ProCamXL

User Guide

ProCam XL
Note: iOS 6 requires that apps be
given access to the Camera Roll.
To grant ProCam XL access, go to
your devices Settings Privacy
Photos turn ProCam XL to ON.
When turned OFF photos will not
save to the Camera Roll, nor will
they be viewable from the apps
photo album. User will get error
message: Save to camera roll
failed (-3311). User denied access.

Single Shot
This mode is the most basic,
allowing the user to take photos
directly, similar to the iPhones
native camera. A photo is taken by
either tapping the grey half circular
shutter button within the mode dial
or pressing the volume up physical
button, depending on the users
preference.

Getting Started
Welcome to ProcCam XL. ProCam
XL is a camera replacement app for
iOS devices that aims to give the
user a fully-fledged professional
camera experience both in terms of
the user interface (UI) and camera
functionality. It is intuitive and easy
enough for beginners who want the
best quality photos and videos, but
with all the versatility of customized
settings that a more seasoned
photographer requires.

Night Mode
Night Mode allows the user to
reduce the shutter speed (also
referred to as exposure time).
Longer exposure time allows more
light to be captured by the cameras
sensor. Slower shutter speed are
therefore often used when taking
pictures in low light environments.
as they yield brighter photos, but
are equally used in photography to
suggest movement by introducing
an element of blur. The blur effect
depends on the angle at which an
object is moving in relation to the
camera, its distance, and the rate
at which its moving. This will

Shooting Modes
ProCam XL offers nine shooting
modes accessed through the
rotatable mode dial located on the
right toolbar. To select the required
shooting mode, simply rotate the
mode dial and align the desired
mode with the yellow indicator. The
selected mode will also be
displayed on the status bar located
at the top of the screen.
User Guide

ProCam XL
require experimentation by the
user. ProCam offers four shutter
speeds (1/8 sec, 1/4, sec, 1/2 sec,
and 1 sec) that can be accessed
through the options menu by
pressing the MENU button
when in Night Mode.

dial or volume up button to capture

an image. Try to hold the device as
still as possible for the photo to be
taken.

Burst
Burst mode takes photos in rapid
succession and is useful for
capturing moving objects that could
otherwise be missed. To start photo
capture, press and hold the half
circular grey shutter button within
the mode dial. Release to end
sequence. If the physical volume
up button is used instead, the burst
sequence starts by pressing and
releasing the volume button and is
stopped by pressing it again. There
are only two resolution options
available in Burst mode, accessible
through the settings menu by
pressing the SET button
:
VGA and Full. VGA,
given
its lower resolution, is processed
faster, which allows for much faster
successive picture capture and
therefore preferable for shooting
fast moving objects.

Note that it is important to hold the

camera still while shooting at slow
shutter speeds. Failure to do so
may result in blurred pictures.
Apple EarPods can be used as a
remote trigger by pressing the
volume up button. Also a timer can
be set, accessed through the
settings menu by pressing the SET
button
.

Anti-Shake
This mode will only allow the
picture to be taken when the device
is not shaking, insuring that photos
are not blurred. The Anti-Shake
mode is especially useful when on
a moving platform and the stability
of the device is out of the users
control. The sensitivity of the AntiShake mode can be adjusted to the
users preference from the settings
menu. To access Anti-Shake
Sensitivity, tap the SET button
at the top of the right toolbar,
then tap the SET tab at the top of
the pop-up view, scroll down to
Sensitivity and select the desired
option (Low, Medium or High).
Return to the main screen by
pressing the SET button again. Tap
the shutter button within the mode
User Guide

Self Timer
This mode counts down before
taking a picture allowing the user to
place the camera down and be in
the photo, whether a self portrait or
group shot. Countdown duration
can be set between 1-60 seconds
by accessing the SET tab through
the settings menu by pressing the

ProCam XL
SET button
toolbar.

on the right

Note that while the device is in

Sound Snap mode the device is
prevented from going to sleep.

Interval

Time Lapse

The interval mode takes pictures in

succession until stopped by the
user, as with the Burst mode, but at
user defined intervals as in the Self
Timer mode. This mode is useful
for documenting an event without
manning the camera. The interval
duration can be set between 1-60
seconds. To specify the interval
duration, access the SET tab
through the settings menu by
pressing the SET button
on
the right toolbar.

