Adobe Indigo camera app adds generative AI editing features
Adobe's experimental camera app pivots from natural photography to AI editing, reflecting broader industry tension about computational photography and image authenticity.
From natural look to AI editing
Adobe announced an update to Project Indigo, its experimental camera app for iPhone, adding generative AI editing tools. The app initially launched with a focus on providing a more natural, SLR-like photographic result compared to the computational photography in standard iPhone cameras.
The new features include generative AI capabilities that allow users to modify images after capture. The tools do not rely on Adobe's Firefly AI models, though Adobe has not specified which AI systems power the new functionality.
Shift in product direction
The addition of AI editing tools represents a significant pivot for an app originally positioned as an alternative to heavily processed smartphone photography. Project Indigo was designed for photographers seeking less computational intervention in their captures.
The update reflects ongoing industry debates about the definition and boundaries of photography in an era of AI-assisted editing. Adobe itself has been at the center of these discussions, particularly around questions of image authenticity and appropriate disclosure of AI modifications.
Experimental app status
Project Indigo remains an experimental release from Adobe Labs rather than a production app. Adobe has not announced plans to integrate the camera functionality into its main mobile photography products like Lightroom Mobile.
The app's evolution from natural photography to AI-enabled editing illustrates the rapid pace of feature development in mobile photography tools. Whether the AI features will attract the audience originally interested in Indigo's less-processed approach remains unclear.