Gone are the days when we would willingly put Instagram filters on our photos because we thought they looked good.Now, your photos are still being edited, even if you're not the one doing it.Most people don't even know what a real photo taken on a smartphone (with zero processing) would look like.
Thankfully, I've found an app that lets me snap away with no processing — and I'm shocked by the results.Your smartphone is editing images without telling you And there's not a lot you can do about it Close As a photographer, I ditch my smartphone for a real camera any day of the week — but that doesn't mean a smartphone camera is completely useless.It has its time and place.
But in this modern age, most smartphones are built with enhancements, and AI features embedded in the camera's function, meaning most (if not all) of the pictures you snap are transformed between the camera and photo album applications, without you knowing.A few years ago, a Redditor demonstrated that Samsung artificially edits images of the moon.When the Reddit user took a photo of a purposefully blurry image of the moon on his laptop, the Samsung phone inserted details that weren't there in the original image.
Samsung comes with built-in AI features that are designed to "enhance image quality", though Android users remain free to turn the AI features off in settings.On iPhones, it's called "computational photography," according to Ziv Attar, chief executive of Glass Imaging, who worked on the team that created iPhone's Portrait Mode.In essence, this feature takes the image your camera captures and reimagines what the photo would look like if the camera were better, as reported by the BBC.
And it isn't just Apple and Samsung receiving backlash; plenty of Google Pixel users are also disgruntled with the automatic processing that happens to images, raising concerns about "skin-smoothing filters" being added to pictures that aren't supposed to have filters on them.Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Brand Samsung SoC Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Display 6.9-inch Dynamic Super AMOLED 2X RAM 12 or 16 GB Storage 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB Battery 5,000 mAh Get the new Galaxy S26 Ultra with AI smarts and an all-new privacy display.It's big, powerful, packed with AI, and you'll love the S-Pen stylus. $1300 at Samsung $1050 at Amazon Expand Collapse Apple iPhone 16 Pro SoC A18 Pro Display 2,622 x 1,206 resolution (460 ppi) RAM 8GB Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB Ports USB-C Operating System iOS 18 A version of Apple's newest iPhone with a larger screen featuring a camera button, a programmable action button, and artificial intelligence features.
$999 at Apple $999 at Best Buy Expand Collapse Quiz8 Questions · Test Your KnowledgeThe evolution of mobile softwareTrivia challengeFrom Android to iOS and beyond — how well do you really know the software powering your phone?AndroidiOSHistoryFeaturesBrandsBegin01 / 8HistoryIn what year did Apple release the first version of iOS alongside the original iPhone?A2005B2006C2007D2008That's right! The original iPhone launched on June 29, 2007, running what Apple simply called 'iPhone OS' at the time.It wasn't officially rebranded as iOS until version 4 was released in 2010.Not quite — the correct answer is 2007.Apple unveiled the iPhone in January of that year and launched it in June, running a mobile OS that would later be renamed iOS in 2010.Continue02 / 8AndroidWhich company originally developed Android before it was acquired by Google?AHTCBAndroid Inc.CMotorolaDSamsungCorrect! Android was created by a startup called Android Inc., founded by Andy Rubin in 2003.
Google acquired the company in 2005 for around $50 million, setting the stage for the world's most widely used mobile OS.The correct answer is Android Inc.Andy Rubin founded Android Inc.in 2003, and Google snapped it up in 2005.
Rubin went on to lead Android development at Google for many years after the acquisition.Continue03 / 8HistoryWhich smartphone OS, launched by Microsoft, used distinctive 'Live Tiles' as its main interface element?AWindows MobileBWindows Phone 7CWindows RTDMicrosoft MobileSpot on! Windows Phone 7, launched in 2010, introduced the bold Live Tiles interface as part of Microsoft's 'Metro' design language.Despite critical praise for its fresh look, the platform struggled to gain market share and was eventually discontinued.The correct answer is Windows Phone 7.Launched in 2010, it introduced the colorful Live Tiles system as part of Microsoft's Metro UI.
Windows Mobile was an older, more traditional platform that predated the tile-based redesign.Continue04 / 8iOSWhat is the name of the file format used to distribute and install apps on iOS devices?A.apkB.exeC.ipaD.appCorrect! iOS apps are packaged as .ipa files, which stands for iPhone Package Archive.These files contain all the app's resources and code, and are used by the App Store and tools like Xcode to install apps on Apple devices.The correct answer is .ipa, which stands for iPhone Package Archive.The .apk format is Android's equivalent, used to package and install apps on Android devices — a common source of confusion between the two platforms.Continue05 / 8FeaturesWhich Android version first introduced the ability to run multiple apps simultaneously in split-screen mode as a native feature?AAndroid 5.0 LollipopBAndroid 6.0 MarshmallowCAndroid 7.0 NougatDAndroid 8.0 OreoWell done! Android 7.0 Nougat, released in 2016, was the first version to include native split-screen multitasking.
