The Halide television camera app is one of the hot favorites among sept who take mobile photo and telecasting capture seriously . A mediocre share of content Jehovah that I know have completely replace the iPhone ’s blood camera app with Halide , all thanks to the bass creative controls that it offers .
The app recently add afantastic lineament send for Process Zero , which switches all the AI processing and delivers pristine shots . However , for all the rich controls that Halide has to offer , it also serves up a sharp learning curve . At times , it can even get overwhelming .
That ’s where Kino comes into the picture . It ’s a new telecasting - centric camera app from the squad behind Halide . This one focuses on functional chasteness , without skimping on the fundamental “ Pro ” control . It also adds a few nerveless tricks into the commixture to get artistic video .
What does that all entail ? In short , it is the best TV camera app I ’ve ever used .
Simple software, powerful controls
One of the most spectacular chemical element of Kino is that it tries to keep the UI nearly as uninfected as the iPhone ’s stock photographic camera app . At the same time , it verify that you get as many core controls for fine - tuning as possible . It ’s not just for beginners , but it serves up creative controls in a manner that a beginner would apprize and be able-bodied to understand .
In fact , Apple should take some inspiration from the clean draw - out format proffer by Kino to access cock like bloodless counterweight ( both strength and data formatting ) , power grid controls , stabilization , and focus controls .
Kino also hive up the shutter speed and exposure controls neatly in one nook of the screen , where a undivided spigot lets you switch between auto and manual modality , while offer a scale leaf formatting to do the required adjustments . One of my biggest pet peeves with Apple ’s default tv camera app is the lack of option to get the desired compounding of resolving and frame rate . Then there is another set of hoops you necessitate to leap through so as to align the colouring material blank and the television codec .
And whatever putz are usable , they are deeply insufficient . In a nutshell , you will have to pay a visit to the preferences app . Also , it certainly does n’t aid that the aboriginal camera app does n’t let you blame the desire build rate at all resolutions , despite technically supporting them .
That ’s because a intelligent few of them — specially those for ProRes and Log gaining control — are locked within the options app . Now , take a look at the Kino port , where all four decisive control — firmness of purpose , inning pace , codec , and colour outer space — are bring together in a clean drop cloth - down interface .
What you see above is the default option data formatting . But if you tap on theCustomoption in the list , you will be presented with the pill - shaped bar that has dedicated dropdown boxes for all the control you need .
Those controls are not only utile for creatives , but also for an average person . You do n’t always need a video in 4 K at 60 framing per second ( Federal Protective Service ) or in Apple Log data formatting . But locking sure solution and frame rates into a furbish up combination , and leaving users to make a pyrrhic conclusion , is n’t the good route . Kino ends that conundrum in its integrality .
There ’s also a paying attention “ Swipe to Lock ” system , which locks seizure pause behind a swipe gesture . To put it just , inadvertent taps on the screen wo n’t stop the recording . You ’ll involve to pink on the lock chamber icon and lift it to intermit .
Coming to the focussing alteration scheme , there ’s a slimly curl dial to handle it . To give users an estimate of how much edges of objects are realize or losing in terms of separation and clearness , the app shows greenish highlights in the frame , which is quite helpful for both tyro and expert mobile videography partizan .
The best reason to use Kino
What I rightfully roll in the hay the most in Kino is the Instant Grade system . in the beginning this class , I take theiPhone 15 Proon an prolonged work trip , with the explicit intention of assign this feature through its pace . I loved the flexibleness , but the whole physical process of applying take care up tables ( LUTs ) is a fairly technical one .
Then there are a few irksome restriction while captivate LOG footage in the first place . There is still some bizarreness run on with direction tag and ISO adjustment in the iPhone ’s farm animal photographic camera app . The local storage state of affairs and extraneous capture requirements for saving hi - ray files is another rough-and-tumble .
Kino spare you all that brain-teaser with Instant Grade . Think of it as applying filters to your video , but with LUTs . When you sprout LOG format videos with the iPhone ’s camera app , what you see during the capture ( and in the local computer memory container ) is flat , desaturated footage .
You only see the benefit of LOG capture after you ’ve lead through the ordeal of apply an LUT of your choice . In Kino , the LUTs are import to your LOG seizure physique in real time , which means you may see the termination while photograph the video and during post - capture playback .
The Kino app comes with over half a dozen LUTs preinstalled by well - known artist and filmmaker , including one by the ship’s company ’s Colorado - founder , Sebastiaan de With . And here ’s the best part . you could import your favorite LUTs directly into the app .
There are multiple repositories on the web where you may get free LUTs that can infuse some serious visual mojo into your iPhone videos . I ’d also commend adopt professional film maker and mobile picture experts who often sell their custom presets that deliver droolworthy colour chemical science .
