UI & Manual Controls
A comprehensive guide to the HeliosCam interface, manual camera adjustments, exposure tools, and desktop grading workflows.
Manual Camera Controls
ISO (Sensitivity)
Range: 50 – 3200
Controls sensor signal amplification. Adaptive gain automatically switches circuits for optimal noise performance. Lower ISO yields a cleaner image with higher dynamic range in the highlights.
Shutter Speed
Range: 1/8000s – 1s
Determines how long each frame is exposed. For natural motion blur, follow the 180° shutter rule:
Example at 24fps: 1/48s ≈ 1/50s
White Balance
Range: 2500K – 8000K
Adjusts the color temperature from tungsten (warm/indoor) to daylight (cool/outdoor). Can be locked manually to prevent shifts during recording.
Manual Focus
Range: 0.7m – Infinity
Offers precision focus pulling. Use touch-to-focus for quick acquisition, then manually override the focal distance.
Frame Rate
Range: 15 – 120 fps
Variable speed recording options. Shoot at 24fps for standard cinematic motion, or crank it up to 120fps for buttery smooth slow-motion playback.
Video Scopes
Professional visual tools to evaluate exposure, contrast, and color balance accurately without relying solely on monitor calibration.
Histogram
RGB frequency distribution graph. Maps pixel brightness from 0 (black, left) to 255 (white, right). Left-heavy indicates underexposure, right-heavy is overexposed. An even spread suggests balanced exposure.
Waveform Monitor
Luminance waveform mapping brightness on a 0-100 IRE scale. Corresponds horizontally to the image. Bottom = shadows, Top = highlights. Ideal for matching exposure across different shots.
Zebra Stripes
Visual warning overlay that paints diagonal lines over areas of the image exceeding a set brightness threshold (typically 70–100 IRE). Prevents clipped highlights on critical areas like faces or skies.
False Color
Heat-map style exposure visualization. Purple/Blue = underexposed, Green = middle gray (18%), Yellow = ideal skin tones, Red = clipped overexposure. The most intuitive way to nail precise exposure.
Focus & Exposure Aids
Focus Peaking
Highlights in-focus, high-contrast edges with a bright colored outline (Red, Blue, or Green) so you can quickly confirm sharp focus.
Touch-to-Focus
Tap anywhere on the screen to set the autofocus point. The lens will snap to the subject, after which you can switch back to manual hold to prevent hunting.
Auto Exposure (AE) Lock
Lock the current auto-exposure reading to prevent unwanted brightness shifts during panning, then fine-tune manually from that established baseline.
Aspect Ratio Guides
Preview different cinematic framing options with overlaid guides: 16:9, 4:3, 21:9, and 2.39:1.
Recording Modes
RAW Video (.helios)
- Full sensor readout, no internal debayering.
- 8-bit YUV: High quality, manageable file sizes for quick turnaround.
- 10-bit YUV: Extended dynamic range, massive grading latitude for professional post.
- Up to 500 Mbps high-efficiency bitrate.
Standard Video
- H.264 / H.265 (HEVC) compression.
- Pre-baked film looks applied directly to the file.
- Ideal for immediate social sharing or rapid delivery.
- Lower processing overhead.
8-bit vs 10-bit RAW Comparison
| Specification | 8-bit YUV | 10-bit YUV |
|---|---|---|
| Color Depth | 16.7 Million Colors | 1.07 Billion Colors |
| Dynamic Range Latitude | Standard (Prone to banding in skies) | Extended (Smooth gradients, shadow recovery) |
| File Size (Relative) | Base (1x) | Large (~1.3x) |
| Ideal Use Case | Web, Social Media, Fast Delivery | HDR, VFX, Heavy Color Grading, Cinema |
Helios Desktop Studio
The dedicated companion application for Mac and Windows, designed exclusively to unpack, grade, and transcode .helios RAW files.
Input Color Space Flexibility
Helios Desktop Studio allows you to debayer RAW files into various industry-standard LOG profiles: ARRI LogC3/4, Sony S-Log2/3, Blackmagic Film, RED Log3G10, Canon C-Log/3, V-Log, F-Log, D-Log, and standard Rec.709.
Primary Grading Controls
| Control | Range | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Exposure | -3 to +3 EV | Global brightness adjustment modeled on physical f-stops. |
| Contrast | -100 to +100 | Adjusts the tonal distance between the darkest and lightest areas. |
| Saturation | 0 to 200 | Global color intensity scale. |
| Vibrance | -100 to +100 | Smart saturation that protects skin tones and prevents clipping. |
| Shadows | -100 to +100 | Lifts or crushes the darker regions of the image. |
| Highlights | -100 to +100 | Recovers or blows out the brightest regions of the image. |
| Blacks | -100 to +100 | Sets the absolute black point (floor). |
| Whites | -100 to +100 | Sets the absolute white point (ceiling). |
| Temperature | 2000K to 10000K | Warm (amber) vs Cool (blue) axis adjustment. |
| Tint | -150 to +150 | Green vs Magenta axis adjustment. |
Creative Tooling
- 3D LUT Support: Import standard .cube LUTs for instant look development.
- Film Grain: Procedural grain overlay mapped to image luminance for an authentic organic texture.
Export & Delivery
H.264, H.265, Apple ProRes (LT, 422, HQ, 4444), Avid DNxHR
Rec.709, Rec.2020, DCI-P3, sRGB, Adobe RGB
PNG, TIFF, EXR (Linear), DPX