Filmtone public release notes

Filmtone Desktop v1.8 — 24fps Slow Mode and native export contracts

• AddedSources above 24fps can now export through 24fps Slow Mode. Filmtone writes a slower 24fps output and records timing metadata in the sidecar so the export choice remains recoverable.
• ChangedFilm Breath is now part of the shared native color contract. The default path remains neutral, while stronger settings can produce controlled temporal modulation in native export paths.
• ChangedblackPoint and toeContrast now travel through the shared TypeScript and Swift contracts, giving the grade path an explicit low-end anchor without a sidecar schema bump.
• AddedThe Codex-facing automation path now uses the native automation CLI and MCP server with bounded paths, preview-before-run batch plans, signed plan checks, and clearer unsupported-profile errors. It is workflow automation, not an in-app chat surface.

Filmtone Desktop v1.7 — audio-preserving export and Texture Softness

• FixedNormal video export now reads the source audio track, writes AAC audio into the MP4, and validates the completed file before reporting success.
• AddedAdvanced Optics now includes Texture Softness, a control for easing hard digital fine detail separately from Lens Softness.
• ChangedPreview and export paths can apply a conservative runtime-only detail bias when source metadata suggests heavily sharpened consumer footage. The bias is not saved into Looks.
• ChangedHighlight-reel export remains source-audio disabled because those clips are rebuilt from selected timeline segments.

Filmtone Desktop v1.6 — right-rail reachability and surface cleanup

• FixedThe right inspector rail now reaches close to the bottom of the window even while a video is loaded. The scrub bar reserves space for the rail instead of sitting underneath it, so lower controls such as Export remain reachable.
• FixedFixed the lower-half hit dead zone in the right rail. Hover, click, drag, and scroll now work from top to bottom while preserving the Apple Liquid Glass control styling.
• ChangedThe empty opening state now shows the Filmtone mark and instruction copy without the central open CTA. Open media from the toolbar Open button or Command-O. Loaded media uses a media-derived blurred backdrop instead of a flat black matte.
• ChangedBacklight Veil Intensity now appears only when a 1/8, 1/4, or 1/2 density chip is selected, so the None state no longer leaves a disabled-looking slider in the panel.

Filmtone Desktop v1.5 — portrait editing, Backlight Veil, and Look Strength

• ChangedPortrait video keeps the clip as the primary surface while the right inspector rail and two-row scrub bar keep playback, markers, speed, and export controls reachable.
• AddedBacklight Veil gained a continuous Intensity cursor threaded through still preview, video preview, still export, video export, scrub thumbnails, and sidecar output.
• ChangedLook Strength now drives Creative LUT alpha continuously, so Stone and Urban respond naturally across the slider range.
• AddedHighlight markers can now resolve to source-relative one-second clip segments through the shared Swift core contract used by Native Desktop, iPhone, and DaVinci.

Filmtone Desktop v1.4 — Native Desktop replacement cutover

• AddedThe public Desktop rail moved from the Electron app to the macOS 26+ Native Desktop app while keeping the existing Bundle ID and update path.
• ChangedToolbar, sidebar, inspector, picker, menus, scrub bar, and editing panels were rebuilt as Apple Liquid Glass control surfaces while keeping the preview content layer glass-free for color judgment.
• AddedStill and video open, preview, export, and sidecar paths now run inside the native app using the Filmtone grade path aligned with the iPhone app.
• ChangedDesktop v1.0.4 remains available as the frozen legacy build for pre-macOS-26 users; new Desktop product work now belongs to Native Desktop.

Filmtone Desktop v1.0.4 — Log Conversion profiles and finishing parity

• AddedDesktop Log Conversion now includes built-in Camera Profile choices for Rec.709, Apple Log, Apple Log 2, DJI D-Log, DJI D-Log M, Canon C-Log, Canon Log 3 / Cinema Gamut, Panasonic V-Log, and Sony S-Log3, while keeping custom .cube imports available.
• ChangedExport sidecars can preserve built-in source-profile identity, so reopening a session can regenerate the matching conversion LUT from the catalog instead of depending on the original absolute .cube path.
• ChangedDesktop carries the current shared finishing catalog, including newer Creative LUT data, Stone and Urban refinements, Lens Filter profiles, and renderer-side motion, glow, halation, diffusion, and optical shader updates.
• ChangedDesktop-facing copy now follows the current Filmtone terminology pass for effect names, HDR messages, and shared product language.

