The camera on your iPhone is remarkably advanced—so advanced, in fact, that it sometimes feels overly intelligent. It possesses the ability to enhance your selfies and eliminate unwanted distractions from your shots. This level of image modification is something usually depicted in superhero stories. However, it can complicate the process of capturing authentic images that reflect reality. Thankfully, there are various options available to regain some control.

It’s critical to recognize that achieving totally unprocessed images on any smartphone camera is nearly impossible. There will always be some interpretation of raw data involved in image display. The goal here is to limit how much your device determines what constitutes the “ideal” appearance for your photos—choices regarding color saturation, focus selection, and lighting adjustments. While it’s sometimes beneficial to allow your device to do the work, those who seek greater control have several compelling alternatives.

Enhance Your Editing with Apple ProRAW

Typically, when you capture an image, your smartphone condenses it to conserve storage, discarding unnecessary data in the process. However, this discarded information can be invaluable for editing purposes. This is where Apple’s ProRAW format comes into play. Although it occupies more storage, it retains most of the information captured by your camera’s sensor at the moment the picture is taken.

This capacity allows for significant adjustments in exposure, contrast, saturation, white balance, and other fundamental image characteristics. Though some image processing is still unavoidable, ProRAW offers far greater flexibility for modifications than standard formats.

To activate ProRAW, simply tap the RAW button within your camera app during your current session. For a more permanent change, navigate to Settings > Camera > Preserve Settings and toggle on ProRAW & Resolution control. Once enabled, the camera will operate in ProRAW mode until you choose to disable it.

Explore ZeroCam: The Anti-AI Camera App

ZeroCam champions the philosophy that simplicity reigns supreme, especially in camera functionality. Its only feature? A shutter button. There’s no post-capture processing, filters to apply, or effects to manipulate, with the sole addition being the choice of which lens to use. As straightforward as it gets—either a perk or a limitation.

Images taken in low-light situations with ZeroCam may exhibit some noise, which is expected when minimal post-processing is applied. However, photos with good lighting often appear more natural compared to those taken with the default camera application.

The primary drawback of the ZeroCam app is its price: a monthly subscription costs $2, while an annual fee totals $13. A complimentary three-day trial is available for the monthly plan, extended to a week for the annual subscription; after that, users can evaluate whether this cost aligns with their needs.

Halide: Greater Command Over Photos without AI

Contrasting with ZeroCam, Halide Mark II provides extensive manual controls for your photography. One can meticulously adjust focus, ISO, shutter speed, and white balance prior to taking a shot. Some functionalities are also present in the default app, but Halide enhances the experience with additional features such as focus peaking and real-time histograms.

Halide includes a dedicated Process Zero mode that boasts zero AI post-processing. This approach brings you as close as possible to capturing images directly from the sensor, requiring only minimal processing for visibility.

Similar to ZeroCam, accessing this app isn’t free; however, a seven-day trial is offered to assess its capabilities. Afterward, monthly subscriptions commence at $10, or there’s an option to purchase a yearly plan for $20. If you’re confident about your long-term use, a lifetime license is available for $60.

Utilize the Blackmagic Camera App for Unfiltered Video

The Blackmagic team, known for the free editing software DaVinci Resolve and a selection of cinema cameras, has launched an iPhone app that utilizes their expertise in mobile videography. The Blackmagic Camera app primarily caters to video creation, although still images can be extracted from recorded clips.

If your main interest lies in still photography, another application on this list might serve you better. However, for those focused on videography, this app is a fantastic choice. It provides professional-grade control over ISO, shutter speed, and white balance, alongside features such as an RGB histogram to monitor possible image clipping and stabilization to mitigate shake from hand-holding the device.