iCloud Library

Darkroom works directly with your Apple Photos library. There's no catalog to manage, no proprietary library format, and no importing step — just open Darkroom and your photos are there.

Why Darkroom Uses iCloud Photos

Darkroom started as an iPhone app, and the majority of people shoot photos with their iPhone. Building directly on Apple Photos means there's zero friction — you take a photo, open Darkroom, and it's right there. No importing, no syncing, no catalog to manage. For most people, this is the fastest possible workflow.

Unlike traditional photo editors that require you to import photos into a separate catalog or library, Darkroom reads directly from your Apple Photos library. Your photos stay exactly where they are, managed entirely by Apple Photos and iCloud.

This means:

• Instant access. Any photo or video in your library is immediately available in Darkroom — including albums, favorites, and shared albums.
• No duplicate files. Darkroom never copies your photos into its own storage.
• No lock-in. If you stop using Darkroom, your photos remain in Apple Photos, untouched.

When you first open Darkroom, it will ask for access to your photo library. You can grant access to all photos, or choose to give access to individual photos one at a time.

Note that Darkroom does not currently support local catalogs or folder-based libraries like some desktop editors (e.g. Lightroom Classic). If your workflow revolves around importing photos from a DSLR or mirrorless camera into a local catalog, you'll need to import those photos to first for Darkroom to access them.

How Edits Are Stored

All edits you make in Darkroom are non-destructive. Your original photo or video is never modified. Instead, Darkroom stores your adjustments in its own database on your device.

This is different from editors that write sidecar files (like .xmp files) or embed edit metadata into the image. Darkroom keeps its edit data separate, which means:

• Your originals are always preserved, exactly as Apple Photos manages them.
• When you do export using Save, Modify Original, behind the scenes Apple stores it as a new version, which can always be "Reverted" to the original.
• You can reset any edit, or revert to the original, at any time to return to the original.
• Edit data is lightweight and stored locally on your device.

What Syncs & What Doesn't

Because Darkroom builds on Apple Photos, it's important to understand what iCloud handles and what it doesn't.

Photos & videos sync via iCloud

Your photos and videos sync across all your Apple devices through iCloud Photos. Any photo you take on your iPhone will appear in Darkroom on your iPad or Mac, and vice versa. This is handled entirely by Apple — Darkroom simply reads from your library.

Darkroom edits do not sync automatically

Darkroom's edit data is stored locally on each device. If you edit a photo on your iPhone, that edit won't automatically appear when you open Darkroom on your iPad or Mac.

To transfer your edits across devices, use the Save, Modify Original option. This writes the edited version back into Apple Photos as the modified original, which then syncs via iCloud. The other device will see the saved result, though it will appear as a new starting point rather than an editable Darkroom adjustment stack.

Offline Editing

You can edit photos in Darkroom even when you're offline — as long as the photo is available locally on your device.

Apple Photos manages a local cache of your photos. When your device has enough storage, it keeps full-resolution versions of recent and frequently accessed photos. Older or less-used photos may be stored only in iCloud, with a lower-resolution thumbnail kept on your device.

Darkroom has no control over this cache. If a photo hasn't been downloaded to your device, you'll need an internet connection for Apple Photos to fetch it before you can edit at full resolution. You can manually download photos in Apple Photos to ensure they're available offline.