The new Halide Camera app launches with an upgraded movie look and photo editor

after It is announced for the first time In December 2024, Lux Optics finally released the latest version of its Halide camera app for iPhone and iPad. the The most compelling feature of the Halide Mark III It is a new film simulation engine and a set of five new themes that can be applied to images as they are captured. Developed in conjunction with Colin Kelly“a famous Hollywood colorist,” the variants are designed for landscape, portrait, and cityscape photography, as well as a black-and-white option with additional film grain.

Halide Mark III is now available Through the App Store for a one-time purchase price of $59.99, or as part of a $19.99 annual subscription, but it’s a free upgrade for those who purchased the Halide Mark II. It’s compatible with iPhones running iOS 18 or later, and iPads running iPadOS 18 or later.

Apple’s tablets may not seem like a good fit for the app given their limited camera capabilities, but a surprising new feature in the Halide Mark III could take advantage of their larger displays. The company describes the app’s new Photo Lab as a “simplified and friendly” photo editor that first introduces you to a quick editing section where you can apply different looks, toggle HDR, and make exposure adjustments.

More advanced controls are also available, including crop, aspect ratio, white balance adjustments, and a Tone Fusion tool to restore detail in shadows and highlights. For the first time, the Halide Mark III can also handle RAW images imported from Sony, Nikon, Canon, Fujifilm, Hasselblad and Leica cameras, although the company currently considers this to be an experimental feature, according to DPReview.

Other Mark III upgrades include improvements to the redesigned Halide interface to keep important controls within easy reach, while providing access to more advanced options through the iOS three-dot menu. If you are a current user and are not happy with the changes, you can switch back to the Halide Mark II interface at any time.