Quick Summary
Adobe is the latest company to offer a third-party camera app for iPhone.
The Project Indigo app is free, doesn’t require an Adobe account, was created by former Google Pixel engineers, and offers a number of features over Apple’s native camera application.
Apple’s iPhone has long been known for offering decent camera results. The native camera app is simple to use – and will be even simpler with iOS 26 when it launches later this year – while the on-device processing makes for some lovely, natural shots.
However, there are multiple third-party camera apps available on the App Store if you don’t want to use Apple’s standard version, and the latest comes from a company known for its superb image handling – Adobe.
What is Project Indigo and what does it offer iPhone users?
Adobe, which is responsible for some of the best image editing software in Photoshop and Lightroom, has released a new app called Project Indigo.
Released as experimental software for now, it has been built from the team behind the original Google Pixel camera, according to a report on 9to5mac.
Adobe sees Project Indigo as the first step towards combining photography and editing into the same software and service, with iPhone owners set to benefit.
“Our hope is that Indigo will appeal to casual mobile photographers who want a natural SLR-like look for their photos, including when viewed on large screens,” it states. The app is also for “advanced photographers who want manual control and the highest possible image quality”.
The app offers several features: you can combine 32 underexposed frames for a single shot, reduce noise, plus take manual control over focus, ISO, shutter speed, white balance and exposure. You will also be able to control the number of frames in a burst and there’s a “Long Exposure” mode, too.
For users that like Lightroom, the Project Indigo app integrates directly with Lightroom Mobile so you can send images captured using the app directly to the editing software. There is also built-in profile and metadata support so Lightroom Mobile knows the difference between HDR and SDR results for easy toggling between them.
The Project Indigo app will run on iPhone Pro models from the iPhone 12 Pro and newer, and standard iPhone models from the iPhone 14 and newer. No Adobe account is required and the app is free to download on Apple’s App Store now.
