NIR Color vs SkyLab Photo Editor
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NIR Color
Transform ordinary photos into surreal, ethereal landscapes with near-infrared technology and color filters. This app adds unique hues and dramatic contrast, making everyday objects appear otherworldly. Explore a different light and create magical, mysterious atmospheres in your images.
- Near infrared technology
- Infrared color filters
- Surreal and ethereal effects
- Dramatic contrast adjustments
- Preset library
- Custom preset saving
- Hi-Res image support
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Photography is the art of capturing light. Infrared photography, on the other hand, is the art of capturing invisible light. If your looking for something new and unique to add to your photography arsenal then you came to the right place NIR Color is truly beautiful, surreal and will transform ordinary landscapes into something magical and ethereal. NIR Color uses “near infrared” light technology, along with infrared “color” filters to add violet, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red colors, and all their combinations back into your image. The combination creates stunning imagery with otherworldly and mysteriously atmospheres. When using “NIR” everyday objects differ sharply from those of visible light. A blue sky can sometimes appear very dark, while foliage often turns light to create an amazing and chilling contrast. Not only will the contrast make your photo ‘pop’, it will also transform the original color to ones that are dreamy and surreal using our infrared “color” filters. The decision is in your hands to tone down the color to ones that are classy, clean, and contrasted. Or boost them to a dramatic color of your choosing taking your infrared photography to a completely different level. With NIR Color you can quickly see how incredibly beautiful the world can be in a different light. The world as seen using NIR Color is at once familiar and strange, using hues that are entirely different than those we actually see in reality. The eerie but seductive effects that NIR photographs bring to the table consist mostly of landscape shots, but on occasion portraits can be completely converted from what we recognize as normal into ones where skin tones turn pale and cold and eyes that go dark. This may lead you to shift gears from a normal pose into something that is wildly terrestrial. So give NIR Color a try and transcend your photo into a world where you and your viewer will be offered a chance to encounter a deeper connection to the story behind your photograph. NIR Color … • Works best on colorful landscape images • “Near Infrared” technology turns blue-sky dark and foliage light to make your image ‘pop’ • Infrared “Color” filters add violet, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red colors, and all their combinations back into the image to create a dreamy and surreal appearance. • Works with Hi-Res images and saves Hi-Res for top-quality results • Gets you started fast with a variety of presets • Creates personal-favorite custom presets using the "Save Preset" menu • Has the addictive JixiPix Randomizer – so much fun! • Easy-to-use slider controls to adjust light, contrast and texture just how you want it • Superfast preview mode to immediately see edit results, with large image rendered at save • You can save to the photo roll and/or email or post to Facebook. Share your masterpieces! •Superior customer support and updates – we're committed to your long-term satisfaction
SkyLab Photo Editor
Easily replace the sky in your photos with stunning options. Add clouds, trees, and birds to enhance your images. Save projects across devices with iCloud support.
- Sky replacement
- Huge sky collection
- Add clouds, trees, birds
- iCloud support
- Simple editing tools
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SkyLab is the one and only sky-replacement app. Imagine dropping stunning skies on your photos with this innovative new app. FEATURES - Drop beautiful skies on your photos - Huge collection of skies - Add clouds, trees, and birds too - iCloud support: Save projects across all of your devices This app is driven by my own love of beautiful skies and fascinating cloud formations. My goal is to capture those moments when you stop in your tracks and just stare at a gorgeous sunset, beautiful blue sky, or epic storm. Create these moments right on your iPhone with powerful yet simple editing tools. SkyLab comes with a huge collection of curated skies from sunny, cloudy, stormy, and night shots. Want to add some clouds to your sky? SkyLab also includes Elements to add to your photos, such as clouds, trees, and the moon. Create beautiful skies with SkyLab.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: NIR Color at 4.3 against SkyLab Photo Editor's 3.5. NIR Color also leads on review sentiment (83% vs 48%) and price ($2.99 vs $4.99). SkyLab Photo Editor's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 10 months). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
NIR Color costs $2.99 and SkyLab Photo Editor $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
NIR Color holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 21 and 32 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of NIR Color's written reviews are positive against 48% of SkyLab Photo Editor's.
NIR Color ships an update every 10 months, SkyLab Photo Editor every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NIR Color | SkyLab Photo Editor |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 4.3 (21 ratings) — better | 3.5 (32 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 82.5% of reviews — better | 47.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 21 | 32 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 10 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 209 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | JixiPix, LLC | James Grote |
Customer experience
NIR Color
SkyLab Photo Editor
Bugs and requests
NIR Color
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
SkyLab Photo Editor
Reported bugs
16 issues- App crashes when opening photos
- App crashes when clicking mask tool
- App crashes when saving or pressing Done
- Masking tool does not apply changes
- Auto-mask feature fails to detect objects properly
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- Manual mask adjustments cause entire image to be covered
- Freezing when zooming during masking
- Crashes on iOS 15.6.1 and other iOS versions
- App becomes unresponsive during editing
- Endless loop when adding photos
- Photo selection not working properly
- Intermittent scrolling issues
- Tutorial mode cannot be exited
- Edit tool shows original photo instead of preview
- Crashes on iPad but not iPhone
- Performance degradation on older devices
Requested features
14 requests- Fix and improve masking tool functionality
- Add ability to use custom/personal sky images
- Implement sky rotation capability
- Add more blending modes (multiply, overlay, luminosity)
- Include feathering option for better edge blending
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- Add undo/redo functionality
- Support for landscape mode on iPhone
- Ability to rotate skies to match horizon angles
- More comprehensive tutorials for advanced features
- Add more diverse sky options
- Intelligent edge detection for complex skylines
- Out of focus adjustment slider
- Support for video editing
- Ability to add other landscape elements (mountains, seas)
In-app purchases
NIR Color
No in-app purchases
SkyLab Photo Editor
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is NIR Color free?
Is SkyLab Photo Editor free?
Which has better reviews, NIR Color or SkyLab Photo Editor?
Do NIR Color or SkyLab Photo Editor have ads?
Which is updated more often, NIR Color or SkyLab Photo Editor?
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