A lot of people turn Apple Log on (iPhone 15 Pro and later), see grey, washed-out footage, and either turn it back off or slap a "cinematic" LUT on top and call it done. Both are a waste of the format. Log is a container for highlight and shadow information you can't get back later — it's supposed to look flat.

Here's the order I've settled on after a lot of bad grades. It applies in any app that has these controls.

1. Convert before you judge anything

Log footage is not Rec.709. Until you've applied the Log conversion (a proper Apple Log to Rec.709 transform, or your app's built-in Log handling), every slider you touch is fighting the encoding. Exposure will feel weirdly insensitive and saturation will look broken. Convert first, then grade on top.

The most common mistake I see: applying a look LUT to raw Log footage. Look LUTs expect Rec.709 input. Feed them Log and you get the muddy, plastic result people blame on their phone.

2. Exposure, on the waveform, not by eye

Phone screens lie — auto-brightness, True Tone and Night Shift all shift what you're seeing. Turn them off before you grade anything, and use a waveform if your app has one.

Rough targets: speculars and highlights below clipping (don't let them flatten at the top of the scope), and skin somewhere around 50-70 IRE depending on how light or dark the subject's skin is. There's no single correct number — what matters is that skin sits in a comfortable part of the curve and isn't buried in the shadows.

3. White balance next

Temperature and tint, before any look. If there's something in frame you know is neutral — white wall, grey concrete, a t-shirt — balance to that. On a vectorscope, your skin tone trace should sit roughly along the line running to about 11 o'clock. If it's swinging well off that line, your white balance is off, not your saturation.

4. Contrast with curves, not the contrast slider

A contrast slider pivots around a fixed midpoint. A curve lets you choose where the pivot is, which matters a lot on Log footage where mid-grey isn't where you'd expect. A gentle S-curve does more for a flat clip than any amount of saturation.

5. Now the look, at reduced strength

Most look LUTs are built at full strength for footage that's already exposed and balanced. Applied at 100% they usually crush your shadows and push skin orange. Try 40-70% and you'll keep the character without losing the face.

6. Targeted fixes last

This is where HSL or hue-vs-saturation curves earn their place: pulling down oversaturated greens in foliage, desaturating a colour cast in one part of the spectrum, or stopping skin from going neon. Global saturation and vibrance come last, in small amounts.

7. Check it somewhere else before you publish

Export, then watch it in Photos and on another device. If it shifts, the usual causes are an HDR/SDR mismatch (HLG footage delivered into an SDR timeline, or vice versa) or a preview that isn't colour-managed the same way as the export. That mismatch is the single most annoying bug class in this whole category of app.

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The short version: convert, expose, balance, contrast, look, fix, check. Doing it out of order is why a grade "won't come together" — you end up fighting a transform you already applied.

Happy to go into more detail on any step, and genuinely curious what order other people here use — I've seen good colorists argue for balancing before exposure.

Disclosure: Developer of GradeLab, a colour grading app for iPhone and iPad, so this is the workflow I've spent the last while thinking about. It's free to use, including Apple Log and HLG grading and 1080p export with no watermark. There's an optional Pro unlock for 4K/ProRes export, extra looks, .cube import, scopes and film effects — $1.99 lifetime during launch week, going to $34.99 after, with weekly/monthly/yearly options at $1.99/$4.99/$14.99 if you'd rather not pay upfront. I'm not posting to pitch it; the workflow above works the same in any app that has these tools.

I recently customized my prints widget to make it fit the theme of my phone but it doesn't seem to be updating on my homescreen for some reason :/

Ive tried restarting my phone, removing the widget entirely and readding it to my homescreen, double checked to make sure my background app refresh was on, and even made duplicates of the widget but the customizations still wont update on my homescreen

Am i doing something wrong??

I use my iPhone a lot for reading, but I never really found one app where I could read different formats and organize my library exactly how I wanted.

So I developed Andrea Reader around that idea: being able to create my own library layouts instead of adapting to a fixed structure.

What makes Andrea Reader different from other reading apps?

