A new paper from Adobe Fellow Marc Levoy and Senior Scientist Florian Kainz discusses their latest project, which is embodied in a new Project Indigo app available for iPhones. In addition to what the inventors hope is a more “natural” look, the project aims for the highest image quality possible on a mobile device.In the new research paper explaining the project, the pair detail their approach to achieving more authentic photo images. The app under-exposes more strongly than most camera apps, but also captures, aligns, and combines “more frames when producing each photo — up to 32 frames” in a single exposure.” This means that our photos have fewer blown-out highlights and less noise in the shadows,” Levoy and Kainz write — but also note that taking a photo with the app “may require slightly more patience after pressing the shutter button than you’re used to … but after a few seconds, you’ll be rewarded with a better picture.”This approach results in less “smoothing” than in most smartphone camera apps, which better preserves natural textures. It also avoids what might be called “global tone mapping,” where typically the brightest point in a smartphone photo is used to set the exposure for the entire photo. A further issue is the problem of zooming. The Indigo camera app overcomes this issue by using a technique called “multi-frame super-resolution,” quickly capturing multiple images of the scene at different resolutions and zoom levels in order to reduce noise. The Indigo app also offers smartphone photographers a wealth of controls, designed specifically for smartphone photography. One additional future feature of the app offers an exciting new possibility for smartphone users.