# Cine Meter

> Video production tool with light meter, waveform, and false-color analysis. (iPhone/iPad app by Adam Wilt.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cine-meter/id590364679 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Adam Wilt](https://appshunter.io/developer/590364682)
- Category: Photo & Video, Utilities
- Price: Free (on sale, was $0.99)
- Rating: 3.30/5 from 3 App Store ratings · 25 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 5.1.1 · 3 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2013-01-18
- Data updated: 2026-08-26
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cine-meter/id590364679/reviews.md

## What is Cine Meter?

SEE the light: Cine Meter gives you an RGB waveform monitor and a false-color picture in addition to a cine-style, shutter-priority reflected light meter, using the camera in your iPhone / iPod / iPad. 

• The light meter shows you your stop as a decimal value (such as f/5.0, good for cameras with EVF iris readouts) or as  a full stop and fraction (like f/4.0 ⅔, good for cine lenses with marked iris rings). You can calibrate Cine Meter to match other meters to a tenth of a stop.

• The waveform monitor shows you how light levels vary across a scene. You'll see how smooth and even the lighting is on a greenscreen or background, and find subtle hotspots and shadows at a glance. The waveform’s RGB mode shows you color imbalances in the image and gives you a handy way to check color purity and separation for chroma-keying.

• The false-color mode lets you define allowable contrast ranges, and see instantly which shadows are underexposed and what highlights risk clipping.
_______________________

READ BEFORE YOU BUY:

Cine Meter is NOT a color-temperature meter; it can't measure white balance.

It's NOT a flash meter; it can't measure strobes. 

It's designed solely for cine/video work and isn't optimized for still photography; for example, it's shutter-priority only. 

Cine Meter gives you *absolute* light meter readings, but *relative* picture and waveform monitor levels:

1) Cine Meter’s picture and waveform monitor do not use the *exact* exposure shown by the light meter (they are close to the meter reading, but can differ from it slightly). The picture and waveform monitor show you *relative* levels within a scene, not *absolute* levels based on the meter reading.

2) You can't *preset* exposure or color temperature in Cine Meter. To compare exposures and colors, you lock Cine Meter’s auto-exposure and auto-white-balance settings while looking at a known good reference, such as a gray card. The picture and waveform monitor then show you levels and colors relative to your locked settings.

See http://www.adamwilt.com/cinemeter/details.html#How_It_Works for details.

(Why am I telling you this? I would rather have you understand these limitations up-front and not buy Cine Meter, than have you buy Cine Meter unaware of them and be disappointed.)

## Key features

- RGB waveform monitor
- False-color display
- Cine-style reflected light meter
- Shutter-priority metering
- Adjustable light meter calibration
- Contrast range analysis

## Recent user reviews (10 of 25)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cine-meter/id590364679/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Stopped working.

*2021-01-04*

This was a great, useful app that I actually found accurate and comprehensive enough for serious work. Loved it and used it often. But now when I try to open it on my iPhone XR, it crashes immediately. No error message, no explanation. Just shuts down. Disappointed to say the least!

**Developer response:** A fresh download is working fine here on an XS Max running iOS 14.3. Did you try any of the troubleshooting steps at https://www.adamwilt.com/cinemeter/support.html, like resetting your phone, or deleting and reinstalling the app? Did you try contacting the developer for help? There is nothing in the code that should make it just stop working, so it's likely something went wrong with your installed copy — even if it was working before. Things DO fail of their own accord once in a while, and if resetting your phone doesn't fix it, reinstalling the app should.

### 4/5 — Deserve 5* but....

*2020-12-14*

Why create a new app and not upgrade the one I’ve PAID!!!
Update: the developer returned a fair answer. Thanks. The new app should deserve 5*
Not this one.

**Developer response:** Because the new app required substantial time and money to create, and while you might want to get it for free, I couldn't afford to do that. I could have made the new features an in-app paid upgrade, but that adds complication and annoys users. Instead, I made a Cine Meter Upgrade Bundle, so that you can get Cine Meter II for $4 off if you want the new stuff. And if the new stuff is too expensive for you, Cine Meter continues to work as it always has, and there are no in-app sales pitches to annoy you while you use it.

### 5/5 — A must have for indie work

*2017-03-23*

Why is this app essential? Because at some point in your progress as a cinematographer you reach the stage of giving your footage a filmic look through controlling lighting. It's all about key to fill and key to background lighting ratios. It's about knowing how to expose properly for skin. It requires looking at dynamic range.

This app helps in so very many ways. I don't turn on a camera until I've spent at least 15 min walking around the setup.

Top notch job in this app!

### 3/5 — Needs aperture control.

*2016-07-21*

The app works fine for me as a photographer, but because some of the lenses I use are antique lenses and don't offer a great number of aperture values, I'd like to be able to set my aperture value on the app so that the calculated value would be the shutter speed, but please keep all values changeable and not just select which value (shutter/aperture) can/can't be set

### 5/5 — Amazing!

*2016-01-31*

This app is quite frankly astonishing. I'm using it on a first gen ipad mini and suddenly I have a waveform monitor to check my greenscreen color separation and false color banding to check for even lighting. That would be worth the money even without the light meter! Thank you Adam Wilt. I owe you a beer. Not sure why there aren't more reviews here.

