Summer’s in full swing, and so is our push to get Darkroom 7 out the door. We originally planned to launch much sooner, but our internal testing surfaced enough issues that we decided to hold back. We spent the extra time making sure today's Mac Beta release feels as smooth and solid as it deserves to be.
We’re now thrilled to introduce the Mac Beta for Darkroom 7, a major milestone that just so happens to coincide with our 10-year anniversary as your photo editing app of choice. Yo
Summer’s in full swing, and so is our push to get Darkroom 7 out the door. We originally planned to launch much sooner, but our internal testing surfaced enough issues that we decided to hold back. We spent the extra time making sure today's Mac Beta release feels as smooth and solid as it deserves to be.
We’re now thrilled to introduce the Mac Beta for Darkroom 7, a major milestone that just so happens to coincide with our 10-year anniversary as your photo editing app of choice. You can read all about it in our Darkroom 7 Beta for Mac post.
Behind the scenes, there’s been a lot happening. Our founder Majd just went on paternity leave (🎉 welcome to the world, little one!), and other members of the team have been taking well-earned summer breaks. Things might feel a little slower, but it’s all part of building with care.
With the Mac beta out, we’re already lining things up to bring the same attention to iPhone and iPad, including finishing some updated tools and making video playback as smooth and accurate as possible.
While we’re not focused just yet on making Darkroom shine with Liquid Glass on iOS/iPadOS/macOS 26, it’s absolutely on our radar. First, we want Darkroom 7 to be the strongest possible foundation for the next generation of updates and features.
Thank you for your patience and excitement. This release is one of our biggest yet, and we can’t wait for you to try it.
We’re excited to introduce the Mac Beta 1 for Darkroom 7, a major milestone in our journey, and one that happens to coincide with our 10-year anniversary as your photo editing app of choice. Your edits are about to get faster, sharper, and more precise, and you can try it today in the Darkroom 7 Beta.
At the core of this release is a completely rebuilt rendering engine. Dramatically improving speed, responsiveness, stability, and accuracy. This is the engine that will power the next gener
We’re excited to introduce the Mac Beta 1 for Darkroom 7, a major milestone in our journey, and one that happens to coincide with our 10-year anniversary as your photo editing app of choice. Your edits are about to get faster, sharper, and more precise, and you can try it today in the Darkroom 7 Beta.
At the core of this release is a completely rebuilt rendering engine. Dramatically improving speed, responsiveness, stability, and accuracy. This is the engine that will power the next generation of features, and we’re incredibly proud of how it performs.
But before we launch it to everyone, we need your help.
Join the Beta
Today, we’re opening up the Mac Beta for Darkroom 7, and we’re inviting you to help shape its final form. We will open up the beta for iPhone and iPad soon as well, but first we want the Mac to be rock solid. You should expect some issues, and we hope you’ll help us work through them. To ensure we can connect with you more directly during the beta period, we’re starting fresh with a new TestFlight group. If you’d like access, we ask that you sign up with your email and fill out the form. This allows us to send you updates, reach out for feedback, and keep you in the loop as new builds land.
As we’ve rebuilt the engine that powers every tap, swipe, every zoom, every slider, every mask, and every edit, we now want to know: how does it feel in your hands? What’s faster, what’s smoother, what still needs work? While we’re keeping the full nitty gritty details under wraps for now, we couldn’t resist giving you a quick peek. Here’s a taste of what’s new in Darkroom 7.
There’s a lot to explore, test, and even more on the way...
Performance & Quality
Most of the work in this release likely won't be noticeable at first glance, as it happened under the hood — and for good reason. Over the past few years, your files have ballooned in size. Apple’s ProRAW, larger sensors, more advanced DSLR’s, and increasingly high-resolution video formats like ProRes and 8K have pushed average file sizes from just a few megabytes to as much as 150MB or much more for video.
We’ve optimized Darkroom 7 to meet this challenge head-on. Opening RAW files is sharper, and more stable. Video loads just as fast, and playback has many new features. Zooming, as well as Crop, and Mask overlay controls are super smooth. We’ve introduced smarter caching, optimized our memory footprint, and reworked how tools load so that editing feels responsive right from the first touch or swipe.
Whether you’re working through a massive shoot or fine-tuning a single photo, Darkroom 7 gives you more speed and stability than ever before. Even long editing sessions that used to bog down now glide smoothly from start to finish.
Why We Rebuilt the Engine
To be honest, this wasn’t the plan. We set out to build new features, to push forward creatively. But as Darkroom matured and grew in complexity after introducing Masks, we started to feel the cracks. Performance issues cropped up. Crashes became more frequent than we wanted with large files. And we realized that to keep delivering the quality product we all expect and are proud of — and to build what we wanted next — we had to go back to the foundation.
So we did. Just like in ’19, we paused, rethought, and rebuilt. The new engine in Darkroom 7 is faster, more efficient, and far more resilient. It’s designed not just for today’s needs, but for where photography and video are headed next.
Looking Ahead
This release is a recommitment to one of our oldest principles: Darkroom should never get in your way. When you’re editing, your focus should be on enabling your creativity — not on Darkroom.
That’s why we did this work. To make sure Darkroom fades into the background, while your creativity takes the lead. And in today’s fast-moving, high-resolution, multi-device world, that’s more important than ever.
For little bit more behind the scenes context, please check out our Summer Update post.
We can’t wait to hear how it feels in your hands. If you want to stay in the loop of new beta's, and the latest news, please sign up to our newsletter!
The Darkroom Team
Frequently Asked Question
How do I get access to the beta?
You can request access to the beta filling out the beta request access form.
Note that the access roll out will be controlled, and not immediate when you request access. You will receive an email when you have access.
Is the beta available for iPhone, and iPad?
No, the beta is available for Mac only. We are working on the iPhone and iPad beta, and will let you know when it's ready.
Will my existing edits and presets work in the beta?
Yes, your existing edits and presets will work in the beta. You might notice some small differences in how you edits render, specifically for highlight and shadow recovery. If you notice any issues, please let us know!
What should I do if I find bugs or have feedback?
Please use the 'Ask a Question' found in settings, or the Help menu on Mac, to reach out to us. The more details you can provide around file type, steps to reproduce, and what you were doing when the issue occurred, the better. Screenshots and videos are also helpful.
How long will the beta last?
We don't have a timeline. We are more focused on getting the beta out to you on the best possible terms, and then we will see how it goes.
Is Darkroom 7 for Mac compatible with macOS 26?
Yes, Darkroom 7 for Mac is compatible with macOS 26, but isn't optimized for it yet and is not updated to use the new Liquid Glass interface. We plan to release an update for it later this year.