The Time Lapse mode is accessed

through the Interval mode on the
mode dial and then by sliding the
switch on the bottom of the screen
to the video icon
.
In time lapse photography, the
frequency at which film frames are
captured is significantly lower than
that used to view the sequence.
When the frames are merged into a
video and watched at normal
speed, time appears to be moving
much faster. For example, a scene
can be captured once every
second, then played back at 20
frames per second (FPS). The
result is a 20x speed increase. The
effect is similar to fast forwarding a
video. Popular examples of time
lapse photography include
documenting flowers blooming,
sunrise and set, clouds moving
across the sky, etc., all condensed
from taking place over several
hours into a couple of minutes of
video footage.

Note that during interval shooting

the device is prevented from going
to sleep.

Sound Snap
This mode allows the user to trigger
the shutter from a distance through
high pitch sounds like a clap or a
whistle. Sound snap is designed to
detect high pitch sounds over load
background noise. While similar to
self timer, Sound Snap gives the
user more control over the exact
timing of the shutter release and
can be repeated without the need
to go back the camera. Once the
sound is detected, a 3 second timer
starts, allowing the user time to
pose for the camera.

User Guide

To set up the parameters of your

time lapse sequence go to the SET
tab through the settings menu
accessed by pressing the SET
button
on the right toolbar, and
scroll
down to Time Lapse

ProCam XL
Interval. This allows the user to set
the interval duration time between
image capture from 2-300 seconds.
Should the user need to delay the
start of the time lapse sequence,
this can also be done here in the
SET tab through the Time Lapse
Start Delay option from 1-60
seconds. Then set time lapse FPS.
ProCam XL allows for a user
defined FPS from 1-30fps, which
when set will reflect in the fourth
slot of the lower D-Pad on the left
toolbar. Otherwise ProCam XL
offers four preset frame rate
options, 30fps, 24fps, 15fps and
5fps, which can be selected from
the lower D-Pad on the left toolbar.
ProCam XL also allows users to set
the time lapse capture quality from
Full HD (on supported devices) all
the way down to 480x360. The
resolution of the time lapse video
can be set through the options
menu, by pressing the MENU
button
. FPS and resolution
will
be reflected in the
status bar at the top of the screen.

disk space drops below 300MB, the

recording is automatically stopped
and processed.
Tip: to avoid any interruptions
during video capture, Airplane
Mode can be turned ON in your
devices Settings.

Big Button
When in this mode, the user can
tap anywhere on the screen to take
a picture. This mode is ideal when
the user is holding the device in a
position that makes it hard to press
the shutter button, for example,
when taking a self portrait.

Face Detection
In this mode the camera detects
faces and focuses on them.
ProCam XL also provides Auto
Face Snap, which can be turned on
in the SET tab from the settings
menu
. When this option is
selected, the camera
takes photos automatically every
time a face is detected.

To conserve battery, the time lapse

screen brightness option allows the
user to reduce screen brightness
during the sequence capture, also
accessed through the SET button

Video
This is the video shooting mode. To
start video recording, press the half
circular grey shutter button within
the mode dial and press again to
end recording. A video session can
be paused by pressing the pause
button
that appears next to

.
Note that during Time Lapse
shooting the device is prevented
from going to sleep. Additionally, if
battery power drops below 5% or
User Guide

ProCam XL
the lower half of the right toolbar as
soon as recording starts. When
pressed, the pause button turns
into a play button
, allowing
the user to resume
recording, picking up from where
they left off.

The video mode has an additional

status bar located at the bottom of
the screen which shows the exact
amount of disk space available on
the device, indicates whether the
device is recording or paused and
the time that has lapsed since the
start of video recording. Should
video recording be interrupted (i.e.
an incoming calling), recording is
automatically paused and can be
resumed or processed when the
app is relaunched.

ProCam XL allows for a user

defined FPS from 1-30fps, which
can be set in the SET tab through
the settings menu accessed by
pressing the SET button
on
the right toolbar, and
scrolling down to User Defined
Video FPS. When set, the user
defined FPS will reflect in the fourth
slot of the lower D-Pad on the left
toolbar. Otherwise ProCam XL
offers four preset frame rate
options, 30fps, 24fps, 15fps and
5fps, which can be selected from
the lower D-Pad on the left toolbar.
ProCam XL also allows users to set
the desired video resolution from
Full HD (on supported devices) all
the way down to 480x360. Video
resolution can be set through the
options menu, by pressing the
MENU button
. FPS and
resolution will
be
reflected in the status bar at the top
of the screen.

