Lightroom Mobile It's one of the essential apps that any photography enthusiast or professional photographer should have on their phone. Now, this app has been updated to include compatibility with photos in RAW HDR. At the moment, only compatible with some Android phones.
Lightroom Mobile
There has been much debate, and will continue to be debated, about the possibility of using mobile phones as professional photography devices. The debate will surely continue. But what is clear is that Smartphone cameras are getting better and betterThis makes them increasingly useful, even for professional photographers. That's why apps like Lightroom Mobile They have become widely used applications by users of all levels, and many are looking for the professional camera appsNow Lightroom Mobile, in its Android version, includes support for a new image type, the HDR-RAW.
Lightroom Mobile already included compatibility with RAW fileson those mobile phones that were compatible with capturing this type of photograph. However, this is a new type of file: the HDR-RAWWe should already be familiar with HDR, an image processing technique that uses three different captures to create a photograph that would be impossible under normal conditions. It combines three photos taken under different light exposure conditions. HDR was already well-known in the mobile world. But now comes RAW HDR.
It's basically the same as HDR, but saving much more data of each capture. This way we could edit each of the captures taken to compose the HDR separately, with a huge margin to recover highlights and shadows without posterization or artifacts.
This gives photographers more options. However, for now, this will only be available for some Android phones. The compatible smartphones will be: the two Google Pixels, the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
What does RAW HDR offer compared to traditional HDR?
The big difference is that, instead of producing a compressed JPG, Lightroom Mobile generates a DNG file From several shots with different exposures, the app measures the scene and determines the appropriate range for Highlights, midtones, and shadowsIt shoots three RAW captures in burst, automatically aligns them, and creates a DNG with high color depth (usually 16-bit on mobile), very similar to the workflow of Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom on desktop. The result is a file with less noise, greater dynamic range, and much more editing flexibility.
- Less noise in dark areas and smoother transitions.
- advanced recovery of detail in skies and highlights.
- More stable color by preserving the raw sensor data.
- Alignment and deghosting automatic controls to minimize moving subjects.
Camera controls and DNG capture
Lightroom Mobile's built-in camera offers manual controls to get the most out of your smartphone's sensor: you can choose between JPEG or DNG (RAW), adjust the exposure, modify the ISO To control noise (typical values ​​from 25 to 1600 depending on the device), set the white balance manual or with reference and select the manual focus For precision in complex scenes. In HDR mode, it's best to hold the phone firmly to ensure perfect alignment, and after the shot, the app processes the file for a few moments before saving it to the library as a DNG.
How RAW HDR mode works in Lightroom Mobile
The app analyzes the scene, calculates the ideal exposure parameters for each tonal area, and performs three captures in DNGThen, align the frames to avoid shifts and combine the information into a single image. High-rank DNGThis file offers significantly greater editing flexibility, allowing advanced adjustments to exposure, contrast, and color without degrading the image. Furthermore, the option to export originals And sharing makes it easy to publish the result on social media while maintaining quality.
Compatibility and requirements on Android and iOS
Although the introduction of RAW HDR on mobile began on Android, iOS also supports HDR in DNG provided the device can capture in DNG. On iPhones, this feature requires models capable of writing RAW; on Android, it depends on manufacturer support and the hardware's power to process the merging algorithm. Initially, Lightroom limited the feature to devices with powerful hardware to guarantee performance and quality.
In addition, Lightroom Mobile incorporated complementary improvements: on Android, the following arrived: local adjustment tools with linear and radial gradients, while in iOS they added rating gestures, review and the option to export originals, along with the usual fixes and stability improvements on both platforms.
Cloud synchronization and workflow
If you are a subscriber of Creative CloudDNG and RAW HDR files are automatically synced with Lightroom on desktop and web. This allows you to start shooting on your mobile device and continue editing on your computer without losing settings, collections, or metadata. To optimize data usage, you can disable mobile network access in settings and leave the Wi-Fi upload.
Lightroom HDR on desktop vs. Photoshop HDR Pro
On the desktop, Lightroom can combine multiple bracketing and generate a 32-bit DNG with options such as Automatic alignment, Automatic tone and control of DeghostingIt's even possible to stack shots to keep the catalog organized and merge from three to several captures depending on the bracketing. Unlike Photoshop HDR Pro, which works with 8/16/32-bit outputs and PSD-oriented workflows, Lightroom preserves RAW format in a DNG HDR, favoring non-destructive editing and color consistency throughout the process.
With Lightroom Mobile and its capture in HDR-RAW The circle between shooting and professional editing from your phone is complete: more dynamic range, less noise, and DNG files ready to sync and edit with precision, keeping the essence of the Adobe RAW workflow in the palm of your hand.
