Smoothness in iPhone photography

Let's be frank: I'm disappointed with the iPhone's photo quality. The results consistently look super sharp. I tend to prefer softer, smoother images.

Before the iPhone 11 came along, photos had a softer feel. However, since the introduction of its new image processing called Deep Fusion, images now appear excessively sharp and artificial. Unfortunately, there's still no way to disable this feature. Apple offers the option to record in RAW, but I'm not very happy with the results.

I've been looking for apps that help me avoid Deep Fusion. So far, my favorites are Ritchie Cam, Varlens, and Filca. Varlens even offers a dedicated setting called... sharpen , which I find quite ironic (and yet, it's a killer feature, if you ask me).

Online photographers are pleading for images to look more natural. They would trade artificial processing for a bit of noise and softness. Imperfection creates character and fosters experimentation. The classic images The films of the cinema era are often imperfect, but the emotion remains intact.

Sharp, saturated HDR images may have more mass appeal; but if Apple is serious about attracting professionals, they should let them choose.