iOS Guide

ProShot

“There is one thing the photograph must contain, the humanity of the moment”

— Robert Frank

Intro

ProShot is a rich and powerful camera app filled with features, modes and more. It may seem overwhelming at first, but it is actually easy to master! This guide will teach you how to get the most out of ProShot, and share tips along the way. It assumes no prior photography or filmmaking experience, and can be read by users of all skill levels.

Video Overview

Much of the information in this guide is available in video form. This video is a great starting point for those just getting into photography.

Viewfinder

The viewfinder is where the camera feed is shown. Here you can preview your scene, select focus and exposure points, and more. In addition, any changes to zoom or exposure compensation values will show at the top of the viewfinder.

Focus and exposure
To set the focus and exposure point, tap anywhere on the viewfinder. To reposition the point, drag the box anywhere you like. To reset, tap the box.

Zoom
To zoom, simply drag one finger up or down on the viewfinder.

Locking exposure
To lock exposure, tap the AE button at the top of the screen.

Spot metering
The default exposure metering is center-weighted. To set it to spot metering, tap the AE button twice, once for AE-L, and again for AE spot metering. An AE box will appear on-screen that can be dragged anywhere. To reset, tap the AE button, or tap the exposure box.

Lens Selection
On phones with multiple cameras, the bottom-right of the viewfinder will show a lens selector where you can switch between available lenses.

Portrait Mode
On phones capable of capturing portrait photos, a Portrait Mode button will show at the bottom-middle of the viewfinder. Tap this button to enable portrait mode.

Image / Video Format
At the top-left of the Viewfinder is the image and video format button. Tap here to select the image or video format for the current Drive Mode. Here you can toggle between ProRAW, RAW, HEIC and JPEG capture, as well as H.264 and H.265 for video.

Tip: Tap the zoom or exposure compensation labels to reset their value.

Top Bar

The Top Bar contains quick action items. In order from left to right:

Preview Image
This shows a preview of the most recently captured photo or video.

AE Button
This selects the AE mode.

Aspect Ratio
This selects the aspect ratio. You can choose between 4:3, 16:9, 1:1 and 3:2. Please note that Live Photo will only work in 4:3 aspect ratio.

Live Photo
This toggles Live Photo capture on and off.

Settings
This opens the Settings panel, where you can access many of ProShot’s extra features such as grid, level, histogram, themes and more (more on the Settings Panel later).

Bottom Bar

The Bottom Bar contains access to many of ProShot’s camera settings.

At the top is a row of buttons. Tapping on any one will show controls for its related function including Flash, White Balance, ISO, Shutter Speed, and Focus. Some notes on two of the menu items:

Shutter Menu
In this menu, you will notice options accompanied by an asterisk*. This will be covered in the Infinite Shutter section further down the page.

Focus Menu
This menu has a button “PEAK” that toggles Focus Peaking. There are four focus peaking modes: Off , On, Peak MF (on when Manual Focus is enabled), and Peak MF-A (on only when Manual Focus is changing). At this time Focus Peaking works in all Drive Modes, except for Video / Timelapse modes when 10-bit video is enabled, or when ‘Cinematic Extended’ video stabilization is enabled.

Below this row are the camera and mode dial buttons. From left to right: Drive Dial, front / rear camera toggle, shutter button, video record shortcut, and Camera Dial (more on Mode Dials in the next section).

Finally, at the very bottom of the bottom bar is the exposure compensation (brightness) slider, as well as storage space remaining and battery meter.

Tip: ProShot’s menu system is designed to keep related items grouped together. As shown in the image above, the button for Focus Peaking is found in the Focus menu.

Camera Dial

The Camera Dial is modeled after a traditional DSLR mode dial and was the inspiration for ProShot’s UI. This allows you to quickly toggle between camera modes, including Auto, Program, Manual and two Custom Modes.

Auto Mode
Use this mode to capture great results in any situation, without needing to configure anything.

Program Mode
This semi-automatic mode allows you to set ISO and White Balance, while ProShot handles shutter speed adjustments. Use this when you want to keep ISO low for crisp photos, and don’t want to worry about full manual control.

Manual Mode
Use this mode when you wish to set ISO and Shutter Speed manually.

