iPhone Duo Support & Performance Upgrades
Darkroom is now available for the iPhone Duo with an optimized interface and improved performance. We updated the interface to be fully responsive to take advantage of the form factor and poses, and to bring many of the workflow optimizations we’ve designed for the iPad to the iPhone Duo.
We’re also releasing a massive set of performance and stability improvements to address much of the app’s loading delays and memory-related crashes. The app has never been this fast, stable, or responsive before.
iPhone Duo Support Available on Launch Day
Darkroom now adapts to the various poses of the Duo to take advantage of the space when fully opened, while focusing on the essentials when the device is folded.
When the iPhone Duo is closed, we prioritize the experience on library navigation and review actions, maximizing the photo size and prioritizing the photo strip and the Flag and Reject actions. iPhone photos are captured in a 4:3 aspect ratio by default, so we designed the interface around maximizing the size of the photo in the different Duo poses. In fact, despite being significantly smaller than the iPhone 18 Pro Max, the Duo is able to display the photo in the same exact size, by moving the navigation controls to the new vertical tool bar on the right side of the screen.
When the iPhone Duo is unfolded, the editing interface is optimized for two-handed interaction, just like on the iPad, while reserving a 4:3 aspect ratio space for the photo, meaning portrait iPhone photos are as big as possible with enough space for the tools and a navigation bar. This is a very similar experience for those who use Darkroom on iPad, but now you can fold it and put it in your pocket.
The iPhone Duo can also be used in the standing “tent” pose. If you capture mainly in landscape orientation, this pose presents photos large and beautifully, with the review actions easily reachable on both sides of the photo strip.
Mobile photo editing, in contrast to traditional desktop workflows, is not a one-time act; it is a continuous process, and the iPhone Duo finally allowed us to optimize for both quick on-the-go review and culling workflows with the device folded, and deep photo editing when opened. This is why we feel Darkroom is uniquely positioned to take advantage of the iPhone Duo’s unique form factor, and why we’re excited to see what you all create with it.
Performance & Stability Upgrades
A new device is a natural moment to make the app faster, and the A20 Pro in the iPhone Duo gave us plenty to work with. But the bigger opportunity was the phones people already own. So alongside the Duo work, we’ve made an extensive set of performance and stability upgrades that touch every part of Darkroom. The app should feel more lively and responsive, with fewer stutters while editing and better stability with large images, and RAW photos see the biggest improvement of all.
None of this would have been possible without the rendering engine we rebuilt for Darkroom 7. When we replaced the old foundation last year, this was always the plan: get the engine right first, then go after the performance work we had wanted to do for years but couldn’t on the old stack. The iPhone Duo gave us the push to finally do it, and we’re thrilled with how far back it reaches. The rendering engine is now responsive to available memory, taking advantage of it when available to improve performance, and trading performance for memory stability on older devices. We made sure to thoroughly test these improvements to make sure they’re as stable as possible on iPhone 11, that phone is from 2019, seven years ago, and Darkroom runs smooth and fast on it. This means the app is more responsive and stable on the older devices we support (iOS 18.4 and above).
120fps control performance
Drag a mask and the red overlay keeps up with your finger instead of trailing behind, so you can see exactly what you’re selecting as you place it. On ProMotion displays, sliders and crop handles feel just as immediate.
Faster RAW rendering
Swipe to the next RAW photo and it’s ready to edit sooner, so working through a shoot means less time waiting on the loading indicator. RAW photos also export faster and use much less memory.
100MP RAW support
Tiling lets even an iPhone 11 render, edit, and export a 100MP RAW photo. 7.4 crashes while exporting this one. 7.5 finishes it.
Preset thumbnails load faster
Open Presets and the previews of your photo fill in sooner, so you can compare looks as you scroll instead of waiting on each one.
Fix flashing when opening a photo or video
Opening a video from your library no longer flashes to black before it appears. Videos that still need to download from iCloud now show their loading state properly while they come down.
Faster thumbnail rendering when batch pasting
Paste an edit across a set of photos and the thumbnails update to the new look sooner, so you can check the whole set right away.
Faster batch export
Export a set of photos and the batch finishes sooner, so you spend less time waiting before you can share them.
Masks now support perspective and straightening
Masks now work together with perspective and straightening, so you can level a horizon or correct a building’s lines and keep refining the same photo with masks.
RAW+JPEG switching is fixed
Switching between the RAW and JPEG versions of a RAW+JPEG photo often failed before. Now it switches every time.
Full-resolution zoom in preview
Zoom in while previewing a photo and you now see it at full resolution, so you can check fine detail and focus without opening the editor.
Videos now support clarity
With the improved render performance we were finally able to add Clarity to video.
New Icons to celebrate the occasion
We’re also adding three new app icons for Darkroom+ members, each a new take on the Darkroom peaks. Stars finally does what the 6.0 icon’s star background always hinted at and traces the peaks as a constellation. CRT draws them in the green pixels of an old monitor, a nod to the render engine that made this release possible. And Magic adds a little sparkle. Consider it a hint; we have something to show you very soon.
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