Apart from quite a few visual issues caused by the new Liquid Glass interface, we know of one other issue that is causing certrain RAW images to not be loaded correctly. As we are dependant on Apple for our RAW support, we have contacted Apple for a fix, and will update you as soon as we have more information.
As you gear up for the new school year, we’ve got something special just for you, a sizable 30% discount on your first-year subscription to the Darkroom+ yearly membership! Instead of the regular $39.99, you can get it for just $27.99 ($12 off) for the entire first year. Darkroom+ gives you access to a suite of premium tools designed to unleash your creativity, making it easier than ever to capture and share stunning photos.
The Back to School Sale runs from Monday, September 15th to Tues
As you gear up for the new school year, we’ve got something special just for you, a sizable 30% discount on your first-year subscription to the Darkroom+ yearly membership! Instead of the regular $39.99, you can get it for just $27.99 ($12 off) for the entire first year. Darkroom+ gives you access to a suite of premium tools designed to unleash your creativity, making it easier than ever to capture and share stunning photos.
The Back to School Sale runs from Monday, September 15th to Tuesday, September 30th.
To claim your discount, simply download the latest version of Darkroom from the App Store and follow the steps in the app. No promo code needed! If you want, you can also tap the button below to directly claim the discount if you already have the app installed.
Don’t keep this awesome deal to yourself, share it with your classmates, fellow photographers, and friends. This is a perfect, budget-friendly way to kick off the school year with Darkroom+.
The Darkroom Team
Darkroom+
Darkroom+ is our membership that provides access to the growing bundle of 9 premium features. Whether you want to add a distinct style, make precise adjustments, or manage your photo library efficiently, Darkroom+ has you covered with its collection of premium features.
With Color Grading, AI Powered Masks, Video Processing, Flag & Reject, Curves Tool, Selective Color, Premium Presets, Watermark, and Custom App Icon, you will have toolkit ready to transform your photos on the go without the hassle of complex legacy software.
Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to elevate your creativity and unlock endless possibilities with Darkroom+!
New to Darkroom?
Whether you're a seasoned shutterbug or just casually dipping your toes into the world of mobile photography, Darkroom offers a comprehensive suite of foundational tools beyond Darkroom+ that cater to all your photo management and editing needs.
Organise: Darkroom seamlessly integrates with Apple iCloud Photos, so all your memories are already there, waiting for you. So you can effortlessly import, browse, and organize your growing photo library. Plus, the intuitive interface means you can view, edit, and manage your photos, albums, and folders across iPhone, iPad and Mac with familiar ease.
Pick: Dive into your photo library and confidently curate. With Darkroom you can efficiently swipe and edit through your collection. Use the batch feature to speed up the process. Keep what captures your heart, and effortlessly discard what doesn't make the cut.
Edit: Unleash your inner artist with Darkroom's professional, non-destructive adjustment tools and broad file format support. Embrace the power of state of the art tools like Clarity and Highlight & Shadow recovery, and the wealth of Community Presets to make your photos stand out. Even better, share your own unique presets with the world or apply your favorite edits to multiple photos with just a few taps. And for that extra flair, add colorful frames or conveniently export your shots for social media stories.
Export: Ready to show off your work? Darkroom makes it a breeze to share your beautifully crafted photos, videos, and even your custom presets with anyone, anywhere and any app. It's not just about editing; it's about sharing your vision and creativity with the world.
Darkroom is more than just a tool; it's a gateway to expressing your creativity and sharing your story with the world. Serious or amateur, every mobile photographer has a home here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Darkroom+ Yearly membership cost?
In the United States the normal Yearly membership costs $39.99 ($3.33 per month, for comparison), and is currently being offered at a 30% discount for the first year. So instead of $39.99 it will only be $27.99 ($2.99 per month for comparison). After the first year the membership will automatically default back to the normal pricing.
Be aware that prices vary per country, listed below are the prices for the United States. We recommend going to our app store page to see the exact pricing for your specific country.
Can I use my Darkroom+ membership across my Apple devices?
Yes, as a Darkroom+ member, you can use it on multiple devices. Darkroom is available for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro. There is no need to purchase or subscribe to Darkroom+ multiple times. However, please ensure that you log in on all devices using the same App Store account that you used to make the initial purchase.
Is the Darkroom+ Forever option discounted?
No. We are only offering this year's Back to School discount for our annual membership. The one-time forever membership option already includes a substantial discount considering the length of time and loyalty our customers typically have towards our product.
When does the Back to School sale start and end?
The sale runs from Monday, September 15th to Tuesday, September 30th.
Can I share this offer with others?
Absolutely! Feel free to share the deal with friends, family, or fellow photographers so they can also take advantage of the 30% discount on Darkroom+.
Does this discount apply to Darkroom Legacy customers?
Yes, this discount is also available to our Legacy customers. Please make sure to update to the latest version of Darkroom to access the Back to School Offer. Considering the substantial discount offered in the first year ($12 to be specific), we didn't find it necessary to provide any additional special discounts. On average, Legacy customers paid approximately $8 for all their features. With this year's 30% Back to School discount, we are effectively more than covering that initial investment.
We’re excited to announce opening our Darkroom 7 Beta to iPhone & iPad, after a successful Mac Beta period since the summer in which you really helped us iron out issues. For this Beta, we specifically focussed on making RAW editing and video playback as stable and low memory as possble, and rebuilt the Histogram and Color Grading tool to leverage GPU acceleration.
Darkroom 7 is a major milestone in our journey. Your edits are about to get faster, sharper, and more precise, and you ca
We’re excited to announce opening our Darkroom 7 Beta to iPhone & iPad, after a successful Mac Beta period since the summer in which you really helped us iron out issues. For this Beta, we specifically focussed on making RAW editing and video playback as stable and low memory as possble, and rebuilt the Histogram and Color Grading tool to leverage GPU acceleration.
Darkroom 7 is a major milestone in our journey. Your edits are about to get faster, sharper, and more precise, and you can try it today in the Darkroom 7 Beta.
But before we launch it to everyone, we need your help.
Join the Beta
We’re inviting you to help shape its final form. You should expect some issues, and we hope you’ll help us work through them. To ensure we can connect with you more directly during the beta period, we’re starting fresh with a new TestFlight group. If you’d like access, we ask that you sign up with your email and fill out the form. This allows us to send you updates, reach out for feedback, and keep you in the loop as new builds land.
As we’ve rebuilt the engine that powers every tap, swipe, every zoom, every slider, every mask, and every edit, we now want to know: how does it feel in your hands? What’s faster, what’s smoother, what still needs work? While we’re keeping the full nitty gritty details under wraps for now, we couldn’t resist giving you a quick peek. Here’s a taste of what’s new in Darkroom 7.