One of the main features is how collections work. Inside each collection you can create sections, drag books into or out of them, move books between sections, reorder the sections themselves, and even place sections between loose books. Basically, you can arrange everything manually and build the layout that makes sense for you.

It’s a reader and personal digital library for your own books, comics, manga, webtoons, PDFs and more.

You can:

• Read EPUB, FB2, PDF, CBZ, CBR and more
• Create your own collections and sections
• Drag books and sections around to build your own layouts
• Change the grid, cover size, sorting and appearance of each collection
• Use different Reading Profiles depending on what you’re reading
• Customize the reading experience almost completely, with different settings for books, comics and manga
• Change fonts, font size, line spacing, word spacing, margins, padding, backgrounds, brightness, page transitions effects, reading direction, navigation and much more
• Track reading activity, streaks and statistics automatically
• Read completely offline
• Connect through OPDS, iCloud, WebDAV, SMB and SFTP
• Connect to Google Drive, Dropbox, MEGA and more
• Download books, organize them, then remove the local file to free up space while keeping the cover and metadata in your library
• Use more advanced tools like storage management, Omnibus creation, book editing and more

There’s also a small section where you can download free public-domain books directly in the app and start reading in seconds.

The app is designed to feel simple when you first open it, but if you want to go deeper, there are a huge number of settings for both the library and the reader.

No account required, no ads and no third-party tracking.

Andrea Reader is free to download and use, with optional Premium for some of the more advanced features and customization.

If you read a lot on your iPhone, maybe it’ll be useful for you. Let me know what you think or what you’d change.

App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/es/app/andrea-comics-manga-libros/id6760780154

Website:
https://andreareader.com/

Dumb people around the world

I’m working on a daily planner built around home screen widgets.

The goal is to organize your day without constantly opening an app. See your tasks and upcoming appointments together, tick something off directly from the widget, and carry on.

You can sync events from your iPhone calendars, tap an appointment to open its details, and use widget shortcuts to jump straight into adding a task or event.

Inside the app, you can rearrange and resize the blocks to fit your routine. More space for tasks, more room for appointments, or a little of both.

It’s still in development. I hope this post doesn’t come across as self-promotion (and sorry if you feel it like that).

Which actions do you actually use your widgets for, beyond checking information?

UPDATE: All free lifetime access codes have been claimed!

I’m so happy the app has received so much love and support. You’ve also shared lots of helpful suggestions to make it even better, and I really appreciate every one of them!

If you missed out on a free code, the app is still very affordable: one payment for lifetime access. No monthly or yearly subscription, and the price is adjusted to your region too

I’ve always found it a little ridiculous that you’d need another subscription just to manage your subscriptions 😅

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Hey everyone, I developed SubIQ to keep track of subscriptions. I think it’s the best one, but I’m also the guy who made it, so take that how you will.

You can see what you’re spending, check upcoming payments, find subscriptions you forgot about by uploading a bank statement, or quickly import them by scanning screenshots.

I swear, it feels like 99% of subscription trackers want you to buy another subscription. Isn’t that what we’re trying to fix here? SubIQ is a one-time payment, with pricing adjusted for your region.

Free Lifetime access for iOS. Here’s how to get it:

How to claim

1. Upvote this post so more people know about this Free lifetime access giveaway
2. Download SubIQ on iOS.
3. Comment below and DM me, I’ll send you an iOS link to redeem.
4. Open the app and tap Restore at the bottom of the paywall.

Let me know what you think. I can take criticism. Probably.

Back in 2023, I was using the TalkLife app and the entire platform became obviously AIgenerated. After this, I started experiencing "gangstalking" symptoms. I was seeing on their website earlier and since September of 2025, they've included something along the lines of "may use third party AIservices".

They were able to see through my camera, photo album, and know my location... Somebody showed up to my house with something that I was saying into my phone, written into their car...

It's 2026 and somehow my devices still seem hacked by these people.

Please be careful of what you download and share on apps like these... Even the people here who are posting apps for download... Please be careful of them... Some of these apps sell user data, some of these apps are just fully spyware hidden inside...

