Organize Your Library
Create folders, sort your rolls, and manage your film photography notes with ease. Frames gives you a clean, flexible way to manage your film archive, just like a digital contact sheet built for analog workflows.
The Complete Film Photography App for Analog Photographers
Frames is the ultimate analog photography app designed specifically for film photographers who want to capture every detail of their shooting process. Whether you're using 35mm, medium format, or large format cameras, our film photography app helps you log camera settings, track lens data, and preserve EXIF metadata for your scanned images.
Analog Film Photography App For iPhone
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Capture Every Setting
Log camera, lens, film stock, exposure settings, and detailed notes while you shoot in the field. Frames helps you record everything that matters so no detail gets lost between the shutter click and the scan.
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Revisit With Context
Review your complete shot settings anytime with timestamps, comprehensive notes, and GPS map locations. Easily retrace your shooting steps and connect each frame to the specific moment it was made.
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Map Your Memories
Automatically capture GPS coordinates and location data for each shot or manually add it later by hand. View your photos on an interactive map to see exactly where each shot was taken worldwide.
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Export and Share
Send your analog photography notes to your computer in seconds to merge with scanned images. Export as .frames files and continue right where you left off with the macOS app. Just double-click the exported file to begin.
Analog Photography App For Mac
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Sync From iPhone
Seamlessly import your saved film photography notes from the iOS app with zero friction. Simply drag and drop your .frames file into the macOS app, and all your data (from settings to notes) is instantly reloaded and ready to be merged into your images. No additional setup, syncing, or configuration required.
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Explore Every Shot
Explore every shot in rich detail: review your camera settings, selected film stock, and precise shooting location displayed on an interactive map. Easily attach your scanned photos to each frame, creating a complete and visually organized record of your analog photography workflow.
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Export With Metadata
Save your attached JPEG or TIFF photos with complete EXIF metadata, including location, lens, film stock, and camera settings, perfect for archiving or sharing. Because EXIF is a universal standard, your metadata will appear seamlessly in Apple Photos, Adobe Lightroom, Flickr, and other photo apps/platforms.
How To Use Frames, the best analog photography app for notes and metadata
Step-by-step guide to using Frames, the film photography app for logging analog camera settings and embedding metadata into scanned photos.
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iPhone
Create a New Roll
1Open Frames on your iPhone and tap the icon in the bottom-right corner to start a new roll. Add your film camera, lenses, and choose your film stock. The ISO is set to box speed by default, but you can adjust it to match your light meter. This is where your film photography workflow begins.
iPhoneLog Each Shot as You Go
2As you shoot film, record camera settings for each frame: aperture, shutter speed, focal length, flash, creative notes, and more. Geolocation, place names, and timestamps are automatically captured to support a precise analog photography log. You can use the default slider-based controls or switch to a classic form view via the top-right menu.
iPhoneExport Your Data
3Once your roll is finished and all shots are logged, export the data as a .frames file. Send it to your Mac using AirDrop, email, or any method you prefer. This file contains all your recorded film shot metadata for later use with your scans.
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Mac
Load Your Data
4After your film is developed and scanned, open the .frames file on your Mac. Simply double-click it or drag it into the Frames app for macOS. Your recorded frames will load instantly, ready to be paired with your scanned photo files.
MacAssociate Data to Photos
5Browse your logged shots using list, grid, or full view, and begin associating each scan with its frame data. JPEG and TIFF images are currently supported, with DNG and NEF coming soon. This step links your analog photos with detailed EXIF metadata, preserving the context of every shot.
MacExport Your Photos
6Once everything is matched, export your updated images. Metadata is embedded directly into each photo file, ensuring it stays visible across devices, editing tools, and platforms like Flickr. Your film photography gets the searchable, organized benefits of digital, without losing its soul.
Analog Photography Shooters Reviews
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Just perfect
Does all it needs to do in a simple way. It's intuitive, reliable, couldn't ask for more. Thanks for making it free!
Simple and beautifulThe app is simple to use and does what it is supposed to do. I like that you can name the current film rolls as I sometimes forget what I shot with which camera. The UI is simple and just beautiful.
Great little toolIt's a vast improvement over jotting down notes in a notebook be it physical or Apple's built it notes app. Looking forward to future versions!