There’s a lot to explore, test, and even more on the way...
Performance & Quality
Most of the work in this release likely won't be noticeable at first glance, as it happened under the hood — and for good reason. Over the past few years, your files have ballooned in size. Apple’s ProRAW, larger sensors, more advanced DSLR’s, and increasingly high-resolution video formats like ProRes and 8K have pushed average file sizes from just a few megabytes to as much as 150MB or much more for video.
We’ve optimized Darkroom 7 to meet this challenge head-on. Opening RAW files is sharper, and more stable. Video loads just as fast, and playback has many new features. For iPhone we've completely rebuilt the transform tool to be be at feature parity with the Mac, and now includes custom aspect ratio support. Zooming, as well as Crop, and Mask overlay controls are super smooth. We’ve introduced smarter caching, optimized our memory footprint, and reworked how tools load so that editing feels responsive right from the first touch or swipe.
Whether you’re working through a massive shoot or fine-tuning a single photo, Darkroom 7 gives you more speed and stability than ever before. Even long editing sessions that used to bog down now glide smoothly from start to finish.
Why We Rebuilt the Engine
To be honest, this wasn’t the plan. We set out to build new features, to push forward creatively. But as Darkroom matured and grew in complexity after introducing Masks, we started to feel the cracks. Performance issues cropped up. Crashes became more frequent than we wanted with large files. And we realized that to keep delivering the quality product we all expect and are proud of — and to build what we wanted next — we had to go back to the foundation.
So we did. Just like in ’19, we paused, rethought, and rebuilt. The new engine in Darkroom 7 is faster, more efficient, and far more resilient. It’s designed not just for today’s needs, but for where photography and video are headed next.
Looking Ahead
This release is a recommitment to one of our oldest principles: Darkroom should never get in your way. When you’re editing, your focus should be on enabling your creativity — not on Darkroom.
That’s why we did this work. To make sure Darkroom fades into the background, while your creativity takes the lead. And in today’s fast-moving, high-resolution, multi-device world, that’s more important than ever.
We can’t wait to hear how it feels in your hands. If you want to stay in the loop of new beta's, and the latest news, please sign up to our newsletter!
The Darkroom Team
Frequently Asked Question
How do I get access to the beta?
You can request access to the beta filling out the beta request access form.
Note that the access roll out will be controlled, and not immediate when you request access. You will receive an email when you have access.
Will my existing edits and presets work in the beta?
Yes, your existing edits and presets will work in the beta. You might notice some small differences in how you edits render, specifically for highlight and shadow recovery. If you notice any issues, please let us know!
What should I do if I find bugs or have feedback?
Please use the 'Ask a Question' found in settings to reach out to us. The more details you can provide around file type, steps to reproduce, and what you were doing when the issue occurred, the better. Screenshots and videos are also helpful.
How long will the beta last?
We don't have a timeline. We are more focused on getting the beta out to you on the best possible terms, and then we will see how it goes.
Is Darkroom 7 for iPhone compatible with iOS 26?
Yes, Darkroom 7 for iPhone is compatible with iOS 26, but isn't optimized for it yet and is not updated to use the new Liquid Glass interface. We plan to release an update for it later this year.
Apart from quite a few visual issues caused by the new Liquid Glass interface, we know of one other issue that is causing certrain RAW images to not be loaded correctly. As we are dependant on Apple for our RAW support, we have contacted Apple for a fix, and will update you as soon as we have more information.
It's that time of year again! We’re excited to offer you 50% discount on your first year of Darkroom+. For just $19.99 (instead of $39.99), you’ll unlock all our premium features that take your creativity to the next level. No need to wait for Black Friday—we’re starting early!
And for the first time, we are even offering a 25% discount on our Darkroom+ Forever membership. For just $74.99 (instead of $99.99)! Redeem your Forever discount now!.
The sale runs from Friday,
It's that time of year again! We’re excited to offer you 50% discount on your first year of Darkroom+. For just $19.99 (instead of $39.99), you’ll unlock all our premium features that take your creativity to the next level. No need to wait for Black Friday—we’re starting early!
And for the first time, we are even offering a 25% discount on our Darkroom+ Forever membership. For just $74.99 (instead of $99.99)! Redeem your Forever discount now!.
The sale runs from Friday, November 14th, Cyber Monday through Wednesday, December 3rd. Don’t miss this chance to elevate your editing game at half the price.
To redeem your discount, simply download the latest version of Darkroom from the App Store and follow the steps in the app. No promo code needed! You can also tap the button below to go directly to the membership page.
And don’t keep this deal to yourself! Share it with friends, family, and fellow photography aficionados so they can join Darkroom+ at an unbeatable price too.
Glass is on Sale Too!
This Black Friday, we want to give a shoutout to our longtime friends at Glass, who are also running a 50% off sale. We go way back with them—before either of us even started our companies—and have been cheering each other on ever since. It’s the kind of indie photography camaraderie that keeps this community strong. If you haven’t explored Glass yet, their sale is the perfect excuse to jump in and see why we’ve been fans from day one.
Glass is a thoughtfully designed and built photo-sharing community made for photographers who care about quality, simplicity, and a creative-first community. It’s free from ads, algorithms, and all the distractions you usually find in social media—just pure photography in its best form. If you love using Darkroom to craft the perfect edits, you’ll appreciate how Glass gives your images the stage they deserve. For Darkroom customers who are serious about their photography, it’s a great place to showcase your work, get inspired, and connect with fellow creators who share your passion.
Darkroom+
Darkroom+ is our membership that provides access to the growing bundle of already 9 premium features. Whether you want to add a distinct style, make precise adjustments, or manage your photo library efficiently, Darkroom+ has you covered with its collection of premium features.
With Color Grading, AI Powered Masks, Video Processing, Flag & Reject, Curves Tool, Selective Color, Premium Presets, Watermark, and Custom App Icon, you will have toolkit ready to transform your photos on the go without the hassle of complex legacy software.
Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to elevate your creativity and unlock endless possibilities with Darkroom+!
New to Darkroom?
Whether you're a seasoned shutterbug or just casually dipping your toes into the world of mobile photography, Darkroom offers a comprehensive suite of foundational tools beyond Darkroom+ that cater to all your photo management and editing needs.
Manage: Darkroom seamlessly integrates with Apple iCloud Photos, so all your memories are already there, waiting for you. So you can effortlessly import, browse, and organize your growing photo library. Plus, the intuitive interface means you can view, edit, and manage your photos, albums, and folders across iPhone, iPad and Mac with familiar ease.
