FreeFrame, an HDMI camera monitor for Android
A free Android app that turns a phone or tablet into a field monitor for any camera with HDMI out, through a cheap USB capture card. LUTs, focus peaking, zebras, false color, scopes and audio meters.
I wanted a proper monitor for filming myself without buying one. The camera already has HDMI out, a USB capture card costs a few euros, and every phone has a great screen. The apps I found were clunky, so I built my own.
How it works
The camera’s HDMI output goes into a USB HDMI capture card, and the card plugs into the phone. Android doesn’t list the card as a camera, so FreeFrame talks to it directly over USB. Every frame then goes through a small GPU pipeline that runs at a steady 60 fps on a Pixel 7 Pro:
- A 3D LUT turns the flat log picture into a normal-looking image
- Zebras and false color are measured from that signal
- Viewing adjustments (exposure, white balance, contrast) only change what you see, not the measurements
- Focus peaking marks the sharp edges
What it does
- LUTs: built-in conversions for N-Log, S-Log3, C-Log2/3, V-Log, F-Log/F-Log2 and Log3G10, or import your own
.cubefiles - Exposure tools: zebras, false color with a legend, histogram, waveform and a spot meter
- Focus: peaking in three levels and punch-in zoom
- Framing: guides for thirds, 9:16, 4:5, 1:1 and 2.39:1, plus a picture-area crop that hides the camera’s own on-screen overlays
- Audio: HDMI audio meters with peak hold, and headphone monitoring
- For filming yourself: mirror mode, touch lock, frame grabs, phones and tablets in any orientation
Privacy
The picture and sound never leave the device. No accounts, no ads, no analytics. The full privacy policy is short.
Status
Version 1.0 is in testing and on its way to Google Play. It will be free, with optional tips that don’t unlock anything.