# Mono Lab — Experiment in black and white. > Black and white image manipulation and artistic experimentation tool. (iPhone/iPad app by Inner Circle.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mono-lab/id6759029184 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Inner Circle](https://appshunter.io/developer/367838600) - Category: Graphics & Design, Photo & Video - Price: $4.99 with in-app purchases - Rating: 5.00/5 from 21 App Store ratings · 16 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 15.1 · 57 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2026-02-18 - Data updated: 2026-09-08 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mono-lab/id6759029184/reviews.md ## What is Mono Lab? Mono Lab is designed for exploring the unexpected. Experiment with images in black and white. From subtle relief to structural collapse, topology drift, mesh warps, fracture effects, misregistration, and controlled instability, every tool is built for focused experimentation. Responsive. Direct. Tactile. // Interactive Filters (X) Distortion that responds to you. Shift the image through movement and contact. Tilt to bend structure. Rotate to redirect tension. Touch to anchor, drag to stretch, hold to resist. Each gesture leaves a trace. Each motion reshapes the result. // 3D Surface Mode A dimensional approach to distortion. Map images across 12 surfaces and interpret them through 13 lenses. Adjust depth. Refine spatial tension. Each surface behaves differently. Each lens reshapes the outcome. Monochromatic. Structure, tone, dimension, possibility. What You Can Do • 158 filters for black and white distortion • Touch and motion control transformations • 12 surfaces. 13 lenses • Press, drag, and hold to reshape the image like a surface • Refine light, contrast, and structure • Warp topology and form • Collapse, fracture, and distort • Create raster and vector outputs • Build layered misregistrations • Adjust pressure, grain, and tone • Stack transformations • Save your favorite filters to the Index • Save directly to Files Mono Lab is for designers, artists, photographers, illustrators, and visual experimenters working in black and white. ## Key features - 129 black and white filters - Sensor-based filters controlled by device movement - 12 dimensional surfaces and 13 lenses for 3D distortion - Interactive filters responding to touch - Raster and vector output options - Save directly to Files ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: $4.99. **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | Pheno Set | $1.99 | one-time | | Print Set | $1.99 | one-time | | ASCII Set | $1.99 | one-time | | Dither Set | $1.99 | one-time | ## Chart rankings - #5 in Top Paid · Graphics & Design (US App Store) ## Recent user reviews (10 of 16) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mono-lab/id6759029184/reviews.md ### 4/5 — Great app but slow on Ipad *2026-08-10* A very complete and creative tool, worth every penny. A delight to use on IPhone, but for some reason very slow on Ipad (mine a 12.9inch, 5th generation). Makes it barely usable, as the whole point of the app is to play with the combinations to find something that works for you image. **Developer response:** Understood. In order to push boundaries and experiment, it takes processing. Unfortunately, an iPad that's 9 years old might not be able to keep up with some of the filters. ### 5/5 — bug still there *2026-07-24* love the app but the new update said it fixed the store for the filter packs but when i try to open the new filter pack it still says "store unavailable"? **Developer response:** Hi! Sorry about this! It’s not a bug. The filter pack was waiting on Apple's approval. It's now available, thank you for your patience. ### 5/5 — My First App Review *2026-07-08* I love this app… I usually don’t purchase stuff on the App Store but after seeing this on an instagram ad I decided to give it a try.. I am very happy with that decision. There are so many different tools to use and experiment with, I always find a new effect to pass the time fudging the numbers with. Thank you for this app. Side Note: I wish there was a way to use these effects with COLOR! Are there any plans to incorporate that within this app or create a separate app? Thanks ### 5/5 — Dope app and a responsive dev *2026-06-27* Very cool app worth every penny! Honestly I think even a bit more money would be super worth it! The developer is extremely responsive, like shockingly helpful actually. He wants to make a great app and literally applied fixes to an issue I had and uploaded the update to Apple same day! Give this a spin you don’t be disappointed. **Developer response:** Thanks for the feedback. Our adjustments do save, so let's fix this. Two possibilities: 1) The preview is screen-size, but saves re-render at full resolution. Many filters (dots, grain, dither, ASCII) scale with pixels, so they look finer in the saved file than in the viewfinder. But your exposure, contrast, grain, and vignette are all baked in. Use the reduced-resolution export for a save that matches the preview more closely. 