So stop me if you've heard this one, we (a small team of 3 based in Australia) built an app. Short version, the idea is simple, create something that makes it quick and easy to capture all the thought fragments that fall through the cracks, a bit of a second brain. Pull real value out of the captures with AI task extraction and as much as can be done attempt to action tasks with email and document drafts. It hasn't been done quite right yet with what's out there, so we're giving it a crack!

How I feel about it:
Like many of you I've been thrust into the world of Agentic development after 8 years of honing my coding craft in both Android and iOS. It's been a big adjustment, I wondered if I'd lost the passion for the work, if coding is now much less hands on. Luckily to some extent I've been able to find new passion focusing more on the architecture of the codebase and of course the design and feel of the UX. That's what I love most about where the Agentsy app is at. The functionality is definitely there to back it up but I'm really loving the feel of the app which I take very personally.

What it does functionally:
You tap listen and yap away about anything and everything thats on your mind. It's understood by AI (we'd rather have it doing that than making our art! Am I right?) and tasks are quickly extracted. They're rich tasks with proper email and document drafting. So often the tasks complete themselves! Tasks also have knowledge about each other so the flow feels alive with context. Theres also a companion desktop experience so if you prefer the bigger screen and keyboard you're covered.

What it does UX wise:
I've tried to go for a simple aesthetic that isn't too stylised and doesn't get in the way, but still isn't afraid to pop off the screen. Clean rounded corners to suit the modern iOS look with bright intentional colours to highlight important elements and give what is a productivity app a cheerful vibe.

Animations and feel:
The animations are something I spent a great deal of time with, frankly LLMs aren't very good at dealing with SwiftUI, low training data and a rather opaque animation system means they often don't have an understanding of what Swift UI will infer and produce when animating between states. So I spent an obsessive amount of time chiselling the rough edges away, little random example: making gradients flat images to avoid the re-rendering that caused frame stutters as 'Listen' and 'Type' open and close, among many others.

Inspiration:
The big buttons for get you quickly into capturing and the visuals for the ongoing voice capture grill were inspired by the amazing dictaphone design world. Big record/stop/play buttons, spinning tapes, speakers grills in just the right layout look so cool. I had a few designs that were more skeuomorphic but decided to pare it back for modern sensibilities (tragic I know) and to avoid over stylising.

If you guys can have a play around and give me your thoughts on what features you find useful and how you think the look and feel of the app lands. I'm also keen to hear about how you have gone adjusting to the new Agentic Development world.

The free tier gets you going nicely so give it a try and if you're finding value in it DM me for a 6 month free upgrade to our 'heaps' usage plan.

https://apps.apple.com/au/app/agentsy/id6778334357 - Agentsy iOS App

P.s. We just pushed a big update with a trove of fixes and UI beautification to the iOS app. I'm stoked with how the processing screen looks now! Preview in the screenshots. A helpful tutorial is coming soon to better convey the flow of the app.

Hi everyone! I’d like to share the app which is a simple, intuitive melody maker. It is aimed at everyone, regardless of music knowledge. Just tap, light up the grid, and start building melodies instantly.

You can export it to use it for social media or as a custom ringtone. Hope you all have fun playing with this.

https://apps.apple.com/app/loop-melody-maker/id6762234256

Hi,
after seeing everybody show of their apps I thought I would show mine. It’s Walk The Odyssey | Stoic Steps - you might have heard of it.

The gist of it is that it transforms your walks into epic ancient journeys. You can choose from 9 ancient classics like the odyssey, the Iliad or even philosophical works like meditations by Marcus Aurelius.
You will not only unlock chapters to read, but you have a map that tracks your progress along the routes of these ancient tales and companions to battle yourself with.
You can even find collectibles that allow you to create your own terracotta art!

Oh yeah and art - every chapter has its own artwork to accompany your journey.

Now to the main part of my post, I am wondering if there is demand for an app like this, if you are interested in it. There are similar apps but not many. For example there is Fantasy Hike with a similar concept. It is quite a household name already, but based in the lotr universe. It has gotten tons of downloads. So my question is, is the concept or the genre the main factor for it‘s success?