Note that during video shooting the

device is prevented from going to
sleep. Additionally, if battery power
drops below 5% or disk space
drops below 300MB, the recording
is automatically stopped and
processed.
Tip: choosing VGA resolution or
lower (480x360) triggers pixel
binding, which improves low light
performance by up to 4x.
Tip: to avoid any interruptions
during video capture, Airplane
Mode can be turned ON in your
devices Settings.

Front and Back

Camera Support

Still photos can be taken while

recording a video by pressing the
camera button
which
appears next to
the upper half
of the right toolbar when recording
starts.

User Guide

ProCam XL allows for the use of

the iOS devices front and back
cameras. To switch between the
two cameras, tap the upper most
button with the two semi-circular

ProCam XL
arrows
toolbar.

at the top of the left

Golden Ratio
Three grids in the options menu
facilitate the use of the
Golden Ratio. The Golden
Ratio is derived from Fibonaccis
Golden Mean, Phi or Divine
Proportion. Fibonacci discovered
an absolute ratio repeatedly found
in nature (1:1.618) that is pleasing
to the human eye where it is
subconsciously drawn to certain
focal points and spacing
proportions. In photography the
Golden Ratio makes use of this
tendency of the human eye to
naturally be drawn to the focal
points indicated by the ratio to
produce better composed pictures.

Zoom
ProCam XL provides 6x digital
zoom for both still picture capture
and video recording. Simply rotate
the silver zoom knob attached to
the mode dial clockwise to zoom in
and counter-clockwise to zoom out.
For video capture, we have opted
for a method that produces the best
video zoom quality but requires
significant post processing time if
the highest video resolution is
selected. Choosing a lower
resolution and/or frame rate
reduces the processing time
requirement.

Rule of Thirds
: This grid
breaks the view
into nine
equal squares. The four points at
which these lines intersect are the
strongest focal points. To
emphasize certain portions of your
subject matter place them at these
intersections. Horizontal gridlines
are especially useful for aligning
horizons or for placing a persons
eyes in a portrait or heads in a
group shoot, while vertical gridlines
are useful for placing vertical
objects, i.e. trees, buildings, etc., or
a person within the picture frame.

Options Menu
The options menu can be accessed
by pressing the MENU
button
in the middle of the left
toolbar.

Composition Alignment
Grids
Visual references that allow the
user to better gauge the relative
position of different elements within
a photo frame are useful in the
construction of an optimal picture.

User Guide

Trisec
: This grid is better
suited to
photo
compositions with diagonal lines.
There are three triangles with
different shapes. Place three

ProCam XL
subjects of fairly equal size in these
triangles and take the photo for
optimal composition.

in still and video accessed

through the options menu
.
For still images the user has
the option to select image capture
resolution from Full to Low exact
megapixels vary between devices.
Picking a lower resolution is useful
for internet sharing, particularly
over cellular as it reduces the
image size reducing upload time. In
video mode the user can set video
resolution from full HD 1080p (on
supported devices) all the way
down to 480x360. Again lower
resolution is ideal for internet
sharing, such as uploading to
YouTube, etc. Please note that HD
720p is the highest resolution
possible for the front camera (on
supported devices). Photo or video
resolution are reflected in the status
bar at the top of the screen.

Golden Spiral
: This tool
is helpful when
the user
wants to lead the eye to one point
of interest in the composition, which
should be placed in the inner most
portion of the spiral.
All three grids can be removed from
the viewfinder by re-tapping them.
One tip that follows from the
Golden Ratio is to NOT place the
main areas of interest of the picture
in the center of the photo, rather off
center, which these grids will help
the user to achieve but can also be
implemented when a photo is taken
free style.
Horizon
The horizon
is very much like
the bubble
leveler found on
tripods and is most suited for use
when taking pictures of more
panoramic subjects (landscapes) or
symmetrical shots. When the
yellow triangle is pointing to zero
degrees, at which point the two
yellow lines are level at the 90
degree angles, the horizon is flat. It
can also be used to align the
viewfinder with an incline.

