First Things First:
At present, all iDevices running current iOS 9, 10, and 11 versions work properly with “Use Computed Brightness” off.
Lumu Power cannot be used with Cine Meter II. Only Lumu’s own Light Meter app can talk to Lumu Power.
Running iOS 8.4, 9.0 or 9.1? Update to the current iOS version! iOS versions 8.4, 9.0, and 9.1 break the brightness metadata reported by some iDevice cameras, resulting in incorrect exposure readings. Cine Meter II 1.9 and newer versions have a workaround (“Use Computed Brightness”) which you should turn off after updating either iOS or Cine Meter to current versions. More details here. At present, all iDevices running current iOS 9 and iOS 10 versions work properly with “Use Computed Brightness” off.
Can’t find Cine Meter II on the App Store? If you’re on an iPad running iOS 6 or newer, the App Store app defaults to showing only iPad apps. Select “iPhone Apps” at the top of the screen, and Cine Meter II should appear.
Is Cine Meter II not installing / not starting / crashing on your iDevice?
- Try a reset: hold down the power and home buttons until the screen goes dark, and keep holding them down until the Apple logo appears (about 10 seconds overall). After your iDevice comes back up, try Cine Meter II again.
- Try deleting and reinstalling Cine Meter II.
- In some cases, you may need to restore your iDevice's firmware or iOS version. It’s rare, but sometimes an iOS update will cause problems with camera applications on a small number of iDevices. Restoring the device essentially "wipes it clean" and reinstalls iOS, fixing the problem. Only do this as a last resort, and make sure you have done a full backup beforehand.
No picture? No waveform? Readings don't change? Starting with iOS 8, apps need permission to use the cameras, and sometimes iOS doesn't ask you. Exit Cine Meter II and open the Settings app. Navigate to Privacy > Camera, and make sure Cine Meter II is given permission.
Lumu not working?
- Only Lumu Lite (headphone jack model) is supported, not Lumu Power (Lightning port version). Lumu has not published the interface for third-party applications to communicate with Lumu Power, so Cine Meter II can’t talk to it.
- Lumu needs permission to use your iDevice's microphone. Exit Cine Meter II and open the Settings app. Navigate to Privacy > Microphone, and make sure Cine Meter II is given permission.
iPhone 4S or iPad 3 or earlier, with iOS 8: back camera's exposure readout is stuck at f/64+ or f/inf? Update to the latest version. When the camera metadata reports "infinite" brightness, as iPhone 4S on iOS 8 does, versions 1.3 and newer compute the scene brightness from the camera's exposure settings combined with the resulting picture levels. (When doing so, "computed brightness" appears in the third readout box above the toolbars.)
Important info:
Cine Meter II gives you absolute light meter readings, but only relative picture and waveform monitor levels:
Cine Meter II’s picture and waveform meter don't use the exact exposure shown by the light meter: the camera’s exposure will usually be within a stop of the light meter's reading, but there is no direct comparison between the two, for reasons described here. You can use the light meter to get an absolute exposure reading, but the picture and waveform monitor only show you relative levels within a scene, not absolute levels based on the meter reading.
You can't preset an exposure in Cine Meter II. To compare exposure levels, you need to lock Cine Meter II’s auto-exposure setting while looking at a reference such as a gray card. The picture and waveform monitor only show you levels and colors relative to those locked settings, not to any pre-determined value.
Need more help?
- Controls shows you Cine Meter II's buttons, gestures, and settings, and explains how they work.
- How To... describes how to use Cine Meter II and shows some examples.
- FAQ lists some frequently asked questions and their answers.
- Details & Info talks about how Cine Meter II works and what its limitations are, gives tips and tricks for using it, and has some observations about iDevice cameras and how they make their pictures.
- Color Metering discusses how Cine Meter II measures color and compares it to other color meters.
If none of these solves your problem, please contact
me!
© 2015–2017 Adam J. Wilt. Last updated 2017.12.05