Darkroom Photo Editing App Gains New Highlight and Shadow Recovery Tools - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Darkroom Photo Editing App Gains New Highlight and Shadow Recovery Tools

Photo editing app Darkroom today announced the launch of new highlight and shadow recovery tools, which are available as an expansion of the existing recovery sliders.

darkroom update highlight shadows
Darkroom says that the Exposure, Whites, Highlights, Shadows, and Blacks sliders have been rebuilt from the ground up in a major technical investment that allows users to access edits that were previously out of reach.

A luminance curve adjusts the dark and bright areas of the image, while a histogram-equalization algorithm enhances clarity in the midtones to avoid a flat look. A frequency-domain algorithm detects busy areas in the image and enhances contrast, and all of the new algorithms are spatially aware to allow for tweaks to each part of an image.

darkroom sliders before and after
The highlight and shadow recovery tools are available for all image types, but Darkroom says they work particularly well for RAW photos as there is more detail to recover.

With the launch of the new tools, Darkroom is discontinuing the Photos Editing Extension that allowed the Apple ‌Photos‌ app to be used to make Darkroom edits. The feature is being discontinued because of memory constraints and resolution limitations.

Darkroom is free to download, but premium Darkroom+ features are available for $5 per month or $30 per year. Darkroom can be downloaded from the App Store. [Direct Link]

Popular Stories

Aston Martin CarPlay Ultra Screen

Apple Says CarPlay Ultra is Coming to These Vehicle Brands

Thursday May 21, 2026 11:53 am PDT by
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly a year later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon. In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. CarPlay Ultra...
iphone 18 pro blue%402x

iPhone 18 Pro: Dark Cherry, Light Blue, and Dark Gray Chassis Leaked [Update]

Thursday June 4, 2026 5:18 am PDT by
Update: Since publication, new information has come to light suggesting the images have been AI-manipulated and are not in fact iPhone 18 Pro chassis parts. The original article follows. The color options Apple is reportedly planning for the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max have appeared online today in the form of images of chassis parts of unknown authenticity....
iOS 27 All the New App Features

iOS 27: All the Rumored App Features

Wednesday June 3, 2026 3:48 pm PDT by
Siri is getting a major overhaul in iOS 27, but Apple also has some big updates planned for apps like Camera, Photos, and Wallet. There are multiple new AI features in the works, plus some non-AI upgrades. Camera Apple is moving Visual Intelligence from the Camera Control button to the Camera app in iOS 27, according to Bloomberg. There will be a Siri mode that will be available alongside...

Top Rated Comments

darkroomapp Avatar
47 months ago

Always scepticle of these before/after, does RAW really capture enough to bring back all the colour and contrast?
Hi Ryan, these images are exports from Darkroom, both of them. If you look at our launch video, you can see usdemonstrating it live:
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GtrDude Avatar
47 months ago
I used to like this app and used it a lot. Bought it a while back for 9 dollars.
Then they went to monthly ($5) and annual ($30 bucks!!) subscription services, that's when I found another app.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
robfoll Avatar
47 months ago
As an ex-app-dev (failed), I can tell you it costs many tens of thousands $$ just to keep up with Apple OS updates, required coding changes, fix bugs and that's all before adding features. As @PeteBurgh says, it costs a fortune just to stand still. I gave up on my app as, despite good reviews, I could not generate enough revenue to cover the costs of regular updates. @darkroomapp is being honest and fair here IMHO. PS just downloaded Darkroom to try.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
47 months ago

Hi, when we switched to subscriptions, we did not remove access to any features you paid for, rather added Flag & Reject and Video editing as add-ons to your purchase for free.

Since the release of Masks, we no longer include new premium features in your "Legacy" purchase, but you continue to have access to what you purchased for free.
I think this is fair to both the user who made a purchase and the developer who needs to make a living.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
darkroomapp Avatar
47 months ago

I used to like this app and used it a lot. Bought it a while back for 9 dollars.
Then they went to monthly ($5) and annual ($30 bucks!!) subscription services, that's when I found another app.
Hi, when we switched to subscriptions, we did not remove access to any features you paid for, rather added Flag & Reject and Video editing as add-ons to your purchase for free.

Since the release of Masks, we no longer include new premium features in your "Legacy" purchase, but you continue to have access to what you purchased for free.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GtrDude Avatar
47 months ago

You can pay to "Unlock Everything Forever"
Yes, I can do that and I was promised that very thing when I first "bought" it at 9 dollars.
Now I can do it again for 75 bucks!!!
Yes, I can still access the app and go in there but as of about two years ago I have not gotten any updates whatsoever.
So it's just a matter of time when the app becomes incompatible with the new iOs's.
But yes, I can indeed buy it again for another lifetime license...
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)