Darkroom 4.5
Powerful photo editing for RAW files on iOS
Free (IAPs) From Bergen Co, darkroom.co Made for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Needs iOS 11 or later
Darkroom for iOS is a powerful image editing app that has developed apace since its version 4 release. While core image editing tools are of course still present and correct, there have been significant changes in that time. Version 4.4 brought support for watermarking images on export, as well as an expanded export summary window. Version 4.5 dramatically overhauled the app’s rendering engine for a much smoother overall experience from sliders to file loading and transitions. Sometimes it’s better to fix what’s there than keep adding more, so this is to be welcomed.
The developers also rebuilt Darkroom’s Depth Engine to more accurately match the way depth editing works in Apple’s Photos. Perhaps most importantly for professionals, the way it handles RAW files has been greatly improved. Working with RAW files is essential for many, but had been buggy and problematic. Since version 4.5, it no longer is. The workflow and look of the app remains slick and uncluttered, and results excellent.
New users — though not existing ones — will have to pay $19.99 a year to subscribe to the app, which will be controversial but is likely required for its continued development. If you are more than an occasional photo editor it’s worth it, and you can review it after a year. In the meantime, expect more great features to be added regularly.
THE BOTTOM LINE. An excellent and ever—improving image editor for photographers, now with better RAW support.