Two ways in, one result.
The guided path and the direct path converge on the same recorded change, so choosing the simpler route never produces a lesser creation.
Technology · 02
From a photo to a finished image.
Every photo takes the same journey, from choosing it to saving it. Here it is as seven stages and two process diagrams.
Seven stages, most of them out of sight
From a photo to a finished image
You see the tools. The app does the rest.
Underneath the buttons, the app reads the photo, finds the subject and renders the result at full quality, the same way every time.
01SelectChoose the source and retain useful metadata.
02UnderstandRead scene, colour, text, faces and context.
03SeparateDiscover and refine a usable foreground subject.
04StyleApply frame, canvas or print size, filter, colour and depth.
05ComposePosition text and decor around the subject.
06ReviewCheck the whole picture before saving.
07DeliverRender, save or share at the chosen quality.
Show what the process must protect
- Value trigger
- The user chooses a photo they want to improve, explain or preserve.
- Value delivered
- A finished still, GIF, cinematic video or Live Photo that reflects the reviewed composition.
- Quality constraint
- The live canvas and final export must preserve the same crop, layout, ordering and styling.
- Privacy constraint
- Subject separation runs on device; transferable files and export metadata follow explicit privacy rules.
- Failure principle
- If a photo has no usable subject, subject-dependent features explain or safely fall back rather than fabricating a result.
Create and save a framed photo
The whole journey as a process model: who does each step, where a choice changes the path, and what happens when a step cannot succeed.
How to read these diagrams
Notation
Two processes, modelled as pools and lanes.
Creating an export and keeping the work portable are separate processes with separate participants. Solid arrows are sequence flow inside one participant; dashed arrows are messages between participants. Diamonds are exclusive decisions, and the circle attached to a task is what happens when that task cannot complete.
Start of a process
End of a process
A step someone performs
A step with detail of its own
A decision, one path taken
What happens if a step cannot succeed
Order of steps
Something sent between devices
Scroll the diagram sideways on a narrow screen.
What this diagram shows
Preview and export are the same work.
The canvas and the saved file are produced by the same composition step at different resolutions. That is what makes the saved result match the reviewed one.
A missing subject is a designed path.
When a photo has no clear subject to lift, the process routes to an explanation instead of inventing a cutout, and the composition continues without the effect.
Nothing saves itself.
Review returns to editing as many times as the person wants. Leaving the loop is always an explicit choice to save or share.
Keep the work portable
Saving a look, syncing it and sharing it with someone, as a second process with its own participants.
What this diagram shows
- Order matters
- The preset is saved on the device before the sync decision, so syncing is a consequence of saving and never a condition for it.
- Both endings are success
- Sync is optional and off unless it is turned on. The path that ends locally is a completed process, not a failure.
- No account in between
- Sharing a look is a file sent directly to a person. The other device checks it before importing, and neither participant needs an account with us.
- Personal details stay put
- Names, dates and other personalisation are not part of either flow. They belong to the device they were entered on and move only when the owner explicitly exports them.
Ten areas of the app
Source resolution, orientation, date, location and restoration.
Classification, faces, text, masks and subject identity.
Physical surround, output ratio, margin and depth.
Filters, toning, background modes and appearance.
Content, style, position, layering and accessibility.
Dates, watermarks, stickers, props and effects.
3D Pop, parallax, subject overflow and shadows.
Presets, document state, persistence, undo and recovery.
Review, rendering, format, privacy, save and share.
WYSIWYG, performance, memory, privacy and resilience.
Common questions
How do I add a frame to a photo on iPhone?
Choose the photo, then open the Frame tab: pick a border under Border, and a canvas shape or a print size under Print & Shape. Then save. You can either follow the guided steps, which can each be skipped, or work directly in the Studio, Frame, Caption, Decor and Hub tabs.
Can I change my mind after editing?
Yes. Editing is non-destructive: your original photo is never altered, and every change is recorded as a separate decision you can revisit, undo or export differently later.
What formats can I export?
A still image, an animated GIF, a cinematic video or a Live Photo, all rendered from the same composition you reviewed on the canvas. Choose the Transparent background fill and the still saves as a PNG with real transparency. For a GIF, video or Live Photo, Final Review lets you choose the quality for that one export and shows the file size before you save.