Select: Dive into your photo library and the confidently curate. With Darkroom you can efficiently swipe and edit through your collection. Use the batch feature to speed up the process. Keep what captures your heart, and effortlessly discard what doesn't make the cut.
Adjust: Unleash your inner artist with Darkroom's professional, non-destructive adjustment tools and broad file format support. Embrace the power of state of the art tools like Clarity and Highlight & Shadow recovery, and the wealth of Community Presets to make your photos stand out. Even better, share your own unique presets with the world or apply your favorite edits to multiple photos with just a few taps. And for that extra flair, add colorful frames or conveniently export your shots for social media stories.
Export: Ready to show off your work? Darkroom makes it a breeze to share your beautifully crafted photos, videos, and even your custom presets with anyone, anywhere and any app. It's not just about editing; it's about sharing your vision and creativity with the world.
Darkroom is more than just a tool; it's a gateway to expressing your creativity and sharing your story with the world. Serious or amateur, every mobile photographer has a home here.
Frequently Asked Question
Is the Darkroom+ Forever option discounted?
Yes. For the first time ever, we are offering a 25% discount on our Darkroom+ Forever membership. For just $74.99 (instead of $99.99)! Redeem your Forever discount now!
Note that if you already have an active Darkroom subscription, you can still buy the Forever membership, but that won't stop your subscription or prevent it from renewing, you will need to cancel it manually.
What does a Darkroom+ Yearly membership cost?
In the United States the normal Yearly membership costs $39.99 ($3.33 per month), and is currently being offered at a 50% discount for the first year. So instead of $39.99 it will be $19.99. After the first year the membership will automatically default back to the normal pricing.
Be aware that prices vary per country, listed below are the prices for the United States. We recommend going to our app store page to see the exact pricing for your specific country.
Can I use my Darkroom+ membership across my Apple devices?
Yes, as a Darkroom+ member, you can use it on multiple devices. Darkroom is available for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro. There is no need to purchase or subscribe to Darkroom+ multiple times. However, please ensure that you log in on all devices using the same App Store account that you used to make the initial purchase.
When does the Black Friday sale start and end?
The sale runs from Friday, November 14th, Cyber Monday through Wednesday, December 3rd.
Can I share this offer with others?
Absolutely! Feel free to share the deal with friends, family, or fellow photographers so they can also take advantage of the discounts on Darkroom+ and Glass.
How does the Glass membership discount work?
Our friends at Glass are offering 50% off their first-year membership. Glass is a photo-sharing community designed for photographers, free from ads and algorithms. You can redeem the discount through the Glass website during their Black Friday sale, and it will also be available in their iPhone and iPad apps.
Two subtle effects rooted in the legacy of lens dynamics and film photography, enhance your digital photos, infusing them with depth, warmth, and a touch of nostalgia. In this post, we’ll walk you through what each tool does, the photographic origins of these effects, and how you can use them to achieve stunning results.
While Bloom and Halation share their origins in the way light diffuses in your lens and film photography, they serve slightly different purposes and complement each other
Two subtle effects rooted in the legacy of lens dynamics and film photography, enhance your digital photos, infusing them with depth, warmth, and a touch of nostalgia. In this post, we’ll walk you through what each tool does, the photographic origins of these effects, and how you can use them to achieve stunning results.
While Bloom and Halation share their origins in the way light diffuses in your lens and film photography, they serve slightly different purposes and complement each other.
Bloom softens the brightest areas of a photo, an outer glow if you will, diffusing light outward and creating a dreamy, soft focus, ethereal glow that enhances the overall atmosphere.
Halation, on the other hand is a more subtle and nuanced effect, a warm inner glow, focusing solely on the hard edges around bright areas, creating a warm orange halo inside high-contrast points, reminiscent of the look of vintage film.
Bloom: Softening and Highlighting the Light
The Bloom slider softens and diffuses light, causing the brightest areas of your photo to "bloom" outward. It creates a gentle, dreamlike glow around light sources and high-contrast edges, enhancing the mood of a photo by making highlights appear softer and more radiant.
Bloom excels at drawing attention to light in your photos. It imparts a soft, glowing look that feels nostalgic and timeless, adding emotional depth. Use it to enhance a photo's mood or evoke a sense of warmth and softness.
Notice how all of the lights in this night time cityscape gain a glow with the addition of Bloom. Photos by Joshua Kettle.
Lens Dynamics Origins
Bloom has its origins in the halation effect found in lens dynamics, especially when shooting bright light sources. Photographers at times would also create this glowing, diffused light by using creative techniques such as applying vaseline or stretching stockings over the lens.
By applying a thin layer of vaseline to the edges of the lens or on a clear filter, photographers could soften highlights, creating a glowing effect around bright areas. The vaseline diffused the light, similar to how Bloom works digitally today. Similarly, photographers would also stretch fine mesh stockings over their lenses to achieve a soft-focus effect. This subtle diffusion smoothed out highlights and softened edges, while still preserving sharpness in the central focus area, creating a romantic, dreamlike quality.
These tricks inspired the digital Bloom tool, allowing you to recreate that ethereal, soft light without having to physically manipulate your lens.
Bright portraits gain a glowing effect by adding Bloom. Photo by Matthew Hamilton.
When to Use Bloom
Portraits: Especially those taken during golden hour or under soft lighting. It can add a flattering glow to skin tones and create an overall dreamy effect that makes the subject appear bathed in light.
Night Photography: In urban night scenes, Bloom can soften harsh highlights from streetlights, neon signs, or car headlights, creating a nostalgic or cinematic mood.
Cinematic and Fashion Photography: Creating a dramatic, film-like look. Streetlights, headlights, and other bright light sources gain a soft glow, giving photos a romantic or surreal feel. Fashion photographers also use Bloom to evoke glamour and emphasize texture, especially when working with strong lighting setups, as Bloom can help emulate that classic “lens glow” seen in films.
Wedding and Event Photography: It’s commonly used for romantic and emotional moments, like weddings or other sentimental events. It adds a cinematic, ethereal quality to photos, softening harsh light while accentuating glowing highlights, perfect for capturing intimate moments.
Landscape Photography: Particularly during sunset and sunrise, Bloom enhances the sun's glowing edges, softening the transition between bright skies and darker foregrounds. It adds atmosphere and depth to landscapes, especially when light interacts with clouds, water, or mist. In these golden hour shots, Bloom helps tame the sun's harshness, creating a smoother blend between luminous skies and shadowy terrain.
