# Formulas - Photo Lab Effects and Custom Frames > Photo editing app with custom effects, frames, and auto adjustments. (iPhone/iPad app by Tinkerworks Apps.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/formulas-photo-lab-effects-and-custom-frames/id990668324 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Tinkerworks Apps](https://appshunter.io/developer/503806808) - Category: Photo & Video, Entertainment - Price: $2.99 - Rating: 4.20/5 from 114 App Store ratings · 270 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 8.0 · 262 MB - Languages: American English, Arabic, French (France), German (Germany), Italian, Japanese, Korean, European Portuguese, Russian, Chinese (Simplified, China) and 3 more - Released: 2015-06-04 - Data updated: 2026-09-03 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/formulas-photo-lab-effects-and-custom-frames/id990668324/reviews.md ## What is Formulas? *** App Store Best of 2015 *** MIAN FEATURES: Dozens of custom, multilayered photo effects unlike anything available on the App Store, ranging from basic color and tonal to authentic vintage film emulations, textured finishes, and painterly and artistic styles. Built with scientific precision by some of the most talented artists in the mobile photography community, these effects truly deserve the “Formula” accolade. Each is meticulously constructed from components that are expertly-crafted by renowned photographer Dirk Wuestenhagen and that themselves are fully-fledged effects in the traditional sense including textures, filters, gradients, adjustments, and much more. Each formula goes through a vigorous testing process to ensure compatibility with a wide range of scenes, subjects, and editing styles from landscapes and cityscapes to street photography and portraits. Dozens of custom frames expertly-crafted by renowned photographer Dirk Wuestenhagen, which include high quality scans of vintage paper, worn fabric, weathered stone, and a multitude of other materials and substrates that are then refined, blended, and fine-tuned to perfection in an arduous post-processing regimen aimed at exposing naturally occurring character lines, blemishes, and impurities. Moreover, a great deal of attention is given to specific color tones within an overall limited spectrum of earthy hues that are deemed to work best with images. One-tap Auto Adjust tool that automatically analyzes color and tonal levels in an image and makes adjustments accordingly, thereby producing professional results with no effort whatsoever. Beautifully designed and streamlined UI that is intuitive and easy to navigate. A lot of thought and effort went into making the UI appealing to and accessible by users of all skill levels. PHOTO EDITING EXTENSION: Edit your photos right from within your photo library with a fully-fledged photo editing extension that not only provides access to the full functionality of the main app, but also preserves your sessions, allowing you to pick up right where you left off the next time you edit the image. STACKABLES: Think you’ve got what it takes to create your own formulas? Download Stackables from the App Store and start experimenting today. TECHNICAL INFO: High resolution support up to 16MP (4,000 x 4,000 px) on newer devices (iPhone 5 and later, iPad 3 and later). Support for JPEG, lossless PNG, and lossless TIFF formats. URL Scheme "formulas://". SUPPORT: Experiencing issues? Have comments or suggestions for future updates? Please contact us at support@formulasapp.co. ## Key features - Custom multilayered photo effects - Vintage film emulations - Textured and artistic styles - Dozens of custom frames - One-tap auto adjust tool - Intuitive UI - Photo editing extension ## What do users think of Formulas? Overall sentiment: mixed **Pros** - ✨ Beautiful and professional-looking filters - 🎨 Excellent artistic effects for photo editing - 👍 Simple and intuitive user interface - ⚡ Fast and efficient editing process - 🖼️ High-quality results with vintage-style textures - 🎭 Unique and creative filter combinations - 📱 Works well on iPad and iPhone - 💰 Good value for the price **Cons** - 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues - ⏱️ No updates in 9+ years - 🚫 Regional restrictions not disclosed - ❌ Non-functional in-app links and cart system - 🔗 Broken connection to App Store - 📍 Stackables unavailable in multiple regions - 💸 Hidden costs and regional feature limitations - 🔌 Poor customer support and abandonment - 📱 iOS compatibility issues - 🖼️ Limited customization options **Commonly reported bugs** - App crashes on iPhone iOS 26 - Crashes when tapping camera icon - Cannot save to camera roll - Crashes frequently during use - Non-functional icons marked as forbidden - App won't run on iPad Pro despite optimization claim - Photos extension not working properly - Broken external links (App Store, Instagram, websites) - In-app purchase system not connecting to App Store - Lost access to previously purchased add-ons after update - Stackables app crashes repeatedly **Most requested features** - Update app for current iOS versions - Add landscape mode support - Increase number of filter options - Separate color and texture controls - Adjust opacity independently for colors and textures - Add more texture options (peeling paint, fresco, plaster) - Improve Photos extension functionality - Restore Stackables app availability - Add layering/stacking capabilities - Include tutorial videos - Add brightness and contrast adjustment controls ## Recent user reviews (10 of 270) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/formulas-photo-lab-effects-and-custom-frames/id990668324/reviews.md ### 1/5 — This app is just no *2026-05-21, version 2.3* Just purchased it. When I tried to use it, nothing works at all. Please do Not even try it. Waste my money!!! ### 5/5 — Ios 26 *2026-04-13, version 2.3* Crashes on iphone ios26, but works on iPad ### 1/5 — Was great... *2026-02-10, version 2.3* Seems like the developer for this app has given up - yes everyone’s worst fears for a great app. Can no longer click on the “cart” to purchase items - can it connect to App Store. Sad. ### 1/5 — Regional restrictions *2025-12-19, version 2.3* Why you didn’t tell us that the app have regional reservations, I paid for it to discover it doesn’t open in my region. Thisvis insane it’s a scam. ### 1/5 — Обманывает!!! *2025-09-08* Заплатил за приложение, но после обработки фото - не дает сохранить! Требует перейти на версию Pro, которое в магазине - ОТСУТСТВУЕТ!!! Требую вернуть мои деньги! ### 3/5 — Great effects / Crashes when you tap the camera icon *2025-08-20, version 2.3* No updates in 9 years?! As long as you are applying these effects to stored photos and not on a live camera it has some really professional-looking effects. ### 3/5 — Used to like *2025-08-10, version 2.3* I used to enjoy this app and spent money on add ons but one day the app was different and no longer has the add ons I paid for ### 5/5 — Great app! *2025-07-28, version 2.3* This is a really good app for modifying your tone in a photograph. It's addictive! ### 2/5 — Crashes a lot *2025-06-28, version 2.3* Crashes a lot. Looks like they abandoned this beautiful application. Definitely, going to change the rating if they decided to update in the near future. Note: I regularly update my review/rating for this application. ### 5/5 — Спасибо ! Шикарная программа *2024-02-17* Жду обновлений и новшеств !! Новые эффекты новые наборы и обновления для старых iOS ## Frequently asked questions about Formulas ### What does the Formulas app do? Formulas is a photo editing app that offers a wide range of custom, multilayered photo effects and expertly crafted frames. It allows users to apply vintage film emulations, textured finishes, painterly styles, and more to their images, with an intuitive interface and a one-tap auto adjust tool for professional results. ### What are the key features of Formulas? Key features include dozens of custom, multilayered photo effects, custom frames made from various materials, a one-tap auto adjust tool for automatic color and tonal adjustments, and a streamlined, intuitive user interface. It also offers a photo editing extension for editing directly from the photo library. ### How much does Formulas cost? Based on the provided information, this application is a paid app. There is no mention of free trials, subscriptions, or in-app purchases for core functionality. ### What devices is Formulas compatible with? The app supports high resolution images up to 16MP (4,000 x 4,000 px) on newer devices, specifically iPhone 5 and later, and iPad 3 and later. It also supports JPEG, lossless PNG, and lossless TIFF formats. ### What are some common use cases for Formulas? Common use cases include enhancing landscapes and cityscapes with unique artistic styles, applying authentic vintage film emulations to portraits, adding textured finishes to street photography, and creating custom framed images with a variety of materials for a distinct look. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 2.3 — 2015-12-05 This update from Apple will improve the functionality of this app. No new features are included. ◉ Optimized for iOS 9 and iPad Pro. ◉ Now preserves all image metadata including EXIF and GPS. ◉ Minor UI Changes. If you enjoy Formulas, please consider leaving a positive review on the App Store. If you've already left a review, please repost it as reviews are reset with every update. Thanks! Experiencing issues? Have comments or suggestions for future updates? Please contact us at support@formulasapp.co. ### 2.2 — 2015-10-03 ◉ Stackables v3.4 compatibility update. If you enjoy Formulas, please consider leaving a positive review on the App Store. If you've already left a review, please repost it as reviews are reset with every update. Thanks! Experiencing issues? Have comments or suggestions for future updates? Please contact us at support@formulasapp.co. ### 2.1 — 2015-09-22 ◉ Fixed a bug causing a crash on devices running iOS 9. ◉ 6 new formulas. ◉ Minor tweaks and improvements to existing formulas. ◉ Redesigned icon. ◉ Redesigned sharing menu. If you enjoy Formulas, please consider leaving a positive review on the App Store. If you've already left a review, please repost it as reviews are reset with every update. Thanks! Experiencing issues? Have comments or suggestions for future updates? Please contact us at support@formulasapp.co. ### 2.0 — 2015-07-11 ◉ Unlimited, fully modifiable editing sessions with access to your entire editing history. Manage your workflow with utmost flexibility and control: Modify, add, delete, hide, and rearrange sessions. Keep track of your edits with session thumbnails that are rendered in real time providing an accurate snapshot at every stage of your editing process. Available exclusively for Stackables users. ◉ Access your entire Stackables formula library right from within Formulas app. Also accessible from within the Photos app extension. You must install and run the latest version of Stackables (v3.3) to enable this feature. ◉ 4 new formulas. ◉ 6 new textured frames. ◉ 8 new plain colored frames. If you enjoy Formulas, please consider leaving a positive review on the App Store. If you've already left a review, please repost it as reviews are reset with every update. Thanks! Experiencing issues? Have comments or suggestions for future updates? Please contact us at support@formulasapp.co. ### 1.0.1 — 2015-06-16 MORE FORMULAS AND FRAMES COMING SOON! ◉ Based on many requests, we've added an "Apply Edits and Start Over" option, which allows you to stack multiple effects without having to save to the Camera Roll. ◉ Fixed a bug that caused a crash at launch on devices running iOS 7. ◉ Added a couple of helpful tips. ◉ Added App Store preview videos. If you enjoy Formulas, please consider leaving a positive review on the App Store. If you've already left a review, please repost it as reviews are reset with every update. Thanks! Experiencing issues? Have comments or suggestions for future updates? 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User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-03.*