Film photography isn't fading away. It's quietly making a strong return.
More photographers are choosing slowness, intention, and the tactile feel of film.
But the process stays fragmented, scattered across notebooks, rolls, and digital files.
Frames is where both sides finally meet, analog and digital, in one place.
Film notebook
Log everything.
Frames is an iOS notebook for film photographers. Log rolls, record settings, and capture the details of each shot as you go, without breaking your rhythm. Everything lives in one place, making it simple to stay consistent, follow your progress over time, and connect your notes to your scans once they come back from the lab.
Living archive
All your rolls, cameras, and lenses sit together in a single view. Browse visually or step into the details of any session with ease. Each roll becomes a permanent record you can return to at any time, helping you understand your habits, sharpen your eye, and see how your shooting evolves across projects.
Log as you shoot
Capture what matters, frame by frame, without losing momentum. Log settings, notes, and context for each shot in just a few taps. Frames keeps things structured without getting in the way, so your attention stays on the light, the moment, and the shot.
Follows your scans
Your records don't stay locked inside the app. Export notes and metadata in formats like XMP, CSV, TXT, and more, ready to travel alongside your scans into any editing or archiving setup. Whether you share, store, or process your images, your film data is always within reach.
EXIF metadata
Bring it back.
Frames for macOS closes the loop between your analog notes and your digital scans. Import your logs, pair them with your images, and write metadata directly into each file without modifying the source files. Everything stays connected, so your archive fills out roll by roll and is always complete and ready for editing or sharing.
Seamless imports
Bring your scans into Frames with a simple drag and drop. Match each image to the frame you logged on iOS, and every note, setting, and detail clicks into place alongside it. The connection between your analog records and your digital files becomes immediate and tangible. One roll or a full archive, the process stays quick and precise.
Embed data permanently
Frames writes your shooting data directly into each image file as EXIF metadata. Film stock, exposure settings, equipment, geolocation, and personal notes all travel inside the file itself, invisible but always there. Your scans carry the full story of every shot, so future edits, sharing, or archiving always starts from a complete picture.
Universally readable
Once written, your metadata is part of the file permanently. Apple Photos, Adobe Lightroom, Google Photos, Capture One, Darkroom, and most image tools can read it natively, surfacing your notes and settings wherever you open a file. No extra steps, no lost context, no data to re-enter, regardless of which platform you work on.
Privacy first
Frames stores everything locally, with no cloud connection involved. Your notes and metadata never leave your device unless you export them yourself. No account required, no background sync, no servers. What you capture stays entirely in your hands, private and secure by design.
Your data stays private.
We never share or sell it under any circumstances.
Personalization
Your way.
Frames fits the way you work. Choose how your rolls are displayed, set aperture and shutter speed sequences for your gear, adjust the recorder layout, and pick the controls that matter most to you. No two photographers shoot the same way, and every part of the app shapes itself around your practice, not the other way around.
Flexible layout
Browse your rolls in gallery or list view, control how much detail each frame row shows, and choose your recorder layout, either a floating toolbar or a fullscreen sheet. Every display option is there to serve how you think, not to impose a structure on you. The interface bends to your habits so the tool stays out of the way and your focus stays on making pictures.
Controls that fit you
Tailor Frames to your gear and the way you shoot. Set shutter speed and aperture sequences in the increments you actually use, so the controls stay clean and relevant. Add your most-used shortcuts to the recorder, whether that's metering mode, flash, exposure compensation, or notes, and log faster without compromise.
Control bar
Pin the controls you reach for most, metering, flash, exposure compensation, notes, right to the recorder toolbar where they belong. Less searching, more shooting.
Equipment
Set up your cameras, lenses, filters, and film stocks once and for all. Frames keeps them on hand across the app so every new roll starts quickly and accurately.
Geolocation
Frames automatically tags the location of each frame as you shoot, even offline, and lets you correct it at any time. Every shot carries its place without any extra effort.
Aperture
Set your aperture steps in full, half, or third stop increments, or build a fully custom range. Only the values you actually use appear, keeping the interface clean and precise.
Shutter speed
Choose standard shutter speed increments or define your own sequence from scratch. The controls show only what's relevant to your camera and style, nothing more.
Custom notes
Go beyond standard fields with notes you define yourself. Jot down light readings, reminders, or anything else about a shot that a preset field wouldn't capture.
Questions? Answers. : From Film Photographers
What metadata can I log per shot?
Quite a lot. For each frame you can record camera, lens, filters, film stock, frame number, focal length, aperture, shutter speed, exposure compensation, ISO, metering mode, exposure program, focus distance, flash, GPS location, timestamps, a reference image, and custom notes. Everything you'd want to reference when reviewing your developed rolls or comparing shots across different lighting conditions and setups.
Which image formats are supported?
On Mac, Frames writes metadata directly into JPEG, JXL, TIFF, and DNG files, so your scanned images carry the full shooting context wherever they go. For proprietary formats not on that list, you can export an XMP sidecar file from the iPhone app and place it in the same folder as your image. Most editing and DAM software will pick it up automatically.
Which exposure increments are supported?
Frames covers full-stop, half-stop, and third-stop increments out of the box. You set a start value, an end value, and an increment, and the app shows only the values your specific camera or lens actually supports. This keeps the logging interface clean and relevant to your gear. If your equipment uses non-standard values, you can also define custom sequences manually to match any shutter speed or aperture range.
Can I log tripods or other accessories?
Yes. The custom notes field on each frame is open-ended, so you can document any gear or detail that matters to your workflow: tripod model, remote release, light modifiers, or anything else. It is not a dedicated structured field, but it gives you the flexibility to capture exactly what you need without being locked into a fixed set of categories.
How do I sync data between iPhone and Mac?
By exporting a .frames file. Use the export menu on iPhone, then share it to your Mac via AirDrop, Messages, or any method you prefer. On Mac, you can import it directly and pick up right where you left off. There is no automatic cloud sync by design. Your data stays on your own devices, under your control, without passing through any server.
Does Frames work offline?
Entirely. All data is stored locally on your device, so you can log shots, browse your archive, and manage your gear list without a connection. GPS location tagging works offline too and saves automatically with each frame you record. The only time an internet connection is needed is to check for app updates.
What is coming in future updates?
The roadmap is shaped directly by the community. Bug reports, feature requests, and general feedback all feed into what gets prioritized and built next. Upcoming updates will focus on expanding workflow tools, improving the experience across iPhone and Mac, and adding features that photographers have been asking for. If you have something specific in mind, getting in touch is the best way to make sure it gets considered.
How can I get in touch?
Through the social accounts linked at the bottom of this page, or directly by email. Questions, bug reports, and feature ideas are all welcome. Frames is built with input from people who actually shoot film, so hearing from users is genuinely useful.
Pick a plan and start shooting smarter.
Monthly
$1.99
Includes Frames for iPhone and Mac with all features unlocked.
Unlimited rolls
Subfolders
Data export
Metadata embedding
Yearly
$17.99
Includes Frames for iPhone and Mac with all features unlocked.
Unlimited rolls
Subfolders
Data export
Metadata embedding
Lifetime
$59.99
Includes Frames for iPhone and Mac with all features unlocked.
Unlimited rolls
Subfolders
Data export
Metadata embedding