Advanced Techniques
For advanced Bloom usage, try combining it with other tools to create unique effects. Use Bloom in conjunction with the Exposure and Highlights sliders to fine-tune the glow effect. For night photography, apply Bloom after adjusting Shadows to create a cinematic look with softened streetlights. In portraits, combine Bloom with Skin Smoothing for a dreamy, ethereal effect. For landscapes, use Bloom subtly with Color Grading to enhance golden hour shots, creating a warm, nostalgic atmosphere.
Halation: Bringing Warmth to the Edges
Halation creates a subtle, red-orange glow around high-contrast edges in your photo, typically in overexposed areas. This effect shines in scenes with significant differences between bright and dark areas, adding vintage warmth and character to your photos by evoking the charming imperfections of old film photography.
With Halation the backlit sunset appears to shine through the hair and bleed around edges. Photo by Taylor Wright.
It's worth noting that halation's effectiveness depends heavily on specific lighting conditions. In photos lacking overexposed areas or sharp contrast lines, the effect may be subtle or even unnoticeable. For example, evenly lit scenes or images without bright highlights might show little to no change when halation is applied.
Halation excels at infusing photos with a nostalgic feel, making it particularly effective when you want to evoke a sense of bygone days or lend your image a filmic quality. The reddish glow adds depth and richness, especially around light sources, enveloping your photos in a layer of emotional warmth.
Analog Film Roots
In traditional film photography, halation is caused by light reflecting off the film’s base layer, causing a halo-like effect around bright objects. This happens because light scatters and reflects within the film layers, creating a halo around high-contrast areas. While film manufacturers tried to reduce this effect, it became an iconic look in many classic films, and now, photographers intentionally use it to add warmth and texture to their photos.
With Halation a close up backlit portrait gains a classic vintage feel with its imperfection. Photo by Connor Botts.
When to Use Halation
Backlit Portraits: If you’re shooting a subject with a strong light source behind them (like the sun or a window), Halation can add warmth and depth to the edges, giving the photo a timeless, cinematic feel.
High-Contrast Scenes: Anytime there’s a sharp contrast between bright highlights and darker shadows, Halation can add a subtle warmth that enhances the natural glow and texture of your photo.
Urban Night Photography: Halation works beautifully in nighttime cityscape where bright lights contrast against dark backgrounds. It adds a nostalgic touch reminiscent of vintage neon signs glowing against the night.
Advanced Use of Halation
To maximize Halation's impact, you can pair it with high-contrast adjustments. Add more Contrast, then apply Halation to create a vintage look. For urban night scenes, combine Halation with selective Color adjustments to enhance the warmth around neon lights. In backlit portraits, use Halation in tandem with the Shadows slider to add depth and dimension. For a creative twist, try using Halation with Black & White conversion to simulate classic film grain and light leaks.
We’re excited to introduce one of the biggest under-the-hood upgrades in Darkroom’s 10 year history: a fully rebuilt rendering engine that dramatically improves stability, reliability, and performance across every part of your editing experience. This new engine powers a new display system, designed to ensure navigation, zooming, panning, mask editing, and cropping are smooth and reliable. Most importantly, while this update is intended to be backwards compatible with your existing
We’re excited to introduce one of the biggest under-the-hood upgrades in Darkroom’s 10 year history: a fully rebuilt rendering engine that dramatically improves stability, reliability, and performance across every part of your editing experience. This new engine powers a new display system, designed to ensure navigation, zooming, panning, mask editing, and cropping are smooth and reliable. Most importantly, while this update is intended to be backwards compatible with your existing edits, the rendering and display systems we built are designed to be forward looking, to another decade of innovation and growth.
Over the past decade, iPhone photography has evolved significantly; higher resolutions, heavier files, more video types, and huge RAW images. Darkroom 7 is aimed to rise to that challenge with an engine built for today’s demands and tomorrow’s features: smoother interaction, higher frame rates, and rock-solid consistency from first adjustment to final export.
In a Nutshell
We changed… almost everything. And ideally, you mostly won’t notice. That was the challenge. But we’ll share the nerdier details later. Here’s what you will see and feel right away.
New Bloom and Halation Tools: two nostalgic sliders that bring analog warmth, glow, and atmosphere. Opening up a whole new creative and expressive look to your shots.
Improved Video & Histogram: video playback controls with scrubbing and 8K real time edits. The live video histogram gives you photo-grade feedback for moving images.
Enhanced Recovery: the rendering engine is now fully lossless, allowing Shadows and Highlights to pull back even more detail, especially in RAW files.
Better Viewing: zoom out beyond “fit to view” for a true macro perspective, adjust your canvas background color, and place masks with more freedom and accuracy.
Smooth Controls: every interaction is noticeably more fluid: sliders, zooming, panning, crop, masks, all rebuilt for precision and effortless response.
These powerful new sliders enhance your creative possibilities, allowing you to add glowing atmosphere and nostalgic feels to your pictures.
Bloom, a powerful new tool designed to add a soft, ethereal glow to your images. Bloom simulates the effect of light spreading beyond its natural boundaries, creating a soft, dreamy, luminous quality, creating a nostalgic feel. Use Bloom to soften harsh highlights, add a romantic atmosphere to wedding photos, or give your night city scenes an enchanting glow.
Notice how all of the lights in this night time cityscape gain a glow with the addition of Bloom.
Halation, our second new tool, mimics the classic film photography effect where bright light sources appear to leak around light edges into darker areas. This tool is perfect for adding a subtle vintage touch or creating a cinematic look in your photos. Halation is especially effective when applied to photos with strong light sources and high contrast, such as street lamps in night photography, backlit portraits, or sunset scenes.
To learn more about Bloom & Halation, it's analog history, see more examples, we have a dedicated guide up to teach you all the ins and outs of Bloom and Halation:
Back in 2020, we introduced video processing and playback with the goal of making it feel as immediate as working on a photo, and since then video has only grown as one of the most popular ways we tell visual stories. With Darkroom 7, that original promise takes a major leap: the new engine treats video as a true first-class citizen, giving it the speed, precision, and care it deserves.
Smooth Playback — We've made significant improvements to the video playback experience, including added support for slow motion, ProRes, 8K video across all tools and sliders. It now plays back at native FPS when we can, we load video much faster, and overall performance of making edits while watching video is vastly improved.
Advanced Playback Controls — You now have more prominent controls, including a scrubber with time codes for precise navigation. On Mac you can even move the controls around to your liking, and we also added a whole array of time code and detailed playback and stepping control options to adjust our playback controls to your liking.
Responsive Histogram — Our histogram is now fully hardware accelerated, to the point where it now updates in real-time during video playback and editing. This provides immediate feedback regardless of your photo or video size. Not only that, but we've also made sure the histogram now always accurately reflects all your applied crop and transform operations.
