Halide’s latest update brings iPhone 13 Pro macro mode to older iPhones

Halide is one of the best photography apps on iPhone, and the company just updated its app with a new macro feature, designed to perfectly complement the new macro mode that Apple has added with the iPhone 13 Pro models of this year. year.

But Halide’s 2.5 update doesn’t just add support for the existing iPhone 13 Pro macro feature that Apple created. It takes it a step further and also adds a macro mode for older iPhones, using Apple’s neural engine for “AI-based detail enhancement,” which uses a neural network to extract additional detail. close-up, even when you crop.

The “official” macro mode on the iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max uses the new ultra-wide lens that Apple offers on its higher-end models, which – unlike the ultra-wide on regular iPhone 13 models or older iPhones – adds an autofocus mode that makes ultra-close-up photography possible.

Halide mimics this effect in two ways: first, it determines which camera lens on your device can focus closest, then the app offers “submillimeter” focus control to get the perfect shot. Then it uses the aforementioned “Neural Macro” function to increase the image scale, allowing for crisp photos even when cropped by 2x or 3x.

To use macro mode in Halide, you must first update your app version to Halide 2.5 from the App Store. Next, tap the “AF” button to turn off autofocus, which opens the manual focus menu, where you can tap a new flower icon to activate macro mode.

I was able to briefly test a beta of the new update on my iPhone 12 Pro, and the results are quite impressive. It’s still not quite at the level of the iPhone 13 Pro’s macro capabilities – there are still limits to what the old hardware is physically able to do – but it’s certainly a better solution than just hold your phone close to your subject and hope for the best and a fun tool to play with. And while I don’t have an iPhone 13 Pro handy for further testing, Halide says its macro mode improves this feature for even better macro shots as well.

Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge

Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge

The new addition of macro mode works on any iPhone with Apple’s Neural Engine (which includes iPhone 8 and all later versions) and is a free update for Halide owners. Halide himself can be downloaded for free from the App Store with a seven-day free trial and can be purchased for $ 2.99 per month or $ 11.99 per year, or a lifetime flat rate of $ 49.99. in advance.