Lux, the company behind the popular photography app Halide, is releasing an iPhone video app called Kino that makes it easy to add professional cinematic looks using only a smartphone. Kino’s Instant Grade feature lets users apply from a selection of color grade presets with a few simple taps. It can also apply cinematic motion blur using AutoMotion, adjusting the crisp images the iPhone tries to capture by default to “the dreamlike feeling of a motion picture.” Designed for professionals, but straightforward enough for amateurs to use, Kino supports external hard drives and iCloud backup.

The grading feature is made possible by the “log” video support Apple added last fall with the release of the iPhone 15 Pro. Similar to camera raw, log saves a file with most of the original data intact, setting the stage for subsequent creative manipulation.

Some of the color grade presets bundled for Kino were created by industry professionals: Stu Maschwitz (Prolost), Evan Schneider (LUT Company), Sandwich Video, Tyler Stalman and Kevin Ong. Others were developed in-house, Lux says in an announcement.

It supports standardized LUT .cube files, allowing access to many free and commercial LUTs, which can be imported using AirDrop, email or iMessage.

There are also presets for other model iPhones, so even those without a 15 Pro will be able to use the grading feature to some degree, as long as they are using a phone running iOS 17. Kino also allows users to save their own custom grades using LUTs with the .cube extension.

AutoMotion can automatically select the optimal settings for motion blur, but lets you manually apply shutter speed and exposure control if preferred.

“The interface has also been designed to prevent accidental taps or adjustments that might ruin a shot,” writes TechRadar, explaining there’s “no tapping to adjust the exposure, which can happen accidentally far too easily (the controls are located in a swipe-down menu).” And Kino disables some buttons during recording to prevent fumble-fingered activations.

Kino is “a joy to use, with a design and user experience that matches the quality of the iPhone hardware,” reports 9to5Mac, saying it “strikes a great balance of pro and approachable.” The site walks readers through its experiments with all of the main features, and mentions ancillary conveniences like recording to Photos or Files, working with USB-C storage, and manual focus.

Kino is a one-time purchase for $19.99, available from the App Store. Visit ShotWithKino.com to learn more.