Popular photo editing app Darkroom reached version 3.5 today, introducing the ability to edit Depth shots taken on supporting iPhone cameras, along with several other notable new features.

After updating to v3.5, Darkroom will automatically load the depth map for Portrait photos encountered in the library and recreate applied blur from scratch, handing control of its strength and location back to the user. Thanks to a new depth range selector, it's now possible to define exactly where the foreground and the background are.

Darkroom 3 5 depth
Meanwhile, in what the developers are calling an industry first, Darkroom 3.5 now features Depth-Aware filters. These come premium Portrait Filter pack to be depth-aware. Each filter will automatically adjust foreground and background settings to optimize the focal point of the image on the face, not on the background. User-created filters with depth settings also now carry over those settings to the filter itself.

Additionally in this release, Darkroom's RAW engine has been rebuilt to take full advantage of the Extended-Range color space of Raw files, which should enable photographers to dramatically improve the amount of detail that's recoverable from shadows and highlights. Similarly, the brightness, contrast, highlights and shadows sliders have been rebuilt to operate in the extended space, offering finer-grain tone control.

35 halide
Elsewhere, the developers have undertaken app-wide performance refinements in an effort to make photo editing in Darkroom as fast as photo browsing. There's also now a dedicated button at the top of the library view for accessing popular third-party camera app Halide, ready for when the announced Darkroom X Halide integration goes live.

Darkroom is a free download from the App Store and includes in-app purchases for some tools. [Direct Link].

Top Rated Comments

Majd Taby Avatar
99 months ago
I enjoy using this app. But one thing I’ve struggled with is the best use off all the options in the app. Individually they make sense: contrast, highlights, shadows, plus the curves you can drag. But put them all together and it’s a challenge to know when you should adjust one feature vs another. Every picture is different and there’s always going to be some trial and error, but I’d love to get pointers on a holistic approach to editing my pictures that takes advantage of the features without the overkill of trying to use every option.
Great point. We're going to be releasing educational material inside the app and our blog later this year. Just need to fine the time somewhere....
[doublepost=1522347311][/doublepost]
Cool! I've never heard of Darkroom before today, but as soon as my phone and iPad finish updating to 11.3 I'll be giving it a spin :)

I currently use Lightroom for most iOS photo editing since I like its raw capture support, its basic functionality as compared to the desktop version, and the great jpeg exporting. But (afaik) it can't natively work with the iOS camera effects, so that sounds like fun!
Lightroom is a fantastic app, but it's locked within the Adobe CC ecosystem. What you'll find different (and we hope, amazing) in Darkroom, is how tightly integrated we are to the native photo library. We call it Library Sync: No import, all actions are automatically mapped back to the photo library (except export, that's an explicit step).
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Majd Taby Avatar
99 months ago
Hello all, I'm the co-founder of Darkroom, happy to answer any questions you may have!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Majd Taby Avatar
99 months ago
Then answer the question above your post....;)
Haha fair.

From a capture perspective, Apple calls depth-capture "Portrait Mode" because it's ideally suited for capturing portraits of people (We can't guess what they're potentially doing under the hood as far as ML-backed detection and manipulation of depth data). The native camera app enforces this by setting distance limits and light-limits to ensure the quality of the depth map is high. When you use portrait mode in non-portrait contexts, you may very well have an excellent depth map, but often you end up with artifacts.

From an editing perspective, the use of depth-editing is much more obvious and the benefit you get from it as a photographer is much more prevalent when used to add contrast between foreground and background, in portrait settings.

tl;dr- It's a better context for explaining the feature and why it's useful, though it can certainly be used in other contexts.
[doublepost=1522339872][/doublepost]
Is denoise something you guys are working on? I'd much rather do my editing in one app than have to bounce out to Light Room to denoise my .raw files.

The notes specifically mention "the face" when talking about depth. What's that mean for those of us who use portrait mode on things other than people?
Denoise is currently not high on our priority list. We're a two-man company, so we're resource limited on what we can do at one time, but it's on our radar. Just have to get through some of the very high priority items first.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Majd Taby Avatar
99 months ago
first time user for the app...(i had previously downloaded it but never opened)
-Is the app OK for JPEG or more for iPhone RAW 'images' (I just have a iP6...but will upgrade later this year)
-Does the $7.99 in-app purchase knock everything...there are quite a few in-app purchase options and a bit confusing to me.


Thanks
Yes, the $7.99 purchase unlocks everything in the app :)

Darkroom handles most kinds of images you send its way: JPEG, RAW, Portrait, Live, etc. Try it with your DSLR photos as well!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
aevan Avatar
99 months ago
Hello all, I'm the co-founder of Darkroom, happy to answer any questions you may have!
No questions, just to say “thank you”. Love the app. A lot of attention to detail here, from the design to the haptics when you move sliders around. Personally, I like using curves the most.

