As the iPhone has become increasingly better at using computational photography to boost image quality, the photos take on an overly modern look – but the remake of a popular manual photography and filmmaking app has a new natural processing mode designed to create more film-like images.
Moment has rebuilt its popular manual camera app from the ground up to unlock more capabilities and customizations. The Moment Pro Camera II brings new features like natural processing and Open Gate, while continuing features that previously earned top App Store status in the photo and video category.
One of the key updates is natural processing. When the iPhone snaps a photo, it applies Apple algorithms to the image to improve the image quality – but many agree that leaves photos with a modern, over-processed look. Moments says that the new natural processing mode takes out all the Apple processing and is designed to create a softer, more film-like look.
Because Natural processing is a processing mode, it’s applied to JPEGs and HEIFs, not the RAW file, but the setting can be used when shooting both RAW and HEIF simultaneously, allowing photographers to have one to share quickly and one to edit.
LUTs are also part of how the app helps mobile photographers and filmmakers create their own looks. These editing presets can be applied to the footage (or still photos), or just the preview so creators can get an idea of the final shot but still retain that full editing control.
Like the original, manual camera controls are a key part of the Moment Pro Camera II, including full manual exposure. But now the app takes on a more traditional take on some manual modes with shutter priority and ISO priority. (Because the iPhone has fixed-aperture lenses, there’s no aperture mode.) The app also allows creators to limit the auto ISO to a specific range, so the camera still automatically adjusts the exposure but doesn’t get too noisy.
For filmmakers, the app supports a long list of features, including Apple Log, Open Gate, ProRes, and 10-bit recording. That list also includes subsampling to adjust the resolution, color space, frame rate, and more.
But as an app that’s designed for both still photography and video, there are a lot of different controls – which is one of the reasons the company decided to totally redesign the app. Moment says the newly designed app has an interface that adapts to how you shoot. The interface is designed to be used one-handed, including a mode for lefties. Quick actions help give creators access to most-used tools.
While the new app is only a few days old, Moment is already sharing plans for future updates. That includes custom camera skins and a store coming before the end of the year, and in 2026 and beyond, more color controls and film simulations.
The Moment Pro Camera II is an iOS-only app. It’s available in the App Store for a one-time purchase of $9.99 / £9.99 / AU$14.99 / CA$12.99.
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