There is no single best Halide preset for every photo. For a flexible workflow, choose the capture look to suit the light, turn on RAW when you expect to develop the image later, prioritize the exposure variable that matters most, and verify focus rather than trusting a peaking overlay alone. The exact controls depend on your Halide version and iPhone: the guidance below reflects Mark III, Halide 3.1, and Halide 3.2, with older focus-peaking directions clearly identified as historical.
Which Halide settings should you use for RAW photos?
Use RAW when you want to make development choices after capture, such as adjusting exposure, contrast, or color. Halide’s Mark III workflow saves DNG files and includes a Photo Lab for developing them; RAW is captured data, not a finished-looking image. As Lux puts it in its Process Zero manual, “There’s no such thing as just showing a raw image on your screen.” A viewer or editor has to render the data for display, and different apps may render it differently. Lux’s Halide Mark III overview describes the DNG and Photo Lab workflow, while its Process Zero manual explains the rendering distinction.
Keep a processed companion unless you have a RAW-only workflow
For most people, retaining a rendered companion alongside RAW is the safer default for quick sharing and broad compatibility. Halide 3.1 added optional RAW-only capture, but Lux cautions that other apps may not render RAW files the same way Halide does. Choose RAW-only only if you know the editor or destination that will handle the file and accept that some apps may show a different result. See the Halide 3.1 Scarlet Edition release notes.
Choose a look for the scene
- Standard iPhone processing: Prefer this when convenience and computational help in difficult lighting matter more than a deliberately minimal rendering. For a person against a bright window, Lux recommends the iPhone’s default processing if the goal is to retain detail in both subject and background.
- Process Zero: Consider this when you want a more minimal look and are prepared to make exposure decisions yourself. It preserves raw sensor data for later exposure adjustment but skips computational techniques that can help manage high-contrast scenes. That can mean choosing which part of the scene gets the best exposure rather than expecting both subject and bright background to retain detail. Lux’s Process Zero manual explains the trade-off and Image Lab reprocessing.
In Mark III, Lux describes a RAW toggle and a Photo Lab with Quick Edit, Exposure, Film, and Balance panes. Use Photo Lab to review and adjust a captured RAW before exporting; it is a streamlined developer, not a full-fledged general photo editor. The Mark III feature overview is at lux.camera/halide-mark-iii.
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How do you control exposure in Halide?
Start by deciding what must stay under your control. Halide Mark III documents auto and manual exposure plus Shutter Priority and ISO Priority. Halide 3.2 adds Aperture Priority for iPhone 18 Pro. These modes do not provide a universal recipe: they let you prioritize a variable while the camera manages others, where supported.
| Mode | Use it when | Version and device context |
|---|---|---|
| Auto exposure | You want Halide to choose exposure rather than constrain a particular variable. | Documented for Halide Mark III; check current app and device support. |
| Manual exposure | You want direct control over exposure choices and to judge them using the exposure meter. | Documented for Halide Mark III; Lux says the meter is displayed in manual exposure. |
| Shutter Priority | Motion rendering or camera movement makes shutter time the key constraint. | Documented for Halide Mark III. A universally recommended shutter value is not established. |
| ISO Priority | The brightness/noise trade-off makes ISO the variable you want to prioritize. | Documented for Halide Mark III. A universally recommended ISO value is not established. |
| Aperture Priority | You want to choose an f-number and have Halide select shutter speed and ISO. | Halide 3.2, for iPhone 18 Pro only. Lux lists variable apertures from f/1.48 to f/4.0. |
The priority modes are practical photographic choices, not Lux-published universal exposure recipes. For example, choose Shutter Priority because you care about how movement is rendered, not because one shutter speed is best for every moving subject. Similarly, ISO Priority is useful when you want to manage the brightness and noise consequences of ISO, but the right value depends on the scene and acceptable image quality.
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- 【Enhance Color & Contrast】CPL filter can enhance the color and contrast, and remove non-metallic reflections such as water, and glass to show the true color, especially used in white cloud and blue sky photography. It only reduces reflections from non-metallic surfaces like glass or water. It has little effect on metal or mirrors. Please set realistic expectations.
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Use exposure aids, then inspect the result
Mark III’s manual exposure meter helps you assess exposure while setting it. Lux also describes a histogram in Photo Lab for reviewing the captured image. In Mark II-era material, Lux documented waveform, histogram, and zebra-stripe aids; it also described visualization of real RAW sensor data when RAW streaming was active during interactive exposure adjustment. Those details refer to Mark II documentation and should not be assumed to map to identical Mark III controls. See Lux’s October 22, 2020 Mark II launch post for the historical tools and the Mark III page for current-generation features.
Note a Halide 3.1 interaction change
In Halide 3.1, tapping the viewfinder no longer updates focus while manual focus is active, and likewise no longer updates exposure while manual exposure is active. If you have changed to manual control and a viewfinder tap does not reset the setting as expected, account for this version-specific behavior. Lux describes the change in its 3.1 release notes.
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How do you turn on focus peaking in Halide?
Focus peaking outlines areas that appear sharp, helping you judge where focus falls. It is an aid, not a guarantee that the intended detail is in focus: inspect the actual captured image, especially for close-up subjects or fine detail.
Lux’s documented Macro Mode instructions come from earlier Halide material: switch from autofocus to manual focus, then use focus peaking, which can activate while you adjust focus or be toggled. Those directions are not a verified Mark III menu path. Current Mark III documentation retrieved for this guide does not establish where—or whether—the same control appears in every current app/device combination. Check the controls in your installed version rather than following a Mark II-era menu path as if it were current. The historical Macro Mode explanation is at Lux’s iPhone Macro article; Lux’s Mark III preview said focus peaking was still planned at that preview date.
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For macro photography, a fixed or carefully adjusted focus point can help when the subject is very close. After capturing, zoom in on the important detail to confirm the result; peaking marks the sharpest-looking areas in the preview, but it does not certify that the critical subject detail is acceptably sharp.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What changes between Halide versions?
- Mark III: Lux documents DNG capture, Photo Lab development, auto and manual exposure, Shutter Priority, and ISO Priority. Manual exposure displays an exposure meter. Mark II remains accessible from Mark III via the ellipsis menu, but Lux says Mark II will not receive new features. Mark III details.
- Halide 3.1, Scarlet Edition: Adds optional RAW-only capture and changes viewfinder-tap behavior during manual focus and manual exposure. 3.1 release notes.
- Halide 3.2, September 30, 2026: Adds Aperture Priority and variable aperture from f/1.48 to f/4.0 for iPhone 18 Pro; Halide chooses shutter speed and ISO when you select an f-number. This device-specific feature should not be generalized to other iPhones. 3.2 release notes.
Lux’s current feature descriptions do not establish a consolidated device-and-OS compatibility matrix, so confirm that a control is available on your installed Halide version and iPhone. Mark II controls and paths should not be treated as a guaranteed guide to Mark III.
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