Easily scrub through your 8K video, skip frame by frame through slow motion, and get real time feedback in your histogram.
Enhanced Recovery
Our state of the art Highlight and Shadow tools are now even more powerful. By shifting our rendering engine to linear color space, we can access the full depth of image data, allowing for more precise and completely nondestructive adjustments. This upgrade is especially noticeable at the extreme ends of highlight and shadow recovery, where more detail is now preserved.
Linear color space ensures greater accuracy, zero data loss, and a more natural tonal balance, particularly for RAW photos. The result? Higher-quality edits, truer to your original image—while also being faster and more responsive.
The updated Highlight tool allows you to recover more highlights without losing detail and keeping natural tonal balance.
Better Viewing
Your editing environment matters just as much as your tools. Darkroom 7 brings a set of improvements that make it easier to judge your work accurately, whether you’re checking fine details, evaluating overall balance, or simply finding the right setting to edit in.
Zoom Out — You can now zoom out beyond “fit to view,” giving you a true macro perspective of your photo or video. It’s great for judging balance and composition from a distance, and it also happens to make placing Linear and Radial Masks outside the frame finally possible.
Zoom In — We've removed the limit on how far you can zoom in, allowing you to zoom as close as you want, literally to full screen pixel level.
Canvas Color — The canvas background is now customizable and independent of your interface theme. Adjust it to better match the environment you’re editing for, or use a neutral tone to evaluate color and contrast more accurately.
Crisp Pixels — Images and thumbnails now render at their highest possible quality at all times. No more soft previews on large RAW files, unsharp thumbnails after cropping, or black squares when zooming way in on a large RAW, everything stays sharp and true.
Rapid Loading — Photos and videos now open almost instantly, making browsing, culling, and editing noticeably faster. It reduces friction and keeps long editing sessions feeling smooth and uninterrupted.
iPhone: Custom crop aspect ratios are finally here. iPad: Zoom out for a helpful macro view, and finally place Linear and Radial Masks outside the frame.
Smooth Controls
Editing should feel frictionless. With Darkroom 7, we tuned every interaction, from sliders to on-image tools, to feel more responsive, predictable, and in sync with what you see on screen. These improvements make both quick adjustments and pixel-level refinements noticeably more enjoyable.
Fluid Sliders — The new engine delivers so much speed that we rebuilt our sliders to match it. Tools like Clarity, Highlights, and Shadows, traditionally heavy operations, now respond instantly, even when zoomed in. Subtle tweaks or dramatic changes feel precise, effortless, and always update in real time.
Smooth On-Image Controls — Crop and Mask controls have been completely rebuilt to stay perfectly synced as you zoom, pan, rotate, or transform. No more jittery handles, delayed feedback, or controls drifting off while the image moves. Everything now behaves smoothly and predictably.
Crop Tool Parity on iOS – The crop tool on iPhone and iPad now matches the macOS version feature-for-feature. You get a cleaner interface, custom aspect ratios, more grid overlay options, automatic grid hiding when idle, and a dense grid that appears automatically when transforming or straightening.
Brand Update #7
A big release deserves a bold look. True to Darkroom tradition, we’ve pushed our design maximalism even further with richer colors, deeper shading, reflecting the new depth of the app itself. We pulled the hot-pink energy of 5.0 and the fanned gradients of 6.0, then flipped the whole idea inside out. The result: our two mountain peaks, now rendered with Apple’s new Liquid Glass shaders, basking in dimensional color.
We’re also rolling out four new icon variants exclusively for Darkroom+ members. There’s the classic Light version, Liquid Glass peaks over soft, airy swooshes, plus three new designs inspired by the power of our new engine: Laser (red), Wave (green), and Grid (blue). Each one reflects a different facet of image processing. Pick your favorite and let it shine.
A New Foundation for What’s Next
Darkroom 7 represents more than a performance boost, it's a full reset of the foundation the app runs on. Which is why it took us a while to build. With this new engine, Darkroom can finally keep pace with the way people shoot today: massive RAW files, high-frame-rate video, and heavy edits. The result is an experience that feels smoother, more reliable, and far more capable than what our old engine could ever deliver.
In all honesty, we initially tried to avoid this project and focus on building new features instead. However, we decided to rebuild because the limits were becoming increasingly clear. Adding new tools on top of the old stack required workarounds and compromises that slowed us down, introduced edge cases, and made it harder to guarantee the speed and stability we want Darkroom to be known for. If you've ever experienced stutters, crashes, or jitters while editing, you know exactly what we're talking about. Rather than fighting the foundation, we replaced it, so the app can stay fast, predictable, and enjoyable for years to come.
Most importantly, this isn’t just about today’s improvements. The new engine gives us the headroom to build features we’ve wanted for a long time: more use of Machine Learning, deeper video editing tools, even more powerful color and recovery adjustments, smarter workflows, and entirely new editing capabilities we couldn’t support before. It sets the stage for the next generation of Darkroom.
You may notice a few small differences in behavior compared to the previous version, especially when working with pre-existing edits, large files, or older devices. That’s normal with a change this deep. When you do, and it's a problem, please let us know, and we'll be happy to help. We’re continuing to refine performance, polish edge cases, and shape the engine into the long-term platform it was built to be.
Thank you to everyone who spent the last four months testing the beta and sharing thoughtful, precise, and incredibly helpful feedback. This release simply wouldn’t be what it is without you. As always we're especially excited for the newly unlocked creative expression, and we can’t wait to see the imaginative results you’ll produce with them.
If there’s something you’d love to see in the future, drop it on our suggestion board or reach out to us directly by email or on social. And for the full list of fixes, improvements, and refinements included in this update, visit our Updates page.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support and enthusiasm. We have so much more coming, and we can’t wait to share it with you.
The Darkroom Team
Questions
Will my existing edits be affected by the new engine?
Most likely not. Your existing edits should perceptually be unaffected by the new engine, as we worked very hard to keep the new engine backwards compatible with your existing edits. However, if you do notice any issues, please let us know by email.
Do I need a membership to use Darkroom 7?
No, you do not need a membership to use Darkroom 7, it is a free update for all users. However, if you want to make exports using the Bloom and Halation tools, you will need a Darkroom+ membership.
Why am I not yet seeing Darkroom 7 yet?
We have chosen to release Darkroom 7 using a slower phased rollout, to ensure that if any issues major arise, we can quickly fix them and release a new version without disrupting the workflow of the majority of users.
