Instructions

Below are basic instructions for Slow Shutter Cam, but if you prefer tutorials, here are three worth checking out:

Otherwise, watch this amazing review by David Addison for inspirational ideas and to discover some of the unique possibilities offered by Slow Shutter Cam.

Capture Mode

Slow Shutter Cam lets you create all sorts of slow shutter speed effects with your iDevice by using one of the following capture modes: Motion Blur, Light Trail or Low Light. Capture modes can be selected after tapping the Capture Settings button, which is located at the left end of the lower toolbar.

Motion Blur

Equivalent to the shutter priority mode on a DSLR, the Motion Blur mode is perfect for creating ghost images, waterfall effects or suggesting movement in your photographs by adding a blur. This mode also features automatic exposure compensation so that your pictures are always perfectly exposed (under normal lighting conditions), no matter what shutter speed is selected.

Light Trail

The Light Trail mode allows you to paint with light (see Light painting), show car light trails and fireworks or capture any other moving light. Unlike shooting with a DSLR and being tied to specific rigid settings to obtain good results, the Light Trail mode takes care of the essentials.

Low Light

In low light conditions, the Low Light mode allows the camera to accumulate every photon of light hitting its sensor. The longer the shutter speed, the more light it will accumulate. If the picture is over-exposed, you can compensate by using the Exposure control after the picture has been taken.

Shutter Speed

The shutter speed setting allows you to decide how long the shutter will stay open or, if you prefer, the duration of the capture session. When selecting the B (Bulb) setting, the shutter will stay open until you close it by tapping the shutter button. In all case, an ongoing capture session can be terminated at any time by tapping the shutter button.

Sensitivity

The sensitivity level setting (only available for the Light Trail mode) allows you to set the sensitivity of the camera sensor or, if you prefer, how rapidly the camera captures light ('Full' being the maximum sensitivity and '1/64' being 64 times less sensitive). The best way to really understand its impact is to try both minimum and maximum sensitivity level while watching the Live preview.

Freeze control

Available in Motion Blur and Light trail modes, the Freeze control allows you to put more or less emphasis on the first or last frame of a capture session. Moving the slider to the left will put more emphasis on the first frame, while moving the slider to the right will put more emphasis on the last frame.

To really appreciate its behaviour, select the Motion Blur mode, set the shutter speed to one second and pan slowly over a stationary subject that has a uniform background (like a frame on a wall). Just make sure that the subject always stays in the camera's field of view. After the capture, move the Freeze control slider to the extreme right and then move it slowly toward the centre. As you move the slider, a trail will begin to emerge behind the subject.

This control can be displayed by pressing the Edit button after a picture has been taken

Exposure control

The exposure control let you adjust the exposure of your pictures. Even if this control is available after the images have been taken, it is really an Exposure Compensation function. Unlike a brightness control, details lost in the saturated area can be recovered. Because of the way in which the Light Trail mode works, this control is not available in this mode (but we are considering adding a brightness control in the next version).

This control can be displayed by pressing the Edit button after a picture has been taken.

Minimizing movements

If a tripod is not available, you can try to press the side edge of your device against something solid to minimize movement. In all cases, using the self-timer with a one-second delay will give you the time to stabilize your device before the shutter fires.

Capturing more light

In very low light conditions, or for extreme effects, select the Low Light mode and a shutter speed. The longer the shutter speed, the more light the camera will capture. Again, the iPhone must be very steady or the picture will be blurred (see Minimizing movements). Due to the nature of the camera sensor, there could be extensive noise when used in dark conditions. To minimize noise, select a longer shutter speed and compensate by moving the exposure slider to the left after the picture has been taken.

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