a neutral, true-to-life photo or needs video should look elsewhere. Yedlin does not see any photo as a literal copy of reality. To him, every image is an interpretation.
The app was built with programmer Eric Cameron. The three tested it for a couple of months before launch.
If you want stylish iPhone photos with no editing, Chromagraph Camera is a $13 one-time try, but it shoots stills only.
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