Frequently asked questions

Yes. Lightframes is a free photo editor with no paid tier, no trial, no credits and no watermark on exports. Every feature, including RAW editing, batch export and the AI tools, is available to everyone.

Lightframes runs on your own device, so it has almost no server costs to cover, and your photos are not uploaded. The editor and the gear page include Amazon.es affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Lightframes earns from qualifying purchases. Those links open Amazon only when you click them, and the cards do not load images or scripts from Amazon. Optional donations help too, and the code is open source under the MIT licence so anyone can check what it does.

No. Lightframes opens, edits and exports your photos entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly and Web Workers, and the files never leave your device. The app downloads itself, and the AI tools download a model the first time you use each one. Object removal downloads its AI model from Hugging Face the first time you use it; your photos never leave your device. Background removal, subject masks and upscaling download their models from lightframes.si.

Lightframes keeps your open photos, edits and presets only in your own browser's storage (IndexedDB and local storage) so it can restore your session. Those photos are not sent to a server. Visits are counted with Vercel Web Analytics, which does not use cookies and does not see your photos. Object removal downloads its AI model from Hugging Face the first time you use it; that download reveals your IP address to Hugging Face, and the photo stays on your device. Clear workspace removes the open photos, and clearing the site data in your browser wipes the local copy.

No. There is no sign-up, login or email required: open lightframes.si/editor and start editing. Because there is no account, your presets and session live in the browser you use.

Lightframes opens JPEG, PNG and the common camera RAW formats: ARW (Sony), CR2 and CR3 (Canon), NEF and NRW (Nikon), DNG, RAF (Fujifilm), ORF (Olympus/OM System), RW2 (Panasonic), PEF (Pentax) and SRW (Samsung). RAW files are decoded in the browser with LibRaw compiled to WebAssembly, so support follows the cameras LibRaw handles.

You can export JPEG, PNG or WebP, with a quality setting for JPEG and WebP, a maximum long edge up to 8192 px, Instagram-sized frames and an optional text watermark. Exporting several photos at once downloads them together as one ZIP file.

Editing does, after one visit online. Lightframes is a progressive web app, and you can install it from the Install app button or your browser's menu (on iPhone and iPad, Share → Add to Home Screen; in Safari on Mac, File → Add to Dock). Object removal downloads its AI model from Hugging Face the first time you use it. Background removal, subject masks and upscaling download their models from lightframes.si. After a model is cached, that tool works offline too.

Lightframes works in current versions of Chrome, Edge, Brave, Firefox and Safari on computers, and in mobile browsers on Android phones, iPhones and tablets, with a touch-friendly layout. A Chromium-based browser such as Chrome or Edge is recommended on desktop for opening whole folders and the best performance.

Yes. Lightframes adapts to phone screens with a swipeable bottom panel, and the collage and carousel tools support touch gestures and your phone's share sheet. Large RAW files and AI tools are slower on phones than on a computer, depending on the device.

Yes. The Presets panel imports Lightframes JSON presets, XMP develop presets, including the ones you use in Lightroom or Camera Raw (mapped onto light, colour, HSL, tone curve, colour grading, vignette, grain and sharpening) and .cube 3D LUTs. You can save your own presets, set their intensity from 0 to 100% and export them as JSON.

Yes. Select several photos in the filmstrip, then sync the active photo's edits to all of them (Ctrl/Cmd+S) or copy and paste edits while choosing which settings to include. Exporting a selection processes every photo with the same export settings and downloads them as one ZIP.

No. Object removal, background removal, subject masks and AI upscaling all run on your device in the browser; your photos are never uploaded. Object removal downloads its AI model from Hugging Face the first time you use it; your photos never leave your device. That download reveals your IP address to Hugging Face, like any download. Background removal, subject masks and upscaling download their models from lightframes.si. The files are about 28 MB (removal), 45 MB (background and subject) and 5 MB (upscaling). Each is checked once and then cached for later and offline use.

Yes. Lightframes is open source under the MIT licence, and the full code is on GitHub at https://github.com/joancomadran/lightframes. You can read it, run it locally, self-host it or contribute.

No. Lightframes saves your open photos, their edits, ratings and selection in your browser's IndexedDB and restores them when you come back. Edits are non-destructive, so your original files are never changed; only collage and carousel layouts are not restored, so export those before closing.

You can star the project on GitHub, share it with other photographers, buy the developer a coffee through the link in the app, or use the recommended gear links when you buy photo equipment. Bug reports and contributions on GitHub help too.