I rarely use photo editing apps outside built in ones, but Darkroom is the exception. The only thing missing, I guess, is some kind of context-aware fix brush (to remove smudges and blemishes), but even without it, it’s worth the IAP price. Thanks.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Majd Taby Avatar
99 months ago
No questions, just to say “thank you”. Love the app. A lot of attention to detail here, from the design to the haptics when you move sliders around. Personally, I like using curves the most.

I rarely use photo editing apps outside built in ones, but Darkroom is the exception. The only thing missing, I guess, is some kind of context-aware fix brush (to remove smudges and blemishes), but even without it, it’s worth the IAP price. Thanks.
Thank you very much for the kind words, it's very much appreciated
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

ios 26 1 liquid glass opaque

iOS 26.1 Beta 4 Lets Users Control Liquid Glass Transparency with New Toggle

Monday October 20, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
With the fourth betas of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS 26.1, Apple has introduced a new setting that's designed to allow users to customize the look of Liquid Glass. The toggle lets users select from a clear look for Liquid Glass, or a tinted look. Clear is the current Liquid Glass design, which is more transparent and shows the background underneath buttons, bars, and menus, while tinted ...
iPhone Air

Report: 'Virtually No Demand' for iPhone Air

Wednesday October 22, 2025 3:22 am PDT by
Apple is "drastically" cutting production of the iPhone Air and shifting focus toward the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro models, Nikkei Asia reports. The business publication claims to have learned of a major cut to iPhone Air production motivated by weaker-than-expected consumer interest, nearly to "end of production levels." Despite early reports of the iPhone Air selling out within hours of...
sam sung auction

Former Apple Employee Sam Sung Changed His Name to Avoid Attention

Wednesday October 22, 2025 4:44 pm PDT by
Back in 2012, an Apple retail employee named Sam Sung went viral because his name is similar to Samsung, one of Apple's main competitors. In a recent interview with Business Insider, he detailed that period in his life, how Apple responded, and he explained why he ultimately changed his name. Someone posted an image of Sung's Apple business card on Reddit in 2012, and it spread rapidly....
cadillac lyric infotainment

GM to Remove CarPlay from All Future Vehicles, Including Gas Cars

Wednesday October 22, 2025 11:34 am PDT by
General Motors began phasing out support for CarPlay in its electric vehicles back in 2023, leading to complaints from iPhone users, but the company has no plans to back down. In fact, GM is going further and plans to remove CarPlay from all future gas vehicles, too. In an interview with The Verge, GM CEO Mary Barra said that the company opted to prioritize its platform for EVs, but the...
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

Apple's Plan to Launch Three New iPhone Designs Allegedly Revealed

Wednesday October 22, 2025 6:24 am PDT by
Apple plans to launch a new type of iPhone every year for the foreseeable future, according to an Asia-based source. The detailed information was shared by the account "yeux1122" in a blog post on the Korean platform Naver, citing domestic trend and component research companies. Corroborating other reports, Apple will apparently launch its first foldable iPhone in 2026, featuring a...
maxresdefault

Here's How the iOS 26.1 Transparency Toggle Changes Liquid Glass

Monday October 20, 2025 1:55 pm PDT by
With the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple added a toggle that makes Liquid Glass more opaque and reduces transparency. We tested the beta to see where the toggle works and what it looks like. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. If you have the latest iOS 26.1 beta, you can go to Settings > Display and Brightness to get to the new option. Tap on Liquid Glass, then...
iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Saturday October 18, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across the Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, Clock, and Safari apps. More features and changes will follow in future ...
iOS 26

What's New in iOS 26.1 Beta 4

Monday October 20, 2025 1:02 pm PDT by
Even though we're at the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple is continuing to add new features. In fact, the fourth beta has some of the biggest changes that we'll get when iOS 26.1 releases to the public later this month. We've rounded up what's new below. Liquid Glass Transparency Toggle Apple added a toggle for customizing the look of Liquid Glass. In Settings > Display and Brightness,...
kohler toilet sensor

Kohler Launches $600 iPhone-Connected Toilet Camera That Monitors Your Health Through Waste Analysis

Monday October 20, 2025 1:42 pm PDT by
Kohler is expanding its line of bathroom products with Dekoda, an iPhone-connected device that's designed to be attached to a toilet rim (via The Verge). The device's included "sensors" point into the toilet bowl, allowing it to analyze what goes on in the bathroom. According to Kohler, Dekoda is a health tracker that can monitor gut health and hydration, as well as detect the presence of...