At the end of the day , it ’s all about convenience . If you’re able to accomplish the complex task of shoot LOG footage and applying esthetic LUTs without throw to fire up DaVinci Resolve or Premier Pro on a desktop , I ’d call that a winnings . you may also use the mark presets after capturing a video , which is quite straight .
By nonpayment , activate the Instant Grade toggle tones down ProRes to the more data - sparing HEVC format . However , you could simply disable it while recording in LOG format , experimentation with the presets in preview mode , and utilize the desire one post - capture .
The deal - off ? shoot with a preset applied take on away the flexibility of making gritty adjustments while editing in apps like DaVinci Resolve . But for an average iPhone user , convenience is what matters most .
To that ending , I recommend grabbing a LUT of your choice and importing it into the Kino app . Another neat convenience is that Kino lets you pick the video storage destination . you’re able to either use Apple ’s Photos app or the in - app storage option .
All these video are neatly cataloged in a consecrated Kino folder , which can be access from within the preinstalled Files app . This overture makes it dramatically easy to find files and import them to a connected computer .
If you are charge videos in LOG format or just pushing the quality limits , the best way forward is to record them directly on an external storage . gratefully , Kino lets you do that mechanically . Just ensure you have a sufficiently fast solid - body politic drive ( SSD ) and a fittingly powerful cable to care the datum stream .
A few hiccups
talk of quality , Kino presently lacks the fancy novel 4 K 120 Federal Protective Service Dolby Vision capture choice that Apple introduce with theiPhone 16 Pro . The maximum you may go to is 60 fps or just hark back to the nonremittal iPhone camera app .
I also wish there was a consecrated fascia where you could adjust theiPhone 16 ’s Camera Controlwith the seizure controls usable in the Kino app . However , my experience with Apple ’s latest “ it ” innovation has been a assorted old bag , so I ’m not peculiarly bummed out by this supervising .
There are a few other omissions if you really want to push Kino for originative telecasting work . For exemplar , you ca n’t adapt the intensity of the LUT presets , and there is n’t an alternative to pile a secondary conversion LUT . The Kino app also has an result with electron lens switch . There ’s an unmatched 1 to 2 second of delay when switching the tv camera lens where the finder goes completely blank . It ’s not a job , per se , but an intentional choice .
“ We can either do very quick crystalline lens change without any parameter ( i.e. , manual focus , photograph , etc . ) or have to switch tv camera ( they ’re not just lenses after all , there ’s an integral photographic camera attach ) , which has a price of ‘ starting up ’ a novel camera , ” explains the Halide team .
Furthermore , there is no digital zoom ability . you may only capture video at the aboriginal 0.5x , 1x , 2x , and 5x floor . There is no telephone dial system of rules to achieve an intermediate orbit , say 2.5x or 3x , to get the desired framing .
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There ’s also an issue with the ISO slider , but Lux ’s team has confirm that a location is in the deeds . Stabilization uniformness across the zoom and ultrawide lens remains another feeble link if you shoot videos at 60 fps , where you see visible drag and heebie-jeebies for fast - pace video capture .
For such scenarios , you should stick with Action Mode in the stock iPhone camera app . However , if you have a gimbal or tripod at your disposal , the outcome from Kino wo n’t disappoint you . I would strongly recommend investing in a tripod or a gimbal , and while you ’re at it , play around with the vulnerability stratum to accomplish the best color format .
One of the best iPhone camera apps out there
Now , let ’s address the elephant in the elbow room . Would you pay $ 20 for a video capture app ? Well , that would depend entirely on how much the stock iPhone photographic camera app has troubled you and how urgently you want to becharm standout television .
On the issue of artistic videos , well , they follow at a cost : oodles of technical complexity with post - capture redaction . Kino puzzle out multiple problems in one go . It offers an adequate solidification of manual controls and espouse them to a word of mouth that lets you make attractively color - graded videos without any trouble .
I would say the pre - save color - graded presets themselves are worth the cost you pay for Kino . Plus , you may get your filling of free LUTs from the internet , or if you ’re brave enough , you may create your own grade LUTs in Pixelmator and import them in Kino . Apple has just acquire Pixelmator , so the future looks shining for roving videography enthusiast , at least for iPhone dice - hards .
There are definitely a few limitations , even compare to the caudex camera app . gratefully , Kino makes up for it with a design that is inherently approachable and rewarding . If the Halide team ’s track phonograph record and the pace at which they reiterate are anything to go by , the forthcoming “ Casablanca ” update of Kino will bring changes worth waiting for . And even before then , Kino is still well worth your clip and tending .
Kino isnow available in the App Store .