Aspect Ratio
ProCam XL provides the user with
four aspect ratio options:
4:3: this is the default iPhone
photo aspect ratio;
3:2: this is the most common
photo aspect ratio supported by
most professional cameras;
16:9: this is a wide aspect ratio
supported by HD TVs and is ideal
for projecting images on a big
screen TV or computer as it utilizes
the entire screen real estate;
1:1: this ratio results in square
images, perfect for Instagram
sharing.

Resolution
ProCam XL allows the user to
choose from four image resolutions
User Guide

ProCam XL

White Balance, Focus

and Exposure

independently of the focus, tap the

screen with two fingers. This
separates focus and exposure, and
a separate exposure target
will appear on the viewfinder.
Both can then be dragged around
the screen to any point of interest
to achieve the best shot
composition. This is especially
useful in photos where different
light intensities are very prominent.
For example, under an umbrella on
the beach or where there is a
strong light source in a part of the
picture creating shadows
elsewhere. Placing the exposure
target on the very bright backlight
will reduce the intensity or
brightness of that light and bring
out the image details in the darker
portion of the image. Once the
perfect composition is achieved the
user can take the picture or can
lock focus , exposure and WB by
pressing the
buttons
on
the upper D-Pad on the left toolbar.
To return to Auto mode, simply
double tap the screen at any time.

White balance (WB) is the process

by which unrealistic color casts are
adjusted for in a photo. While
colors may seem normal to the
human eye, varying lighting
conditions will result in photos with
non-white hues as the camera is
not able to adjust to different color
temperatures the way the human
eye can. For example, a florescent
light environment (cold) will result in
photos with blue hues while indoor
house bulbs (warm) can give a
yellow glow to photos when auto
white balance (AWB) is disabled.
ProCam XL is set at AWB by
default, which adjusts for such
lighting conditions. WB can be
locked by pressing the WB lock
button
should the user find
the
desirable WB and no
longer wants the camera to
continue to auto adjust. The WB
lock button can be found on the
upper D-Pad on the left
toolbar. Auto mode can also be
re-activated by double tapping the
screen.

Note that tap focus and exposure

point of interest and WB, focus, and
exposure lock, are not available on
some devices and when shooting
with the front camera which is
always on the default Auto setting.

In the default setting, ProCam XL is

on auto focus mode. To manually
select the focus area within a
photo, tap the camera view once.
This will focus on the point of
interest where the tap is detected
and a focus target
will appear
on the viewfinder.
To
manually control exposure
User Guide

ProCam XL

Manual Exposure, White

Balance and Saturation
control

White balance

Note that this feature is only

supported on iPad mini, iPad 3G,
and iPad 4G and not supported in
video, time lapse, and burst modes.
Exposure compensation
:

Manual white balance (WB)

controls allow the user to adjust the
color cast in realtime so that whites
actually look white regardless of the
ambient light. Color temperature is
measured in Kelvin and the manual
WB scale has a range between
3,500K and 9,500K. The lower end
of the range corrects for yellowish
casts, for example from a light
source like a candle. The top end of
the range adjusts for bluish color
casts usually produced by shaded
areas. The different settings in
ascending order are: candle,
tungsten, fluorescent, daylight,
flash, cloudy or hazy, and shaded
areas.

While the iPhones camera is

equipped with an automatic
metering system, it does not always
produce the desired results. All the
metering does is measure the
amount of light passing through the
lens and tries to compensate for
over or under exposure.
The exposure compensation tool
allows the user to manually adjust
exposure between -2 and +2 in
realtime. The number indicates the
amount of compensation in stops.
Sliding the slider to the right (+)
increases exposure and to the left
(-) reduces it.

The WB value can be reset to the

default daylight setting by pressing
the WB reset button
.
Saturation adjustment

The exposure value can be reset

back to 1 by pressing the exposure
reset button
.

User Guide

Manual saturation controls allow

the user to adjust the color
saturation of a scene between
0 and 1 in realtime. The lower end
of the scale removes all color and
produces a grayscale image, while
the top end of the scale

10

ProCam XL
accentuates the separation
between colors without impacting
contrast.

sensation of realism. 30fps is the

standard for home videos. A user
defined frame rate between 1-30fps
can also be set in the settings
menu through the SET button
.
The user defined frame is
reflected in the fourth slot of the
lower D-Pad on the left toolbar.

