Frequently asked questions
What is AI Enhance mode?
AI Enhance uses on-device machine learning to intelligently detect vegetation (trees, grass, plants) and apply selective infrared effects. When enabled, vegetation gets bold, vibrant colors while non-vegetation areas (sky, buildings, roads) remain more natural or grayscale. This creates a stunning selective color effect where nature pops against monochrome backgrounds. Tap the brain icon at the bottom of the screen to toggle AI mode on/off.
How does AI detection work?
AI Enhance analyzes the green channel and color characteristics of your scene to identify vegetation. For color filters (550nm, 665nm), detected vegetation gets boosted saturation and vibrant colors while everything else is desaturated to gray. For B&W filters (720nm, 850nm), vegetation gets higher contrast for a brighter appearance. All processing happens instantly on your iPhone — no data is sent to the cloud.
Can I customize filter settings?
Yes! Tap the sliders icon to access filter customization. In Simple mode, adjust brightness, contrast, and saturation. In Advanced mode, fine-tune hue shift, channel swap, and even create custom IR channel formulas with RGB multipliers. Changes apply in real-time to both the live preview and captured photos. Use the reset button to return to the original preset.
Can I adjust filter intensity?
Yes! Tap the sliders icon (bottom toolbar) to open filter customization. Simple mode gives you quick controls for brightness, contrast, and saturation — perfect for dialing in the exact intensity you want. Advanced mode unlocks the full power with hue shift, channel swap, and custom RGB multiplier formulas to create unique infrared effects. All adjustments apply in real-time to your preview and are automatically saved.
How do I switch between filters?
Swipe left or right anywhere on the live camera view to instantly change filters. You can also tap the filter icon in the top right to see all four options. After taking a photo, swipe left/right on the preview to try all filters without retaking. AI mode persists when switching filters.
Why does my photo look different from the preview?
The live preview uses GPU-accelerated real-time processing for smooth 60fps display. The saved photo uses the same filter parameters but at full resolution. Small differences are normal due to the resolution change. If you see major differences, try taking the photo again.
Can I apply filters to existing photos?
Yes! Tap the photo library icon (bottom left of the screen) to import photos from your library. Once imported, you can apply any infrared filter, toggle AI Enhance, customize settings, swipe to preview different filters, and save or share the results. All features work with imported photos just like they do with newly captured ones.
Does AI mode work with all filters?
Yes! AI Enhance works differently depending on the filter type. For color filters (550nm Infrared, 665nm Amplified Color), vegetation gets vibrant colors while non-vegetation becomes grayscale. For B&W filters (720nm Classic IR, 850nm Pure B&W), vegetation gets higher contrast for brighter whites while maintaining the classic infrared look. AI mode persists when you switch between filters.
Which lenses can I use?
Infrared Camera supports all available lenses on your iPhone: Ultra Wide (0.5×), Wide (1×), 2× zoom, and Telephoto (5×) if available on your device. Tap the lens buttons at the bottom of the screen to switch.
Does Infrared Camera work offline?
Yes! Infrared Camera requires zero network connection. All filter processing and AI detection happens on-device using your iPhone's GPU and Neural Engine. No data is sent to external servers.
How do I save my favorite filter setting?
Infrared Camera automatically remembers the last filter you used and whether AI mode was enabled. Custom filter adjustments are also saved. When you reopen the app, it will start with your previous settings. All preferences are stored locally on your device.
What is IPTC metadata?
IPTC is an industry-standard way to embed information in photos. Infrared Camera adds metadata describing which filter was used (e.g., "Captured with Infrared Camera - 550nm Infrared filter"). You can view this in the Photos app by opening a photo, tapping ⓘ, and scrolling to "Additional Information."
The app crashes or freezes. What should I do?
First, try force-quitting the app and reopening it. If problems persist:
1. Restart your iPhone
2. Check for Infrared Camera updates in the App Store
3. Make sure you're running iOS 15.0 or later
4. If the issue continues, contact us below with your iPhone model and iOS version
Why isn't AI detecting vegetation in my scene?
AI Enhance works best with scenes containing green vegetation (grass, leafy trees, plants). It may not detect bare winter trees, dead vegetation, or very dark foliage. The detection uses green channel analysis, so scenes without visible green may not benefit from AI mode. For best results, use AI Enhance on scenes with healthy green vegetation in good lighting.
Is there an iPad version?
Infrared Camera currently runs on iPad but is optimized for iPhone. We're working on a dedicated iPad interface for a future release.