Rian Johnson brings Hollywood colour grading to iPhone photography

The app functions as a bespoke tool rather than a traditional filter suite. Because it processes images from raw data rather than layering effects over an already-compressed file, users see the final, graded result only after the shutter triggers. While this approach limits real-time previewing, it ensures the output maintains the specific texture, grain, and halation characteristic of Yedlin’s cinematography.

Johnson opted for a gated ecosystem, limiting the app to iOS to maintain consistency across Apple’s uniform hardware. A small development team, he noted, lacks the resources to optimize the software for the vast fragmentation of the Android market. The app currently supports still photography exclusively, though future updates for Pro-model iPhones may introduce video capabilities. For $12.99, users gain access to limited fine-tuning tools for exposure and tone, intentionally restricted to preserve the integrity of the original filmic look.