Custom Modes
Custom modes C1 and C2 allow you to save and recall your favorite camera settings. Any camera setting (EV, WB, ISO, Shutter and Focus) will be automatically saved when you make a change in one of these modes.

Reset Settings
This function controls how and if the Camera Mode / Camera Settings (EV, WB, ISO, Shutter Speed, and Manual Focus) are resumed after leaving and then returning to ProShot. OFF resets the Camera Mode / Camera Settings (Auto) every time you open the app. AUTO keep the Camera Mode / Camera Settings set for about 10-20 minutes after leaving the app. If you return to the app after that time has passed, it will reset the Camera Mode / Settings to default. ON means the Camera Mode and Settings will stay set, even if the app is closed.

Tip: ProShot can dynamically switch between camera modes. For example, in Auto Mode, selecting a shutter speed will seamlessly switch ProShot to Manual Mode. Setting the shutter speed back to auto will change the Camera Mode back to Auto.

Drive Dial

The Drive Dial is used to switch between ProShot’s drive modes, including Photo, Video, Slo-mo, Light Painting and Time-lapse.

Photo
Use this mode to take pictures. From the Photo menu you can toggle EV bracketing, set a timer, and switch between Color and Monochrome modes. The IMG button controls how the capture pipeline priorities speed vs quality. At night the AUTO and MAX settings may perform image stacking to reduce image noise. And during the day AUTO and MAX may perform HDR (Apple’s Image Fusion) on photos. The FAST option may turn off image enhancement algorithms, and also lead to reduced dynamic range in directly-lit scenes.

Video
Configure your video options here. Select video size, frame rate, quality, mic options, and stabilization. Stabilization toggles between “Off” and “Cinematic” stabilization. On newer devices “Cinematic Extended” is available as a third option. This only works up to 4k30 or 1080p60, depending on your device. Also in this menu is video bit depth control, which can toggle between 8-bit SDR and 10-bit HDR.

Slo-mo
Configure your slo-mo options here. Select video size, frame rate, quality, mic options, and stabilization.

Light Painting
This is a special mode that allows you to paint with light. There are two modes: Light and Water. Light is for capturing light trails. Water is useful for capturing running water, even during the day without the need for an ND filter. A tripod here is highly recommended. For simulating long exposure photography, please see the Infinite Shutter section further down the page.

Timelapse
This is ProShot’s timelapse mode. You can adjust timelapse duration, interval, and how frames are saved, either individually like an intervalometer, or as a movie.

Settings Panel

This panel offers quick access to many of ProShot’s features.

Grid

Grid Overlay

Histogram

Rotation Lock

Level

Horizon Level

Tag with GPS

🎉

Donate

NR

Noise Reduction

Compass / Altimeter

Mode UI
Toggle the Mode selector between Dials and Buttons.

Theme
Change the theme of the UI. The last item (that looks like a moon) turns the entire UI red to keep your vision protected at night.

Infinite Shutter (Bulb)

Infinite shutter extends the maximum shutter speed to…well, infinity! Traditional DSLRs refer to this as Bulb mode (B).

To use Infinite Shutter, select B* (or any shutter speed with an asterisk*), and tap the camera button. You can optionally set the ISO, or leave it on auto. With Infinite Shutter, you’ll see the photo develop in real-time right before your eyes. To stop, simply tap the camera button again.

Tip: For star trails, it is recommended to set focus manually, which may take some trial and error. On an iPhone 12 Pro wide angle lens, the focus value for infinity is about 82. Bonus tip: keep Live Photo enabled to create a star trail Live Photo movie!

Frequently Asked Questions

This section addresses commonly asked questions.

All iPhones and iPads come with fixed-aperture lenses, so it is not possible to change the aperture.
Apple is not allowing zoom during RAW capture at this time. You may, however, zoom while ProRAW is selected.
Apple does not have a public API to mute the shutter sound. There is a private one, but adding private APIs to apps run the risk of removal from the App Store. There are also laws in some countries that require devices that take photos to make a sound. In most countries, however, you may mute the shutter by putting the device in silent mode.
Apple is unfortunately not allowing manual control with 48MP at this time. We are confident support will be added in an iOS update, and when that happens ProShot will be ready!
ProRAW-L is a reduced bit depth (12bit vs 14bit) ProRAW file designed to save space at the potential cost of some dynamic range and image quality.
We’d love to! Please send an email to support@riseupgames.com.