You Don’t Need an iPhone 13 Pro to Use Halide’s New Macro Mode
One of the headlining photo improvements on the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max is a great macro photography mode that can focus on an object from just six inches away from an object.
Easy to Activate
But you don’t need the latest Apple handset to take macro photos thanks to a new update from the powerful third-party camera app Halide.
In a blog post, Halide’s Ben Sandofsky details how the Macro Mode in the iPhone 13 Pro works along with a number of examples. He also details some of the issues with how Apple’s stock camera app uses the mode.
Halide wanted to make macro photography great for a less-casual user:
Unlike the built-in camera, we decided to really make Macro photography a deliberate ‘mode.’ Of course the ultra-wide camera in Halide will still automatically focus on very-close subjects, but a separate mode unlocks some very powerful tools and processing specific to macro.
To start, tap the “AF” button to switch from auto focus to manual focus. Since Macro is often best done with the focus fixed to a close subject or with some adjustment, Macro Mode lives in the manual focus controls. To then enter Macro Mode, tap the the flower icon — the universal symbol for macro. Ours is a tulip, because our designer is Dutch. They’re funny like that.
The app’s Macro Mode is thanks to a technology called Neural Macro. Along with checking which camera can focus the closest, it will then provide ultra-precise control.
Hallide Mark II can be downloaded now on the App Store for free. You’ll need an iPhone 8 or later to use the Macro feature.
New users will need to subscribe for $2.99 monthly or $11.99 per year. There is also a one-time purchase option for $49.99.