We’re spreading holiday cheer with 30% off your first year of Darkroom+. For just $27.99 (down from $39.99), you can unlock premium features that will take your photo editing to the next level perfect for capturing the magic of the season.
The Holiday Sale runs from Monday, December 22nd to Monday, January 5th 2026. Don’t miss this chance to elevate your editing game during the holidays and new year.
To redeem your discount, simply tap the button below, or download the latest versio
We’re spreading holiday cheer with 30% off your first year of Darkroom+. For just $27.99 (down from $39.99), you can unlock premium features that will take your photo editing to the next level perfect for capturing the magic of the season.
The Holiday Sale runs from Monday, December 22nd to Monday, January 5th 2026. Don’t miss this chance to elevate your editing game during the holidays and new year.
To redeem your discount, simply tap the button below, or download the latest version of Darkroom from the App Store and follow the steps in the app.
And since sharing is part of the season, spread the joy by letting friends, family, and fellow photographers know about this special offer. Everyone deserves to create beautifully!
We wish you a merry Christmas, and a happy new year filled with editing wonderful memories.
The Darkroom Team
Darkroom+
Darkroom+ is our membership that provides access to the growing bundle of already 9 premium features. Whether you want to add a distinct style, make precise adjustments, or manage your photo library efficiently, Darkroom+ has you covered with its collection of premium features.
Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity to elevate your creativity and unlock endless possibilities with Darkroom+!
New to Darkroom?
Whether you're a seasoned shutterbug or just casually dipping your toes into the world of mobile photography, Darkroom offers a comprehensive suite of foundational tools beyond Darkroom+ that cater to all your photo management and editing needs.
Manage: Darkroom seamlessly integrates with Apple iCloud Photos, so all your memories are already there, waiting for you. So you can effortlessly import, browse, and organize your growing photo library. Plus, the intuitive interface means you can view, edit, and manage your photos, albums, and folders across iPhone, iPad and Mac with familiar ease.
Select: Dive into your photo library and the confidently curate. With Darkroom you can efficiently swipe and edit through your collection. Use the batch feature to speed up the process. Keep what captures your heart, and effortlessly discard what doesn't make the cut.
Adjust: Unleash your inner artist with Darkroom's professional, non-destructive adjustment tools and broad file format support. Embrace the power of state of the art tools like Clarity and Highlight & Shadow recovery, and the wealth of Community Presets to make your photos stand out. Even better, share your own unique presets with the world or apply your favorite edits to multiple photos with just a few taps. And for that extra flair, add colorful frames or conveniently export your shots for social media stories.
Export: Ready to show off your work? Darkroom makes it a breeze to share your beautifully crafted photos, videos, and even your custom presets with anyone, anywhere and any app. It's not just about editing; it's about sharing your vision and creativity with the world.
Darkroom is more than just a tool; it's a gateway to expressing your creativity and sharing your story with the world. Serious or amateur, every mobile photographer has a home here.
Frequently Asked Question
What does a Darkroom+ Yearly membership cost?
In the United States the normal Yearly membership costs $39.99 ($3.33 per month), and is currently being offered at a 30% discount for the first year. So instead of $39.99 it will be $27.99. After the first year the membership will automatically default back to the normal pricing.
Be aware that prices vary per country, listed below are the prices for the United States. We recommend going to our app store page to see the exact pricing for your specific country.
Can I use my Darkroom+ membership across my Apple devices?
Yes, as a Darkroom+ member, you can use it on multiple devices. Darkroom is available for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro. There is no need to purchase or subscribe to Darkroom+ multiple times. However, please ensure that you log in on all devices using the same App Store account that you used to make the initial purchase.
Is the Darkroom+ Forever option discounted?
No. We are only offering this year's Holiday Sale discount for our annual membership. The one-time forever membership option already includes a substantial discount considering the length of time and loyalty our customers typically have towards our product.
When does the Holidays sale start and end?
The sale runs from Monday, December 22nd to Monday, January 5th.
Can I share this offer with others?
Absolutely! Feel free to share the deal with friends, family, or fellow photographers so they can also take advantage of the 30% discount on Darkroom+.
For the third year in a row you all shared over a 1,000 new presets with the community, making for a total of over 3,300 total presets for everybody to freely discover, install, and not to mention the exports running in the millions! When we launched Presets Sharing in 2022 we had no idea how big it would become. It's a joy to see the community grow and thrive.
In 2025 these top 10 presets stood out for their versatility and results, witnessed by the fact that they were the most exported newly
For the third year in a row you all shared over a 1,000 new presets with the community, making for a total of over 3,300 total presets for everybody to freely discover, install, and not to mention the exports running in the millions! When we launched Presets Sharing in 2022 we had no idea how big it would become. It's a joy to see the community grow and thrive.
In 2025 these top 10 presets stood out for their versatility and results, witnessed by the fact that they were the most exported newly shared presets in 2025:
We did a deep dive into the data to see if we could find some interesting insights. 200 presets account for 90% of all exports, no small feat! Interestingly, Glass Pop is still the leader on the exports front, with over 180,000 exports to it's name. E1 pushed last years GTD_Warm off the second place.
Hidden Gems
This also lead us to discover a set of presets we call hidden gems, presets that have the highest export to install ratio, presets that are exported a lot by photographers that install them. We went ahead and permanently added the Hidden Gems collection to Community Preset discovery as we think they are a valuable tool for finding new presets to try. Below are the top 10 hidden gems of 2025.
We couldn't leave it at that, so we also curated two collections we think you will love if you are looking for some distinct looks for your shots.
Black & White Vibes
Let's start with a set of presets that are great to transform your shots into black and white. Giving your shots a timeless and classic look.
Cinematic Looks
Giving your shots a more dramatic and cinematic feel, perfect for transporting your shots to a different world.
Earlier this year we further enhanced Community Presets with a bunch of smaller improvements and functionality aimed at making using Community Presets easier and smoother; improved search, improved SEO, easier navigation, updates preset page design, directory pages, and improvements in the app. We also spent some time building ways to filter out spam and abusive presets. We’re excited to continue refining and expanding these tools in the coming year.
How can you share a preset?
Perhaps you already created a preset you’d like to share? You can do so by selecting the preset you want to share, tap on it again (•••) to view its options and you’ll find the new “Share” button. From the share sheet, you’ll be able to share a link to anyone, whether they have Darkroom installed or not.
Anyone with your link can preview and install your presets with a tap. That’s pretty much it! There are no files to manage, host, download or import. It couldn’t be simpler or more flexible.
We also have this detailed guide explaining how to create and share a preset!
