Focal Support

Something not developing the way it should? Here are quick fixes and the most common questions.

Talk to the developer

A bug, an idea or a look you'd love to see. Every email gets read.

Troubleshooting

The viewfinder stays black

Focal needs camera access. If you declined it, open Settings › Focal and turn on Camera, then come back to the app.

I can't find my photos

They're in the Photos app, in an album called “Focal”. Tap the thumbnail next to the shutter to see them in Focal. If nothing is saved, allow Photos access for Focal in Settings.

RAW or ProRAW isn't offered

Tap the capture format in the top bar to switch between HEIF and RAW. Only the formats your iPhone's camera supports are offered; on cameras without RAW, Focal shoots HEIF.

A look from the Mac doesn't show up on my iPhone

Press Save in Focal Film Lab: until then, changes are drafts on the Mac. Both devices need to be signed in to the same iCloud account. Coming back to Focal picks up the latest looks.

I can't pick a wider lens when developing again

A shot can be developed through the lens it was taken with or a longer one. The wider view was never captured, so it can't be brought back.

Frequently asked questions

What does Focal actually do?

Focal is a film camera for iPhone. Pick a look and a lens, see the developed photo live in the viewfinder, and exactly that lands in Photos.

Is a look just a filter?

No overlay is laid on top. Each look is its own colour and tone response (warmth, contrast, fade, split toning, six hue bands), with grain and halation rendered into the image. Grain is sized to the frame, so cropping doesn't magnify it. The viewfinder and the full-resolution photo use the same pipeline.

How do I add my own looks and lenses?

Design them in Focal Film Lab on your Mac, or retune the built-in ones, and press Save. They arrive on your iPhone through your iCloud, next to the built-in slide, negative and mono looks and six lenses.

What is Focal Film Lab?

Focal's darkroom on the Mac. Judge a look on your own photos, split against the original, and shape it on rulers: tone, colour, split toning, hue bands, grain and halation. Lenses get a field of view, vignette, glow and micro-contrast. It also develops batches and exports a look's colour as a .cube LUT.

Can I use the looks on photos from my camera?

Yes, in Focal Film Lab. It opens JPEG, HEIC and RAW files from any camera and develops them at full resolution, as HEIC or JPEG, or into your Photos library.

How do looks get from the Mac to my iPhone?

Through your iCloud. Edits stay drafts until you press Save; then looks, lenses and groups sync, and Focal picks them up the next time you open it.

How do the lenses work?

Each lens frames a 35mm-equivalent view from the iPhone's main camera and renders its own vignette, glow and micro-contrast. Longer lenses are crops of that camera, and the widest goes as wide as the main camera does.

Can I change the look after shooting?

Yes. Focal keeps every shot's original, so you can develop it again in another film, format, exposure or white balance, or through a longer lens (the wider view was never captured). Photos can always revert it.

Does it shoot RAW?

Every shot is a HEIF with the look developed in. On iPhones that support it, RAW adds a DNG straight off the sensor, and ProRAW adds Apple ProRAW.

Which iPhone and Mac do I need?

Focal runs on iPhone and iPad with iOS 26.2 or later; Camera Control works on iPhones that have the button. Focal Film Lab needs macOS 15 or later, signed in to the same iCloud account to sync.

What happens to my photos?

They stay yours: in Photos, in a Focal album, with the originals kept in the app on your iPhone. There's no account and nothing goes to the developer. Only your looks and lenses sync, through your iCloud.

Requirements

Focal: iPhone or iPad with iOS 26.2 or later. Focal Film Lab: a Mac with macOS 15 or later. Syncing looks needs both signed in to the same iCloud account. Neither app needs an account of its own.