Lux, the startup behind the popular professional photography app Halide and others, it enters the video with the latest release of the application. On Wednesday, the company announced Kino, a new video capture app for both professional and amateur videographers. The official launch comes six months after Lux announced a December 2023 launch.
Halide users have long urged Lux to add video support to its popular photography app, but the startup didn’t want to clutter the platform, so it’s launching a dedicated video app. Given that Halide, which originally leveraged iPhone support for RAW photography to win an Apple Design Award, already has a loyal and sizable user base, Kino also has the potential to succeed.
With Kino, Lux aims to make it easier for videographers to use their iPhones to shoot cinematic videos. Lux acknowledges that while Kino won’t be used to shoot the next feature film, the app will help people who want to get more out of their camera. The startup designed the app to be powerful enough for professionals, but not too intimidating for hobbyists.
The app allows users to choose their experience once they start with the app, which then determines which settings are enabled. Kino has in-app tutorials and tips on its video basics for beginners.
Kino’s Instant Grade feature allows users to press record and create cinematic video with a color preset applied to their recording. Lux says that users will be able to record video with much less editing thanks to Apple’s decision to start supporting recording video encoding with the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.
Lux explains that while Apple’s camera can shoot logs, it’s encoded in Apple ProRes, which results in large files. Kino shoots in HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) for a smaller file size, and the selected color preset is applied directly to your recording.
The Kino also has an AutoMotion feature that lets you get a 180-degree shutter angle on your footage without having to fiddle with settings, which results in cinematic video with just the right amount of blur, says Lux.
Kino gives professional photographers full control in automatic and manual mode. The app offers features like audio levels and device notifications, recording format presets, a quick way to identify time remaining, RGB waveform, manual focus with focus peaking, lockable user interface and more.
Lux says Kino will work especially well with the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, as those devices can capture Apple Log. However, the company says that Kino works great on older iPhones as well.
Users can access Kino through a one-time payment. The app goes on sale Wednesday for a discounted price of $9.99 and will cost $19.99 in a few days.
