Color Grading vs Lightscope
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
Color Grading
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Color Grading is the fastest way to give your videos a cinematic film look ā no timeline, no complexity, just better color. IMPORT VIDEOS, APPLY A LOOK, EXPORT Choose a video up to 5 minutes, apply a built-in LUT look, adjust the intensity to taste, and export in a few taps. The focused workflow keeps color grading approachable for short-form creators. 8 CINEMATIC PRESETS INCLUDED From clean film to warm sunset, bright travel to moody street ā tap a preset once to preview it, slide to control the strength, and compare before-and-after instantly. ⢠Clean Film ā natural cinematic enhancement ⢠Warm Sunset ā golden hour warmth ⢠Bright Travel ā vibrant vlog-ready color ⢠Moody Street ā cool cinematic atmosphere ⢠Soft Portrait ā flattering skin tones ⢠Vintage Fade ā retro film nostalgia ⢠Teal Orange ā blockbuster contrast ⢠Night City ā deep after-dark vibes FULL CONTROL WITHOUT THE COMPLEXITY Adjust exposure, contrast, saturation, and temperature with simple sliders. No color wheels, no curves, no steep learning curve. Just the controls you actually need. BEFORE & AFTER COMPARISON Tap Show Original to keep the source footage visible, then tap Show Graded to return to the result. Instantly know if your edit is making the video better. EXPORT & SHARE Save to your photo library, then open the system share sheet directly from the success screen. In-App Purchase Color Grading is free to download with 3 presets, 720p export, and a small watermark. A one-time Pro purchase unlocks all 8 presets, 1080p HD export, and removes the watermark permanently. All editing happens on your device. No account is required.
Lightscope
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Shot in Apple Log and tired of flat, washed-out previews? Lightscope plays Apple Log (1 & 2) footage back the way it was meant to look ā in real Rec.2100 HLG ā and lets you grade it right on your iPhone or iPad. PLAY IT RIGHT ⢠True HDR playback of Apple Log 1 & 2 clips (Rec.2100 HLG) ⢠Technical LUTs generated from DaVinci Resolve for accurate log-to-display transforms ⢠One-tap HDR / SDR display modes GRADE ON-DEVICE ⢠Color wheels (lift Ā· gamma Ā· gain), exposure in the scene-referred log domain ⢠Tone curves with a live curve editor ⢠Color warper and skin-tone secondaries ⢠Film & cinema looks, plus your own .cube LUTs ⢠Broadcast scopes: waveform and vectorscope, on the image while you grade ⢠Non-destructive: every clip remembers its grade automatically ⢠Shareable grade presets EXPORT ⢠10-bit HEVC in Rec.2100 HLG (true HDR) or Rec.709 (SDR master) ⢠Saved straight back to your Photos library TRY EVERYTHING FREE FOR 14 DAYS Every feature is unlocked for two weeks ā no account, no sign-up. After the trial, your library stays free to browse, and a single one-time purchase of Lightscope Pro keeps true HLG playback, the full grading suite and export forever. No subscription. Family Sharing supported. Everything happens on your device. No uploads, no tracking. Requires iOS 17 or later. Apple Log recording requires iPhone 15 Pro or later (or footage from Final Cut Camera / Blackmagic Cam).
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Lightscope at every 5 days against Color Grading's every 2 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Color Grading sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Lightscope sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Color Grading ships an update every 2 months, Lightscope every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Color Grading | Lightscope |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 5 days ā better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad ā better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17.0 ā better |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 28 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | å² ę“Ŗ | Jian Zhou |
In-app purchases
Color Grading
- Lifetime Pro$9.99
Lightscope
- Lightscope Pro$9.99