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Best of it‘s kind
Best of all the analog photography metadata apps I have tested so far. It’s simple, it’s fast and yet has all features I need. No ads, no datamining - big plus.
Amazing appSomething good would be to have the shutter speeds in 1/3 steps, since they don't always match the ones used in the shots. Great app!
My go-to analog photography companionFantastic tool - simple yet provides all functionality you need to keep track of your rolls. Easy to use in the field, and you get export option to backup your data (or further process it), well deserved 5 stars!
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This app fills the gap between what digital cameras can do and analog cameras cannot.
Lately, I've been feeling nostalgic about film photography and decided to get back into it. Unlike in the past, we're now in the digital age where it's standard to have shooting information saved as EXIF data. That made me wonder if there was a way to record similar metadata for photos taken on film. After some research, I came across this app. With this app, you can preset your lens, aperture, and shutter speed, and then simply press a button for each shot. It records the settings along with the frame number. It also logs the time and GPS coordinates, so the end result is almost on par with digital cameras.
The records can be exported as TXT or JSON, and with a simple script using exiftool, you can apply that data to your images without much trouble. By adding the EXIF metadata to JPEGs after converting and editing your film scans on your computer, they end up just like digital photos.
One limitation is that the app caps the maximum number of frames per roll at 40. Since a 36-exposure roll can produce up to 72 frames on a half-frame camera, having a limit of 80 would be ideal… (I've already sent this feedback to the developer).
Frames Film Photography App FAQ
What sets Frames apart from other film photography apps?
Frames is specifically designed for analog photographers who want to bring digital-level organization to their film photography workflow. Unlike generic note-taking apps, this film photography app understands the unique needs of shooting with film cameras - from logging precise camera settings to tracking different film stocks across multiple rolls.
What sets Frames apart from other analog photography apps is the seamless sync between iPhone and Mac, allowing you to capture data in the field and then attach your scanned photos with full EXIF metadata on your computer. This complete film photography workflow simply isn't available in other photography apps.
What metadata can I track with Frames for iPhone?
Frames lets you record comprehensive metadata for each analog shot, including camera settings like shutter speed, aperture, focal length, exposure compensation, and flash usage. You can also document your film stock details, brand, and ISO rating.
GPS location and date/time are automatically captured, with manual override options when needed. Frames organizes everything by roll number, making it easy to track which rolls are shot, developed, or still in your camera.
Beyond technical data, you can add custom notes about lighting conditions, weather, or creative intentions. This creates a complete archive of your analog photography with all essential information preserved, helping you analyze your technique and improve your film photography skills.
Does Frames for Mac support common film scanning photo formats?
The macOS companion app currently supports JPEG (.jpg) and TIFF (.tiff) files for embedding and exporting EXIF metadata. We're also actively exploring support for additional photo formats such as DNG and NEF, based on real-world workflows and analog shooters demand. Our goal is to build a tool that truly supports the needs of film photography enthusiasts, both in the field and in post-processing.
If DNG support or other features would make your photography workflow smoother, don’t hesitate to let us know, we’re listening.
Can I record tripod settings, filters, and accessories in my film notes?
For now, the focus is on keeping the app simple and efficient for most analog photographers. But you're not limited: there's a dedicated Notes field where you can jot down extra info like tripod use, filter types, or any other gear-related details.
These aren’t part of the official EXIF metadata specification, but the Notes field gives you the flexibility to include whatever matters to your film workflow, without cluttering the core interface.
Will there be an Android version of Frames?
An Android version of our film photography app is definitely something we're thinking about, it's on our radar. However, for the time being, our main focus is on making the iPhone and macOS experience as polished, reliable, and complete as possible. We want to ensure that everything works seamlessly and meets the high standards we’ve set.
If the iOS version proves successful and continues to resonate with photographers, expanding to Android could very well be next on the roadmap. Stay tuned, and let us know if you’d be interested, your input helps guide what comes next.
What features are planned for Frames in the future?
We’re committed to continuous improvement. Future updates may include translations to make the app more accessible to photographers globally, additional export options, and possibly even a watch companion app for quick access during photo shoots. While nothing is set in stone, we’re building this tool with the film photography community and evolving alongside your workflow.