When Profoto introduced Bluetooth into their lights, I was curious to see how its products and technology would transform with time. Then, as the system fleshed out, I saw the list of advantages with their Profoto Control App for smartphones.
To have my light’s full menu available in my pocket was revolutionary. Imagine rigging a strobe high up — in a spot you couldn’t reach — only to realize you needed to change its groups or channels. The Profoto Control App provides all the same menu options right on your phone, so you can update it whenever and wherever. Profoto also has frequent firmware updates, so their lights continue to work seamless with camera brand’s TTL High Speed Sync.
All of this is great… but what about when you are on a large set with a full team of creatives and technicians? What about when you don’t want to take out your phone while your camera is already in hand? What if you are working in high volume conditions, with an assistant already tethered, and a desktop system blazing?
Thankfully, now we have the Profoto Control Desktop App. The app has all the same abilities as if you walked up to the light to change or adjust something — it’s the same interface!
Key Features of the Profoto Control Desktop App
- Can control up to six separate groups of lights
- Full control of each Profoto light’s output settings via your desktop, including group-centric controls, flash test buttons, and optional master controls
- Available as a full-screen app, or adjust the size to complement your tethering software
- Add custom text labels to each Air group when you use Connect remotes
- Select and switch easily between groups and use keyboard shortcuts to set flash power.
- Create customizable flash presets and save them for future projects.
- Add text notes and attach images to presets for further clarification.
Everything in One Place
The view of the Profoto Control app on your desktop is optimal. You can be fully tethered (let’s say, using CaptureOne) and then have an extended monitor displaying all your light controls in real time. In seconds you can adjust multiple lights by tenths of a stop. You can turn your modeling lights from full power to proportional. You can even adjust the color temperature of the constant light, right from your desktop.
With the Profoto Control Desktop App, you have access to your whole setup — including submenus for each light. If you need to manage high-volume ecommerce, this can save countless time and energy adjusting power on a micro level. As many photographers know, this can also save a lot of time in post-production.
A lighting technician can work the Profoto lights while you are actively shooting. Simply put, this is a modern step towards a faster, more efficient workflow for professionals. Whether you use Capture One Pro or Adobe Lightroom Classic, the app will neatly sit beside your tethering tool of choice on your computer screen.
Save Presets with Ease
The Profoto Control Desktop App also lets you save presets. You can shoot your photos and apply different looks quickly, cycling through ratios using the power settings you have saved. This app was intended to optimize your workflow.
With this app, I can just block out my talent and mark my stands in my studio. Then, with a few clicks, I can fly between ratios without having to start completely from scratch.
Notes for Further Customization
Now, let’s say you can’t make it to a shoot and someone else is filling in for you. Profoto has thought of this with its Notes feature. You can attach annotations to the presets with whatever you want, such as “Hey watch out for that specular on the glass!” or “Add a gel to the backlight for the second look.”
Keeping in mind that the Profoto B10, B10X, B10 plus, B10X Plus can also be used as lower-powered constant light in some situations, you can even have a preset loaded up for some quick video clips without moving anything in your setup. This means you can produce some social clips for your client as well!
Compatibility
The current version of the Profoto Control Desktop App is available for any Mac computer running MacOS11 or later, and supports the following Profoto products via Bluetooth:
- Profoto Pro-11
- Profoto D2 and D2 Industrial are compatible through the use of Profoto Connect and Connect Pro
- Profoto B10
- Profoto B10X
- Profoto B10X Plus
- Profoto A2
- Profoto A10
- Profoto Connect remotes
Conclusion
Photographers are often expected to work faster and produce more. We need to be nimble while remaining versatile. The Profoto Control Desktop App allows for working professionals to optimize their workflow. Profoto has continuously proven to innovate so, if the Desktop app is this impressive from the jump, I’ll have my eye on it for further updates in the future. The app is even designed to notify users about new firmware updates directly from the desktop, so you can always have the newest technology.
The Profoto Control Desktop App is $7.99/mo or $66.99 yearly, with a 30-day free trial available before purchasing. The Profoto Control App for smartphones is currently free.
