Meet Lvma

The fun is in taking the picture, not fixing it later.

Lvma (pronounced “luma”) is an Android camera app built around choosing a film look before you shoot.

I built Lvma because I enjoy playing with the camera more than editing every picture afterwards.

Lvma is in open beta. It works today and I shoot with it regularly, but things are still moving.

Lvma is free and stays free. There are no ads, subscriptions, or features to unlock.

Lvma camera screen with Pastel 400 selected

How Lvma works

Choose your film look.

From quick settings to focus behavior, you can adapt the camera to the way you shoot.

Start with a preset or create your own

Choose one of the built-in looks or create one that fits your style. You can see the result in the viewfinder before taking the picture.

Built-in presets

  • Black & White
  • Sepia
  • Pastel 400
  • Vivid 50
  • Cine 800
  • Vivid 100
  • Faded Film
  • Film Noir
  • Golden Hour
  • Arctic
Lvma camera with a film-look preset selected.

Camera controls

Shoot one-handed in portrait or landscape, with controls arranged for either orientation.

Lvma camera controls arranged for portrait use.Lvma camera controls arranged for landscape use.

Quick settings

Adapt the Q menu to the way you shoot. Choose which controls appear and how compact the panel should be.

Lvma camera with a compact customized Q panel open below the viewfinder.Lvma quick-settings editor showing the controls in a compact Q-panel layout.

Adapt the shutter row

Put the options that matter most next to the shutter, then drag and drop them into place.

Lvma camera with Flash and Preset picker controls beside the shutter.Lvma capture-controls editor showing the controls on each side of the shutter.

Keep the useful details in view

Focus and exposure information are useful while shooting, but you should be able to decide what stays on screen.

Tap focus

Choose how you want tap focus to work: keep adjusting around the tapped point or lock focus for five seconds.

Lvma Tap focus settings showing Continuous focus and Focus lock.

Keep useful details in view

Choose whether to show exposure values, limits, the histogram, and preset information while framing the picture.

Lvma viewfinder showing exposure values, a luminance histogram, Pastel 400, and a 4:3 aspect ratio.Lvma Viewfinder info bar settings with capture details, exposure limits, histogram, and preset information enabled.

Make the camera feel like yours

The controls are not the only part you can change. Lvma also lets you choose how the app and camera look.

Themes and control styles

Choose the app and camera themes, accent color, control style, and which values appear on the controls.

Lvma camera using the Black theme, Gold accent, Border controls, and visible camera values.Lvma camera using the Light theme, Crimson accent, Hard-stop gradient controls, and visible camera values.Lvma Appearance settings showing the Light app and camera themes, Crimson color, Hard-stop gradient controls, and value labels.

About me

Why I built Lvma.

Frank, the developer of Lvma

I’m Frank, an Android developer from Munich. Photography is a hobby that goes wherever I go. Lvma is the camera app I always wished I had on my phone. The best camera is the one you have with you.

I test Lvma myself and ask friends for honest feedback. I have rebuilt the camera UI several times, tried each version while taking photos, and kept the parts that felt right. That process is how Lvma got to its current design.

Shot with Lvma

Straight off my camera roll.

None of these were edited. I took them with Lvma’s built-in presets, just as they looked in the viewfinder.

Golden Hour preset film roll icon

Golden Hour in Berlin.

An evening walk through Berlin with the built-in Golden Hour preset: warm highlights, muted shadows, and a bit of glow — all in-camera.

Swipe sideways or use the buttons to see the photos.

Vivid 100 preset film roll icon

Vivid 100 at Lago di Garda.

Vacation light at Lago di Garda with the Vivid 100 preset: punchier color and a bright evening mood, straight out of the camera.

Swipe sideways or use the buttons to see all five photos.

FAQ

Questions I actually get asked.

What does open beta mean?

That I’m still building it. Lvma works today and I shoot with it daily, but things are still moving. If you join the beta you get new camera ideas early — and your feedback lands directly with the person writing the code.

Is Lvma free?

Yes, and it stays free. This is a passion project, not a sales funnel. There is nothing to unlock and nothing to subscribe to.

Is Lvma Android only?

Yes. I build for Android and publish through Google Play. There are no iOS plans right now.

Which Android version do I need?

Android 11 or newer. Camera hardware varies a lot between devices, so some features can still behave differently on yours.

Do my photos leave my device?

No. Photos are processed and stored only on your phone. There is no Lvma server for photos — I couldn’t look at them even if I wanted to.

Does Lvma use analytics or tracking?

There are no ads. The app includes minimal analytics and crash reporting through Measure, an open-source library — and it is off by default. Nothing is collected unless you switch it on in the settings to help me find bugs.

Can I make my own presets?

Yes. Take a built-in preset, tweak it until it feels like yours, and save it as a reusable look — the image already feels right before you press the shutter.

Does Lvma capture instantly?

On supported phones, Lvma uses the camera’s buffered capture path so the saved frame stays close to the moment you pressed the shutter. Flash and some manual controls may still require a fresh exposure.

Does Lvma shoot RAW?

Not yet. Lvma saves JPEG photos today; RAW/DNG capture is on my list.

Open beta

Give it a try.

Lvma is free, has no ads, and analytics stay off unless you opt in. If you try the beta and something feels off — or something feels great — I’d genuinely like to hear about it: [email protected].

QR code linking to Lvma on Google Play

Reading this on a desktop? Scan to open Google Play on your phone.