2) Adjustments are tied to the selected filter. If you switch filters after adjusting, the sliders reset. So: pick your filter first → adjust → then Save (or Flatten) 3) You can also flatten your image to bake in the adjustments - that locks your filter and edits into the photo so they're actually there when you export/save. Still looks off? Email us (david@allentattoo.com) with the filter name and a preview-vs-save screenshot and we'll help. We'd love the chance to earn a better rating, thanks for trying Mono Lab. ### 5/5 — ur excellency *2026-06-22* i’m always looking for new ways to demolish, reconstitute and otherwise obliterate images (if that makes sense) and this is a spectacular application for all of the above. well worth every penny P.S. the Smear capability, along with the other pressure sensitive capacities that come with this app r beautiful, those alone r well worth the price of admission ### 5/5 — Addictive *2026-06-21* Amazing app! Love this for quick experimentations and happy accidents. Works great, nice design. Regularly updated with fixes and new features. Also really appreciate it being and one off purchase and not subscription ### 5/5 — ur excellency *2026-05-23* i’m always looking for new ways to demolish, reconstitute and otherwise obliterate images (if that makes sense) and this is a spectacular application for all of the above. well worth every penny ### 5/5 — 11/10 recommended *2026-04-28* Best photo editing app hands down with no pesky re-accruing payments. ### 5/5 — Great for crazy image manipulation *2026-04-18* Love the app, also love that it is just a one time fee, so much better than a subscription model! Would love the UI to be a bit more useable on phones, quite often find I can’t see whole buttons or parts of the ui. ### 5/5 — Works well! *2026-04-18* App works well! ## Frequently asked questions about Mono Lab ### What is Mono Lab? Mono Lab is a creative tool designed for experimenting with images in black and white. It offers a variety of filters and distortion tools to create unique visual effects. ### What kind of effects can I create with Mono Lab? You can explore effects like topology drift, mesh warps, fracture effects, misregistration, and controlled instability. The app focuses on structural changes and dimensional distortion. ### Does Mono Lab support 3D image manipulation? Yes, Mono Lab features a 3D Surface Mode where you can map images across 12 surfaces and interpret them through 13 distinct lenses, allowing for dimensional distortion. ### How much does Mono Lab cost? Mono Lab is available for a one-time purchase of $4.99. ### What devices is Mono Lab compatible with? Mono Lab is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices. ### How often is Mono Lab updated? The latest version, 3.0, was released on March 25, 2026, indicating recent development activity. ### Does Mono Lab have ads? No, Mono Lab does not contain advertisements. ### What is the age rating for Mono Lab? Mono Lab has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 5.2 — 2026-08-27 MONO LAB 5.2 Tear Table and Copy Bed UX fine tuning // TEAR TABLE. A new surface tool. Tear your image into pieces like paper (draw the tear lines yourself) then rearrange the scraps into a collage and flatten at full resolution. //COPY BED - Run your image through a machine that was never serviced and move the image while you do. Duplication with degradation. // FINE CONTROL! Every slider now supports fine-precision scrubbing - drag away from the track to slow the scale down. ### 5.1 — 2026-07-27 MONO LAB 5.1 Quick Fixes: Fixed an issue where the projects intermittently wouldn't move to directories. MYSM and and TMPS filter outputs were fixed to match the view finder version more accurately. // PROJECTS - Your work now lives somewhere. A full project system: every edit is saved as a recipe, automatically. Reopen a project days later and pick up exactly where you left off. Organize projects into folders. Browse everything in a new directory with thumbnails. // TEAR TABLE. A new surface tool. Tear your image into pieces like paper (draw the tear lines yourself) then rearrange the scraps into a collage and flatten at full resolution. //COPY BED - Run your image through a machine that was never serviced and move the image while you do. Duplication with degradation. // FINE CONTROL! Every slider now supports fine-precision scrubbing - drag away from the track to slow the scale down. ### 5.0.2 — 2026-07-24 