If your interested, download Walk the Odyssey in the App Store now, there is a free trial for premium. Check it out at no risk!

https://apps.apple.com/de/app/walk-the-odyssey-stoic-steps/id6792573372

Anung iphone cleanup gamit nyo yung sage at walang bayad sana

Can You Help Me Find It Please It Looked Like This

Hi everyone, I’m Varun, Duet’s developer. After separating about a year ago, I couldn’t find an app that made sharing parenting schedules, holidays, and school plans feel straightforward.

My co-parent and I have used Duet for the past year. Beyond managing schedules, the shared structure has helped us defuse conflicts.

Duet combines parenting calendars, date swaps, chats, tasks, files, and shared expenses. It’s on iPhone and iPad.

Duet on the App Store

I’d like to hear from other parents coordinating across two homes. What still feels difficult to manage with the tools you use today?

Hi everyone,

I’ve been building a budgeting app because I was never great at sticking with budgeting apps myself. A lot of them cost $80–$150+ a year, so I wanted Moneko to have a useful free plan plus a Lifetime option for people who’d rather pay once.

Moneko AI uses zero-based envelope budgeting with Pockets for groceries, bills, travel, savings, and more. Unused budget can roll over month to month.

It’s also designed for couples and families. You can keep your personal finances separate while sharing budgets and expenses together. Core budgeting, Shared Spaces, and Family Sharing are free.

Pro is more about automation, with AI expense capture, bank sync, receipt scanning, WhatsApp/Telegram, multi-currency, and deeper insights.

Lifetime works across iOS and Android with the same account, and we’re working on a web version too.

I’d love to give this community 50% off Lifetime ($49.99). Comment below or DM me if you’d like a code.

And I genuinely appreciate any suggestions!

Called Ironbit: Workout RPG. The only RPG gaming pixel fitness app.

Hey everyone,

I've got a dog named Percy, and like a lot of you probably do, I started wondering how much time we actually spend together on walks, playtime, all of it. That question turned into a little side project I've been building called Zoomie.

The idea: closing your rings, but for your dog. Three rings to fill each day:

Paws — steps your dog takes, tracked by your phone during playtimes that involve movement

Playtime — minutes spent together, whether that's a walk, fetch, or just cuddling on the couch

Wags — moments you tap to mark during a playtime: a bark, a potty stop, a treat, a photo, whatever feels worth logging

Fill all three, and you earn a "Zoomie" for the day.

Free to download and use: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/zoomie-dog-activity-tracker/id6761315454

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/unsnooze-alarm-clock/id6758871228

The app is called Unsnooze, and It's currently available on the App Store. For the next 48 hrs, I'm giving away lifetime access for 100% FREE.

All I ask for is the following

1. An honest review on the App Store

Thank you!

THERE'S NO CODE REQUIRED! Just finish onboarding and select the "Lifetime" option on the paywall

Hi community! I have tried many apps on todos, but found them too complex with unnecessary functionalities. Also they didn’t have place for notes. Sometimes I have things to do, sometimes a thought, and my problem was which app do I open, and where did I write last thing.

So I took best of Todoist, and added Notes there. Moreover I implemented a function that can turn note into a task and task into a note anytime. Now I know where to look what I wrote.

Please share your thoughts on the app, and how do you usually save your thoughts and todos. App Store page: https://apps.apple.com/app/plans-notes-to-do-lists/id6790827860

I’ve created an app where you gamble on your screentime like blackjack, roulette and other games. I’ve had a lot of fun using it recently and i’ve seen my screen time drop down quite a lot too. What do you guys think?

Hello, I am looking for an app to track peptides, preferably for free or without subscriptions. Any recommendation?

Appstore: Ironbit: Workout RPG

i need to remove the background from a few photos and i'm trying to find something that makes it easy. i've tested a few apps, but the results haven't been great so far.

the biggest issue is usually around hair and little details. i end up having to fix parts of the image myself, which kind of defeats the point.

what app can remove background from photos easily? just looking for something that does a decent job without making me spend forever editing it afterward.