The saturation value can be reset

back to the default by pressing the
saturation reset button
.
The manual adjustment tools are
accessed by pressing the
button to the right of the left
toolbar. Live preview of manual
camera adjustments are graphics
intensive requiring the utilization of
the GPU. High GPU clock speeds
result in above average power
consumption. Live preview can be
turned off by pressing the screen
off
button. Live preview can
be
turned back on at anytime
by pressing the screen on
button
. Live preview state
(on/off)
is persistent. It is
maintained the next time the app is
launched.

Time Lapse FPS

ProCam XL allows for a user
defined FPS from 1-30fps, which
when set will reflect in the fourth
slot of the lower D-Pad on the left
toolbar. Otherwise ProCam XL
offers four preset frame rate
options, 30fps, 24fps, 15fps and
5fps, which can be selected from
the lower D-Pad on the left toolbar.

Time Lapse Video

Resolution
ProCam XL allows users to set the
time lapse capture quality from Full
HD (on supported devices) all the
way down to 480x360. The
resolution of the time lapse video
can be set through the options
menu, by pressing the MENU
button
. FPS and resolution
will be
reflected in the status
bar at the top of the screen.

Video FPS
In video mode the frame rate can
be adjusted to the users
preference. ProCam XL offers four
preset frame rates: 30fps, 24fps,
15fps, and 5fps. The lower the
frame rate the less smooth the
video footage. Lower frame rates
however, are ideal for capturing
relatively static objects. Another
advantage of shooting in lower
frame rates is lower disk space
requirements. 24fps is typically
used in movies as it reduces the
User Guide

11

ProCam XL

Status Bar

Date format: users can set

their preferred date
format: mm/dd or dd/mm.

A status bar is located at the top of

the screen in all modes indicating
shooting mode, frame rate,
resolution, camera Auto/EXP
settings, a disk space indicator
and battery status
indicator.

Time stamp: can be

switch ON/OFF from here.
The time will be printed on
pictures.
Time format: users can
set their preferred time
format: 24h or 12h.
Location stamp: can be
switch ON/OFF from here.
The gps location will be
printed on pictures.

Settings Menu
The settings menu can be
accessed by pressing the SET
button
on the right camera
toolbar,
presenting a pop-up
menu with four tabs, SET, STYLE,
INFO and LNG.

Copyright: allows the user

to tag his/her Copyright
information to the
pictures metadata (EXIF
data).

Photo Tab

Copyright stamp: can be

turned ON/OFF from here.
Similar to the date, time,
and location stamps, the
Copyright information will
be printed on pictures.

Volume snap: allows for

the use of the volume up
physical button to take
pictures.
Auto face snap:
automatically takes
pictures when a face is
detected in the Face
Detection mode.

Stamps font size: allows

the user to set the date,
time, location, and
Copyright stamps font
size. Large is selected by
default.

Geo-tagging: tags the

location the picture was
taken.

Stamps color: allows the

user to set the date, time,
location, and Copyright
stamps color. Yellow is
selected by default.

Date stamp: can be switch

ON/OFF from here. The
date will be printed on
pictures.
User Guide

12

ProCam XL
Zoom: hides/unhides the
zoom knob.

Night mode timer: allows

the user to set the timer
duration between 1-60
seconds. The timer can
be used to avoid camera
shake during long
exposure times.

Status bar: hides/unhides

the status bar.
Time-out: when turned off
the phone does not go to
sleep.

Sound snap timer: allows

the user to set the timer
duration between 1-60
seconds.

Sounds: turn ON/OFF app

sounds.
JPEG quality: allows the
user to set the image
compression quality. In
default it is set at 100%,
which means zero
compression, resulting in
the highest photo quality
but also increases the
disk size of photos.

Quick launch notification:

when turned ON, ProCam
XL sends a notification
when the app is closed or
goes into the background,
allowing quick access
from either the notification
center or the lock screen.

Sensitivity: allows the user

to adjust the Anti-Shake
and Video stabilization
sensitivity.

Quick launch delay:

allows the user to specify
the desired delay after
which the notification is
sent based on usage
habits.