Before that, some manufacturers like Samsung had offered their own custom multi-window implementations, but it wasn't a stock Android feature.The correct answer is Android 7.0 Nougat, released in 2016.While some manufacturers like Samsung had their own multi-window solutions earlier, Nougat was the first version of stock Android to include split-screen multitasking built in.Continue06 / 8BrandsBlackBerry OS was eventually replaced by which operating system on BlackBerry's later smartphones?AWindows PhoneBAndroidCFirefox OSDTizenThat's right! After BlackBerry OS and the short-lived BlackBerry 10 failed to gain traction, BlackBerry shifted to Android starting with the Priv in 2015.The company eventually exited hardware entirely, licensing its brand to other manufacturers who also used Android.The correct answer is Android.
BlackBerry transitioned to Android with the launch of the BlackBerry Priv in 2015, after its own BlackBerry 10 OS failed to attract enough developers or users to remain competitive.Continue07 / 8HistoryWhich operating system, developed by Nokia and Intel, was once the most widely used smartphone OS before Android overtook it?AMeeGoBBadaCSymbianDWebOSCorrect! Symbian dominated the smartphone market throughout the 2000s, powering Nokia's hugely popular handsets.At its peak it held over 50% of the global smartphone market, but it was unable to adapt to the touchscreen era and quickly lost ground to iOS and Android.The correct answer is Symbian.Developed collaboratively and used heavily by Nokia, Symbian was the world's top smartphone OS for much of the 2000s.
MeeGo was a later Nokia/Intel project that never reached mass adoption before Nokia shifted to Windows Phone.Continue08 / 8FeaturesWhich smartphone OS introduced the concept of a centralized, curated 'app store' to mass consumers for the first time?AAndroidBiOSCBlackBerry OSDWindows MobileExactly right! Apple launched the App Store on July 10, 2008, with iOS 2.0, fundamentally changing how software was distributed on mobile devices.Within days it had 10 million downloads, and it set a template that every major mobile platform quickly followed.The correct answer is iOS.Apple's App Store, launched in July 2008 alongside iOS 2.0, was the first mainstream curated marketplace for mobile apps.
It revolutionized software distribution and prompted Google to launch the Android Market (now Google Play) just months later.See My ScoreChallenge CompleteYour Score/ 8Thanks for playing!Try Again Zero Processing may be better for your photos Or at least, some of the time Close Does "zero-processing" mean better? From my own experience, using the Halide Mark III - Pro Camera iPhone app (which came highly recommended on Reddit), I can adamantly say...it's complicated.For the most part, I think it definitely depends on your intention for the image.If you're posting it on social media, a lot of people may prefer a higher contrast and/or higher saturation (I certainly do, especially for nature images).
In which case, your smartphone's camera mostly does the job.See the above photo of a flower.The iPhone's creation is a lot more vibrant and colorful than the image taken with zero processing.
But...it doesn't look realistic.The flower being photographed was not an insanely bright purple; it was closer to pastel IRL, and yet the iPhone produced an image that was incredibly saturated.If you're going to wack the saturation up anyway, then this is fine for you.
But if (like me) you'd prefer your nature pics to look more natural, this kind of borderline-neon coloring immediately gives away that the image has been edited.Using the Halide app Taking that "zero-processed" snap Close The outcome images with zero processing look softer and more closely resemble the "preview" image you get in the camera app before pressing the button.Though I will say they do appear duller or poorly lit, that is how an image taken on a smartphone would look if Apple weren't stepping in at the last minute to alter the image.
One thing I will give Apple credit for is the automatic lighting balance, a benefit you don't get when you're using zero processing, which is why the non-processed images lack color or definition in the sky.But the Halide app does come with its own editing suite, which lets you play around with exposure, the same as you would in the iPhone's editing mode, so this can be altered after the image is captured.The app is incredibly easy and simple to use.
All you really need to do is allow it to sync with your camera and photo library, either in settings or when the pop-up prompts you to agree.And then off you go, taking photos in whatever format you prefer.The catch? This app does require a subscription if you want to keep using it after its 7-day free trial has expired.
But there are plenty of other recommended apps that function the same and don't come with a pay wall.Should you shoot with "zero-processing" all the time? If you're interested in photography and are looking for a way to utilize your smartphone's camera without the obnoxious saturation levels that are automatically put on images, an app that lets you shoot without the processing is great.You can create natural images that aren't enhanced or morphed in any way you don't want them to be.
For the casual selfie taker, you're alright using your smartphone's camera as-is, without the need to subscribe to any additional apps or software.Just maybe tweak the image's contrast and vibrancy before you hit post.
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