We are thrilled to see how many of you have created and shared your unique presets—it’s truly inspiring! Don’t hesitate to tag us or send your creations via message or email; we love seeing your artistry in action. As we continue to grow this vibrant community of photo editing enthusiasts, we are more excited than ever to support your creative journeys.
Wishing you a joyful and fulfilling end to the year filled with inspiration, beautiful moments, and, of course, stunning photos. Here’s to an even more creative 2026!
Today marks 11 years of Darkroom, and it also marks the closing of a chapter. The past twelve months were largely focused on one thing: getting Darkroom 7 ready and out the door. The first beta went out in August, 6 months ago already, but the work started well before that, reshaping the app from the inside out—modernizing core systems, rethinking architecture, and preparing Darkroom for the next decade. Once the first beta was live, we shifted our focus entirely to getting 7.0 finished,
Today marks 11 years of Darkroom, and it also marks the closing of a chapter. The past twelve months were largely focused on one thing: getting Darkroom 7 ready and out the door. The first beta went out in August, 6 months ago already, but the work started well before that, reshaping the app from the inside out—modernizing core systems, rethinking architecture, and preparing Darkroom for the next decade. Once the first beta was live, we shifted our focus entirely to getting 7.0 finished, and shipped.
Life after the 7.0 launch
Darkroom 7.0 launched in December. It was a wide-reaching release that touched almost every part of the app, and the weeks immediately after launch were, if we’re honest, a bit bumpier than we had hoped. That said, the underlying work has paid off quickly.
Since the December release, we’ve shipped 24 updates, averaging three releases per week. It's worth just scrolling through the updates list to see the pace. That pace simply wasn’t possible before. The new architecture has made development faster, safer, and more predictable, and it has allowed us to finally address long-standing issues we’d previously struggled to solve.
Our crash rate is now the lowest in the app’s 11-year history. A large part of that improvement comes from better tooling: a new in-app bug reporting flow and expanded telemetry mean issues surface earlier and can now get fixed faster. December and January were intentionally reserved for stabilization, cleanup, and polish, and with that work largely complete, part of the team has started shifting back toward building new things.
New! Curated Collections
We are happy to announce the addition of Curated Community Preset Collections. As Community Presets have become one of the most creative and community-driven parts of Darkroom, discovery was starting to suffer a bit as the catalog grew to well over 3,500 presets. Curated Collections are our way of bringing more clarity and quality back to the surface with handpicked sets that are cohesive, intentional, and easy to explore.
Every collection is designed to be calm and easy to browse, with a clear outcome in mind, whether you’re looking for subtle vintage looks, cinematic color grades, or something more vibrant. This is only the first step, but it already makes finding great presets feel more deliberate and less overwhelming.
Community Presets, refined
Alongside the introduction of curated collections, we spent time refining the fundamentals of the community preset experience itself. They now load significantly faster, especially in larger libraries, and:
Layout Controls - you can now switch the preview image in the grids, and we added a list layout for browsing on desktop.
Browse Menu - you can now access the browse menu from the top left, allowing you to jump around community presets with ease.
Keyboard access - has been improved enabling you navigate, search, and install presets with just your keyboard.
Misuse and spam filtering - has been tightened to keep everything civilized and high quality.
None of these changes are flashy on their own, but together they make community presets feel more solid, predictable, and professional.
Looking forward
Every anniversary is a moment to reflect, but this one also feels more like a reset.
Darkroom is now faster to iterate on, and more flexible than it has ever been. The work of the past two years weren't about chasing features, it was about making sure the foundation could support what comes next.
To everyone who tested betas, sent bug reports, shared feedback, and stuck with us through a busy release cycle: thank you. Darkroom wouldn’t exist without a community that cares deeply about craft, quality, and creative control.
Here’s to year eleven—and to everything we’re building on top of it.
Today we're introducing Extended Metadata, a major update to the metadata viewer in Darkroom. It's a complete rewrite of the metadata system that makes it faster, more reliable, and far more complete.
Metadata has always been part of Darkroom, but if we’re honest, it wasn’t always great. It could feel slower than it should, sometimes behaved slightly differently depending on how you opened it, and while it covered the essentials, it didn’t always reflect everything your files
Today we're introducing Extended Metadata, a major update to the metadata viewer in Darkroom. It's a complete rewrite of the metadata system that makes it faster, more reliable, and far more complete.
Metadata has always been part of Darkroom, but if we’re honest, it wasn’t always great. It could feel slower than it should, sometimes behaved slightly differently depending on how you opened it, and while it covered the essentials, it didn’t always reflect everything your files actually contained. With Darkroom 7.1, that changes.
Extended Metadata is accessible on all devices, from all the same places, and is faster, more reliable, and far more complete.
The Full Picture
Previously, we showed a practical subset of metadata, enough for most situations, but not the complete story. With Extended Metadata, we now display everything we can extract.
We still begin with a clean summary at the top, highlighting the details you’re most likely looking for: camera, lens, exposure settings, ISO, focal length, and resolution. From there, expandable sections reveal the rest. Detailed EXIF fields, extended lens data, color space and profile information, GPS coordinates when available, and any additional technical metadata embedded in the file are all accessible.
If it exists in the asset, you can now inspect it in Darkroom.
For photographers who care about precision, whether you’re comparing lenses between shoots, validating export settings, troubleshooting color workflows, or simply understanding how an image was captured, this makes the tool meaningfully more powerful.
Faster When You Need It
The new Metadata tool now loads in two stages. The moment you open it, you immediately see what’s already available locally on your device or cached from iCloud Photos. That means you get the most important context right away, without waiting.
If additional metadata exists beyond what we already have, Darkroom fetches it quietly in the background and merges it in seamlessly. Instead of blocking the interface with a loading spinner while gathering everything, we prioritize responsiveness first, and depth second. The experience feels lighter and more deliberate, especially when working with large libraries or assets stored in iCloud.
Built for What’s Next
Rebuilding the metadata system wasn’t only about improving performance and reliability. It was about creating a foundation we can build on.
In upcoming releases, we’ll begin introducing metadata editing inside Darkroom. You’ll be able to modify and manage metadata directly within the app, something many of you have asked for. Extended Metadata in 7.1 lays the groundwork to make that possible in a way that’s robust and future-proof.
Mac Workflow Improvements
We have also made two minor overdue improvements to the Mac workflow. First, you can now print your photos directly from the app. On iOS this was easily possible through the system Share Sheet, but on Mac it was not. So now, in the File menu you will find the familiar Print option, which works with single and multiple photos. Second, the "Edit With" Darkroom option, as found in the Apple Photos app, now properly works on Mac. It will open the right photo in Darkroom, and it even works if you have multiple photos selected.
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