MONO LAB 5.0.2 New Filter Set: PHENO (Phenomena) with Quick Fix: Fixed an issue where the app could become unresponsive after trying to view Filter Pack preview screens. // PROJECTS - Your work now lives somewhere. A full project system: every edit is saved as a recipe, automatically. Reopen a project days later and pick up exactly where you left off. Organize projects into folders. Browse everything in a new directory with thumbnails. // UNDO FLATTEN - Baked a filter and regretted it? Step back. The new state record keeps a timeline of everything you've done to an image. //.MONOLAB FILES. Export any project as a single file. Share it, back it up, import it on another device. Your originals, your recipe, your history: all inside. // TEAR TABLE. A new surface tool. Tear your image into pieces like paper (draw the tear lines yourself) then rearrange the scraps into a collage and flatten at full resolution. //COPY BED - Run your image through a machine that was never serviced and move the image while you do. Duplication with degradation. // NEW EDITOR TOOLBAR - The top bar was rebuilt, with a tools drawer that keeps the viewfinder clear. // FINE CONTROL! Every slider now supports fine-precision scrubbing - drag away from the track to slow the scale down. Plus: smoother screen transitions, refined filter defaults across the board, and dozens of small fixes. ### 5.0.1 — 2026-07-24 MONO LAB 5.0.1 Quick Fix: Fixed an issue where the app could become unresponsive after saving an image. // PROJECTS - Your work now lives somewhere. A full project system: every edit is saved as a recipe, automatically. Reopen a project days later and pick up exactly where you left off. Organize projects into folders. Browse everything in a new directory with thumbnails. // UNDO FLATTEN - Baked a filter and regretted it? Step back. The new state record keeps a timeline of everything you've done to an image. //.MONOLAB FILES. Export any project as a single file. Share it, back it up, import it on another device. Your originals, your recipe, your history: all inside. // TEAR TABLE. A new surface tool. Tear your image into pieces like paper (draw the tear lines yourself) then rearrange the scraps into a collage and flatten at full resolution. //COPY BED - Run your image through a machine that was never serviced and move the image while you do. Duplication with degradation. // NEW EDITOR TOOLBAR - The top bar was rebuilt, with a tools drawer that keeps the viewfinder clear. // FINE CONTROL! Every slider now supports fine-precision scrubbing - drag away from the track to slow the scale down. Plus: smoother screen transitions, refined filter defaults across the board, and dozens of small fixes. ### 5.0 — 2026-07-23 MONO LAB 5.0 - THE PROJECTS UPDATE // PROJECTS - Your work now lives somewhere. A full project system: every edit is saved as a recipe, automatically. Reopen a project days later and pick up exactly where you left off. Organize projects into folders. Browse everything in a new directory with thumbnails. // UNDO FLATTEN - Baked a filter and regretted it? Step back. The new state record keeps a timeline of everything you've done to an image. //.MONOLAB FILES. Export any project as a single file. Share it, back it up, import it on another device. Your originals, your recipe, your history: all inside. // TEAR TABLE. A new surface tool. Tear your image into pieces like paper (draw the tear lines yourself) then rearrange the scraps into a collage and flatten at full resolution. //COPY BED - Run your image through a machine that was never serviced and move the image while you do. Duplication with degradation. // NEW EDITOR TOOLBAR - The top bar was rebuilt, with a tools drawer that keeps the viewfinder clear. // FINE CONTROL! Every slider now supports fine-precision scrubbing - drag away from the track to slow the scale down. Plus: smoother screen transitions, refined filter defaults across the board, and dozens of small fixes. ## More apps by Inner Circle - [Victorian Sticker Pack](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/victorian-sticker-pack/id1164573042) - [Negatory Sticker Pack](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/negatory-sticker-pack/id1533561191) - [Found Forest Sticker Pack](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/found-forest-sticker-pack/id1533719085) - [Crypto Talk Stickers](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crypto-talk-stickers/id1533750479) - [Vintage Moon Stickers](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vintage-moon-stickers/id1535106237) - [Gothic Ghouls](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gothic-ghouls/id1535154030) All apps by Inner Circle: https://appshunter.io/developer/367838600 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-08.*