Burst quality: allows the

user to choose the quality
of photos in burst mode.
Choosing full quality
resolution results in
slower image capture and
vice versa.

Video Tab
Video date stamp: can be
switch ON/OFF from here.
The date will be printed on
videos.

Self-timer: allows the user

to set the self-time
duration between 1-60
seconds.

Date format: users can set

their preferred date
format: mm/dd or dd/mm.

Interval: allows the user to

set the interval duration
between 1-60 seconds
User Guide

Location stamp: can be

switch ON/OFF from here.

13

ProCam XL
The gps location will be
printed on videos.

function, which helps

minimize video shake.

Copyright: allows the user

to tag his/her Copyright
information to the video

User defined video FPS:

allows the user to set the
desired video frames per
second between 1-30fps
and is reflected in the
fourth slot of the lower
D-Pad on the left toolbar.

Copyright stamp: can be

turned ON/OFF from here.
Similar to the date and
location stamps, the
Copyright information will
be printed on videos.

Time lapse interval: allows

the user to set the time
lapse interval duration
between 2-300 seconds.

Stamps font size: allows

the user to set the date,
location, and Copyright
stamps font size. Large is
selected by default.

Time lapse start delay:

allows the user to set a
delay before time lapse
frames are captured
between 0-60 seconds.

Stamps color: allows the

user to set the date,
location, and Copyright
stamps color. Yellow is
selected by default.

User defined time lapse

FPS: allows the user to
set the desired video
frames per second
between 1-30fps and is
reflected in the fourth slot
of the lower D-Pad on the
left toolbar.

Audio meter: allows the

user to turn ON/OFF the
audio meter, which
provides real time audio
level feedback during
video capture.

Time lapse screen

brightness: allows the
user to lower the screen
brightness during time
lapse capture to conserve
battery power.

Audio meter level: allows

the user to change the
audio meter signal level
between Avg. and Peak.
Avg. is selected by
default.

Add time lapse

soundtrack: allows the
user to select a music
track from his/her iTunes
library and embed it in the
time lapse video.

Video stabilization: allows

the user to turn ON/OFF
the video stabilization

User Guide

14

ProCam XL

LNG Tab

Time lapse soundtrack:

allows the user to turn
ON/OFF the embedding
of music tracks in time
lapse videos.

STYLE Tab

ProCam XL supports 10 languages

which can be accessed through this
tab: English, French, German,
Italian, Spanish, Portuguese,
Chinese, Japanese, Korean and
Arabic.

There are two free UI color themes

from which to choose: black and
silver.

Photo Album

INFO Tab

To access the photo album, tap the

photo thumbnail at the bottom of
the right toolbar. To return to the
camera view, tap the camera button
on the right side of the
---------navigation bar. To view a
photo, simply select one from the
thumbnail view. This brings up a
fullscreen view of the picture. This
view supports pinch zoom as well
as auto orientation rotation. Swipe
to move between photos.

Comments and
suggestions: allows the
user to directly email with
any issues or
suggestions.
Rate in App Store: allows
the user to access the
App Store to rate ProCam
XL.
Tell a friend: allows user
to email friends to suggest
ProCam XL.

Email,

Our other Apps: allows the

user to access our other
apps on the App Store.
We have several other
apps available, such as
PhotoStation, a very
powerful photo editing app
for iPhone and ProCam,
which is the iPhone
version of ProCam XL.

User Guide

Twitter,

Facebook, and
Instagram
sharing are
accessible
from the bottom toolbar. Photos can
also be assigned to a contact,
printed, or copied to clipboard by
pressing the activity button
.
Note that photos cannot be deleted
in-app as they are only saved on
the devices camera roll. We chose
this methodology to consolidate all
photos in one location, avoiding the
accidental deletion of pictures.

15

ProCam XL
While it is possible to save photos
in-app and on the devices camera
roll simultaneously, we decided
against it as it is inefficient in terms
of disk space utilization.
Also, iOS 6 requires that apps be
given access to the Camera Roll.
To grant ProCam XL access,
please go to your devices Settings
Privacy Photos turn
ProCam XL to ON. When turned
OFF photos will not save to the
Camera Roll, nor will they be
viewable from the apps photo
album. User will get error message:
Save to camera roll failed (-3311).
User denied access.

User Guide

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