Press · Version 1.5.1

Mobile Darkroom for the press

Mobile Darkroom is a photo lab for iPhone and iPad that develops RAW files and ordinary photos entirely on the device, with no subscription, no account and no cloud.

Contains every image, clip and screenshot, the app icon and the fact sheet (EN/DE).

Facts

DeveloperBjoern Kindler, Kindler Dev, Unterhaching near Munich, Germany (solo developer)
PlatformiPhone and iPad, iOS/iPadOS 17 or later
Released19 August 2026, current version 1.5.1 from 12 October 2026
PriceFree download. Every editing tool is free to use. Exporting starts a free 3-day trial; after that, exporting needs the one-time full version for $4.99 (€5.99 in Germany). No subscription, no auto-renewal
Languages18, including English, German, French, Spanish, Japanese, Korean and Chinese
PrivacyProcessing stays on the device: no account, no cloud, no tracking
CategoryPhoto & Video
App Storehttps://apps.apple.com/app/id6802331680
Websitehttps://mobile-darkroom.com/

What it does

  • Develops RAW and Apple ProRAW, plus JPEG and HEIF. The original stays untouched; exports are new copies.
  • Global corrections: exposure, highlights, shadows, whites, blacks, contrast, saturation, vibrance, temperature, tint, and a tone curve with freely placed points.
  • Local masks (brush, radial and linear gradient) with the same controls as the whole image.
  • Repair with a touch-up brush for distractions, for example a shadow or a stray object.
  • Depth Blur from the real depth data of Portrait photos, with a selectable focus point. Photos without depth data get a depth map estimated on the device, and the app labels it as estimated.
  • Filter magazine (new in 1.5): warming and cooling filters from 81A to 85B and 82A to 80A, graduated filters, polarizer, star filters with 2 to 16 rays, spectral star, light fan, diffusion and halation. Rays and halation follow the brightness of the light sources in the photo.
  • Before/after comparison, undo/redo, zoom into fine detail.

What it honestly does not do

Effects that cannot be recreated after capture, such as a true polarizer, are labeled as simulations. The app does not claim to recover information the camera never recorded.

Quote

“I wanted a photo lab that keeps my pictures on my iPhone and still gives me every tool. You pay once, not every month.”

Bjoern Kindler, developer of Mobile Darkroom

Edited on iPhone with Mobile Darkroom. Click an image to open the full-size PNG.

Polarizer: reflections on the water reduced
Polarizer: reflections on the water reducedDownload PNG · 1920 × 1080 · 1.9 MB

Vertical clips

Wipes between before and after, showing the result only, without the app interface.

Screenshots

Version 1.5.1, English interface.

App icon

Mobile Darkroom app icon
Download PNG · 1024 × 1024

Contact

Bjoern Kindler
Kindler Dev · Unterhaching
info@kindler-dev.de
+49 89 62084444

Review codes for the full version on request.