The Pearla camera app for iPhones has just been updated to version 2.2.1. With the latest version, you now get nine new color spaces for your videos. These are designed to match the log image profiles of many popular professional cinema cameras.
What is Pearla?
The Pearla app for iPhone aims to help you get even better images from your iPhone’s excellent cameras. It offers the ability to capture images and video with a log profile which are more suited to color grading. You also get a range of True Film Emulations, which the company says replicate the nuanced color science and texture of classic film stocks. These are designed to give your photos and video an analog look, rather than the obviously digital images usually captured by a smartphone.
In addition, you get open gate video recording, which uses the full sensor area, as well as the option to add cinematic grain in real-time.
Pro Color Spaces
The headline feature of Pearla version 2.2.1 is the addition of nine new expanded Pro Color Spaces. These are designed to match your iPhone video to the log profiles of professional video cameras. The log profiles are:
- Canon C-Log3
- Blackmagic Design Film Gen 5
- ARRI LogC3
- DJI D-Log
- Fujifilm F-Log
- Sony S-Log2
- Sony S-Log3
- Nikon N-Log
- Panasonic V-Log
Other new features
Pearla version 2.2.1 adds 10-bit video support. 10-bit video offers enhanced color depth for smoother gradients and greater flexibility in post-production grading. You also now get precise tone mapping control. This means you can achieve perfect tonal balance even in challenging high-contrast scenes with manual control over dynamic tone mapping. As a result, you can preserve crucial highlight and shadow detail. Also, Pearla now includes Bluetooth shutter support, so the app integrates seamlessly with camera grips and remote shutters for enhanced stability and control.
What we think
The camera on the iPhone has a reputation for high-quality video. It’s also been used to shoot a number of feature films, including Tangerine, Steven Soderbergh’s Unsane and 28 Years Later. The Pearla app aims to make it easy to get cinematic images from your iPhone that lose that phone camera look. With the update, you can now also match your iPhone video to cameras from Arri, Blackmagic and Sony. This makes it much easier to use your smartphone as a B or C cam alongside your main cinema camera. Although you will need to sign up for a subscription after the free trial, for $25 a year, Pearla seems like it’s a bargain.
Pricing and availability
The Pearla app for iPhone version 2.2.1 is available to download from the Apple App Store now. You can download the app for free as part of a three day trial. After that, you will need to subscribe. Subscriptions cost $4 for one month access, $10 for three months access or $25 for one year access.