### 2/5 — Cine Meter II

*2015-01-04*

I love how the dev of this app just stopped working on this and put out cine meter II instead of an upgrade to this app.  Sheer greed.  I won't be buying ANYTHING from this slimeball ever again.

Edit: added a star because at least he is still updating this V1 app.

### 5/5 — Critical Bug Fixed!

*2014-11-11*

Back to the awesome 5 star app again! This is the light meter app you want if not using an incident meter.

### 3/5 — Still can't lock WB or exp

*2014-11-08*

Intriguing app, but can't lock white balance or exposure (iPhone 6, iOS 8.1) despite update that was intended to fix that bug.

### 1/5 — When it's fixed, it will be useful.

*2014-10-29*

Neither the exposure lock nor the white balance lock actually do anything. Also, sliding the ISO value or the shutter speed slider do anything to affect the live view as it seems they should.

At least the spot meter works, but I'm certainly not upgrading for $16.99 more if these basics fail to work. So far, I've only wasted $4.99.

iPhone 5, iOS 8.1

### 5/5 — You Need This APP!!

*2014-03-04*

Absolutely incredible! Wilt has done an exceptional job in the creation of this app.  For the most part - it is ‘spot’ on! Having a waveform monitor in your pocket, well… that’s like too cool! Next time you are out in the field with your engineer, pull this out and watch them whimper wishing they had one.  Then - tell them the price and you’ll be their hero!

## Frequently asked questions about Cine Meter

### What kind of light meter readings does Cine Meter provide?

Cine Meter provides absolute light meter readings. It can display your stop as a decimal value (e.g., f/5.0) or as a full stop and fraction (e.g., f/4.0 ⅔). You can also calibrate Cine Meter to match other meters to a tenth of a stop.

### How does the waveform monitor in Cine Meter work?

The waveform monitor shows how light levels vary across a scene, helping you assess the smoothness and evenness of lighting. Its RGB mode specifically highlights color imbalances, useful for checking color purity and separation for chroma-keying.

### Can Cine Meter measure white balance or flash?

No, Cine Meter is not a color-temperature meter and cannot measure white balance. It is also not a flash meter and cannot measure strobes. Its design is focused solely on cine/video work.

### Is Cine Meter suitable for still photography?

Cine Meter is primarily designed for cine/video work and is not optimized for still photography. For instance, it operates in shutter-priority mode only, which may not be ideal for all still photography scenarios.

### What is the difference between the light meter and the picture/waveform monitor in Cine Meter?

The light meter provides absolute readings, while the picture and waveform monitor show relative levels within a scene. These monitors are close to the meter reading but can differ slightly, displaying relative levels based on locked auto-exposure and auto-white-balance settings.

### What devices is Cine Meter compatible with?

Cine Meter is compatible with iPhone and iPod devices. It is rated for ages 4 and up.

### How often is Cine Meter updated?

The latest version of Cine Meter is 1.10, which was last updated on April 28, 2018. This indicates infrequent updates.

### What is the user rating for Cine Meter?

Cine Meter has a rating of 3.3 stars from 3 ratings. This suggests a mixed user reception.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.10 — 2018-04-28

This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.

• Improved error handling when no mail account is found for sending feedback.

### 1.9 — 2017-03-30

• Added URL scheme "cinemeter" so you can open Cine Meter from other apps, like Workflow or Launch Center Pro.

### 1.8 — 2017-01-25

• ISOs as low as ISO 6 for really, really slow film.
• Dedicated Low Power Mode to increase battery life.
• Cine Meter automatically switches to low power mode when running on an iOS 9+ iPhone in Low Power Mode.
• Reduced power consumption overall.

### 1.7 — 2016-03-04

• Tap & Hold picture 1 second for screenshot
• Computed Brightness automatically used when needed with iOS 8.4–9.1
• Better controls for ISO and Shutter
• Show Debug Window moved into Settings (was Tap & Hold picture for 2 seconds)
• Settings menu formatting cleaned up
• Help navigation improved

### 1.6 — 2015-09-24

“Use Computed Brightness” setting added for proper exposure readings on iOS 9. See http://www.adamwilt.com/cinemeterii/computedbrightness.html for details

## Apps similar to Cine Meter

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Cine Meter II](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cine-meter-ii/id846918884) | 4.5 (25) | $24.99 | Photo & Video |
| [Light Meter by WBPhoto](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/light-meter-by-wbphoto/id1524189195) | 4.4 (41) | $6.99 | Photo & Video |
| [LensKit: Lens Tools](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lenskit-lens-tools/id1523521746) | 4.9 (54) | Free | Photo & Video |
| [CameraKit: Camera Tools](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/camerakit-camera-tools/id890528993) | 4.7 (319) | Free | Photo & Video |
| [Green Screener](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/green-screener/id604935529) | 3.7 (21) | $9.99 | Photo & Video |
| [Freefly Ember](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freefly-ember/id1610210889) | 5.0 (6) | Free | Photo & Video |

## More apps by Adam Wilt

- [Cine Meter II](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cine-meter-ii/id846918884)
- [FieldMonitor](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fieldmonitor/id1101913786)
- [FieldMonitorT](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fieldmonitort/id6475203550)
- [CameraTestSlate](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cameratestslate/id6504781682)

All apps by Adam Wilt: https://appshunter.io/developer/590364682

## Related topics

[video meter](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/video-meter)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-26.*