Comparison

Northlight DP vs Frame Grabber

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Northlight DP

Features
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Northlight predicts how your lights will actually render on camera — before you roll. If you light people for a living — cinematographers, gaffers, DPs, camera operators, and serious content creators — you know the guesswork. A fixture's box-spec Kelvin is a claim, mixed sources fight each other, and you burn set time on white-balance tests instead of shooting. Northlight replaces the guesswork with real color science: tell it your fixtures, your camera, and the look you want at the subject, and it solves how every source renders at your camera's white balance — then hands you the exact Kelvin and tint to set on each light and the white balance to set on the camera. It's a planning instrument, not a control surface. Northlight computes the targets; you dial them into your own gear by hand. Nothing to connect, no accounts, no subscriptions. — Design the look Place your fixtures on a top-down plan around your subject, set each one's color and intensity, and dial the look you want at the face. Northlight solves it live: the combined color at the subject, the key-to-fill contrast ratio, and the illuminance, with warm/cool and gel-equivalent read-outs. A master level fader and a subject color dial push the whole look while your ratios hold. — Calibrate with your phone A fixture's nominal Kelvin is a claim; a measurement is the truth. In the Measure tab, point your iPhone at a grey card under a light and Northlight reads how it really renders — median-aggregated across frames, held steady by a stability gate — and records it against that fixture. From then on your predictions match the gear you actually own, not the marketing spec. — See it rendered On ray-tracing-capable Apple silicon, a path-traced preview shows a head lit by your exact setup: real perspective from your camera's spot, your chosen lens, a skin tone or neutral clay reference, bounce cards and negative fill, windows and room bounce. Read the modeling and the color cast before you're on set. Every other feature works without ray-tracing hardware. — Three ways to balance Camera-locked holds your white balance and re-dials your bi-color sources to reach the look. Follows-subject anchors the camera to the mix at the face. Explore sweeps every lever at once. Pick the instrument that fits your intent. — Yours, everywhere Your fixture and camera libraries and every saved look sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac over iCloud, automatically, in your own iCloud account. No account to create, no sign-in, no ads, no analytics, no data collection. The camera is used only on your device to meter a grey card — no images ever leave it. Northlight opens on a ready-made Demo look, so you can start experimenting immediately. Northlight is an independent product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to any manufacturer named in the app. Product names are used for identification and compatibility reference only, and catalog values are published nominal specifications — measure your own units for accuracy.

About

Frame Grabber

Extract high-quality still images from your videos without uploading them. Compare multiple frames side-by-side and save precise moments in full resolution. Offers advanced features and unlimited exports through a subscription.

Highlights
  • Extract stills from videos
  • Local processing, no uploads
  • Compare up to seven frames
  • Step frame-by-frame
  • Full source resolution export
  • Export as JPEG, PNG, HEIC
  • Batch saving (Pro)
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Frame Grabber by FrameLift turns a moment in your video into a photo at the video's original resolution. Find the expression, action or detail you want, compare nearby frames, then save or share it. FIND YOUR EXACT MOMENT • Import a video from Photos or Files • Scrub through visual timeline previews • Step forward or back by one or ten frames • Compare up to seven nearby frames before choosing KEEP THE DETAIL • Export at the source video's resolution, including 4K when present • Save JPEG photos without a watermark • Keep the original recording date when available, or save with today's date • Share a photo or save it directly to Photos REVIEW SEVERAL MOMENTS WITH PRO • Add frames to a thumbnail queue • Review or remove individual selections before saving • Save several frames together • Retry unsaved selections if a batch is interrupted • Choose JPEG, PNG or HEIC export FOR VIDEOS WORTH KEEPING Catch a pet's expression, find a smile in a family video, choose a thumbnail for your next post or inspect a moment from sports footage. Your videos and extracted images are processed on your device. FrameLift does not upload them. Export quality depends on the source video; frame extraction cannot remove existing motion blur. FREE AND PRO FrameLift includes three full-resolution JPEG saves per day. FrameLift Pro adds unlimited saves, batch saving, and PNG and HEIC export. Weekly and annual auto-renewable subscriptions are available. Manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store account. Terms: https://renaissanceapps.com/terms-conditions Privacy: https://renaissanceapps.com/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Northlight DP4 screens
Frame Grabber4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Northlight DP at none against Frame Grabber's 2. Northlight DP also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Frame Grabber sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Northlight DP asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Northlight DP ships an update every 2 weeks, Frame Grabber monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Northlight DP versus Frame Grabber: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNorthlight DPFrame Grabber
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMatthew GrdinicRenaissance Apps LLC

In-app purchases

None

Northlight DP

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Frame Grabber

Subscriptions2
  • FrameLift Pro Weekly$4.997 Days
  • FrameLift Pro Annual$24.991 Year

Questions

Is Northlight DP free?
Northlight DP is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Frame Grabber free?
Frame Grabber is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Northlight DP or Frame Grabber have ads?
Neither Northlight DP nor Frame Grabber shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Northlight DP or Frame Grabber?
Northlight DP ships an update every 2 weeks, and Frame Grabber monthly. Most recently, Northlight DP was updated on October 29, 2026 and Frame Grabber on October 28, 2026.

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