Rian Johnson launches an iPhone camera app that shoots like Knives Out

[Marcus11]

A Hollywood director has made a camera app, and it is already topping the charts. 9to5Mac reports that Rian Johnson, director of Knives Out and Star Wars: The Last Jedi, has launched Chromagraph Camera for iPhone

Johnson commissioned the app from his long time cinematographer Steve Yedlin, with colour science developer Eric Cameron also involved. It was originally meant for Johnson's own use before the team decided to release it publicly. It costs $12.99 with no in app purchases and is the top paid app in the App Store's Photo and Video category

Rather than putting a filter on top of the iPhone's normal processing, the app processes the raw image data itself to recreate the look of the Knives Out films. You frame a shot and only see the finished look after processing, a bit like using a film camera

There are controls for colour, tone and texture, plus grain and halation effects. Johnson said he wanted one streamlined app combining custom processing with those tools. Full quality raw files stay in the app, and finished photos can be exported as JPEG or HEIC to the photo library automatically

Yedlin is known for his technical work on colour and the science of film look, so this is more than a celebrity branding exercise. Paying once with no subscription is refreshing in today's app market. It could be a lovely tool for anyone who wants a more cinematic style from their phone

Would you pay $12.99 for a camera app? And can phone photos ever look properly cinematic?

'Knives Out' director launches iPhone camera app that shoots like his movies - 9to5Mac9to5mac.com

[Asher16]

No subscription is the best feature. So many camera apps want monthly payments now. Twelve ninety nine once is a fair price for something this specialised

[Slay40]

Processing the raw data rather than adding a filter is the key difference. Filters sit on top of Apple's heavy processing

Starting from raw gives far more control over the final look. That is why it looks more natural. Shooting raw on an iPhone produces huge files, though

Storage fills up fast. Auto export to smaller formats is a sensible touch