Filmtone Desktop v1.0.3 — export quality and HDR source handling

• ChangedHDR PQ, HLG, and wide-gamut source detection is clearer during import and export, with user-facing messages that explain practical brightness or color risk without developer jargon.
• AddedDesktop now bundles the video toolchain needed for normal exports, reducing dependency on separate developer or Homebrew setup for HDR-to-SDR preparation paths.
• ChangedVideo export starts closer to the visible preview grade, keeps trusted source frame rate and geometry, and writes full-range BT.709 output so mist, bloom, halation, and highlight rolloff shift less at encode time.
• ChangedNew sessions and old grade imports without preset identity now start from Neutral / Clean Base with the shared soft-finish baseline.

Filmtone Desktop v1.0.2 — safer video export recovery

• FixedBroken ffmpeg pipe failures are caught and surfaced through the normal export failure path instead of leaving the renderer waiting on stale writes.
• FixedEach video export now has its own session id, so stale start, frame, finish, or abort messages from older exports cannot affect the active job.
• ChangedThe current WebGPU preview/export contract stays aligned while export hardening continues, including low-end grain and offscreen render refinements.

Filmtone Desktop v1.0.1 — preview trust and cleaner write-out

• ChangedBright footage is steadier in preview, with highlights that hold their shape more naturally while you judge the finished mood.
• ChangedCross Filter is easier to tune live, with more reliable brightness onset, chromatic split, and spacing behavior on moving footage.
• AddedDesktop exports can write a .filmtone-session.json sidecar so the finishing setup can be inspected, saved, and reopened later.
• ChangedThe write-out tab uses a cleaner glass surface with clearer controls, fields, preset tiles, and dividers.

Filmtone Desktop v1.0 — the first public release

• AddedPreview has been reworked end-to-end. Bright highlights now hold their shape more naturally, so it is easier to judge the finished look right on screen.
• AddedCross Filter now responds live while you preview your image. Fine-tune the brightness that triggers the streaks, how much they split into color, and how close they sit, and the result updates immediately.
• AddedThe macOS build is now signed and notarized by Apple. The download page and the in-app update prompt both point to this v1.0.0 release, so installing is simple and trusted.
• Changedv1.0 focuses on improving Desktop preview. The browser demo, video export, and photo batch export continue to work exactly as they did before.

Cross Filter, simpler to use

• ChangedCross Filter now ships as a single, well-tuned mode, trimmed down so it is easier to reach for without hesitation.
• FixedOld settings files and shared links open correctly and automatically fit into the current mode — nothing looks different from what you originally saved.
• ChangedPick the number of streaks in one tap: 4, 6, or 8.

Update notifications are back, and night-scene glow feels better

• FixedFilmtone again shows a banner at launch when a newer version is available.
• FixedFixed cases where preview could stay black after exporting — preview now recovers on its own whenever it is needed.
• ChangedGlow in Black-Mist-style night scenes now keeps its shape instead of flattening into blown-out white patches.
• FixedCross Filter streaks now separate cleanly even when bright highlights sit close together.

Cross Filter arrives, and video feels smoother

• AddedCross Filter adds lens-style star streaks to bright points in your image. Dial in the strength, the number of streaks, the angle, the length, the brightness that triggers them, and a touch of color split, to find your own look.
• ChangedVideo compare and review feel smoother — compare mode is easier to exit, slider resets are easier to find, and a faster playback option makes quick checks more natural.
• FixedLeading thumbnails now pick a brighter frame automatically, so clips that fade in look right from the very first glance. Loading text has also been aligned with the rest of the app.
• AddedDesktop can now keep preview data for heavy footage on your computer, so opening the same clip again is faster. You can let Filmtone manage the space automatically or clear it yourself whenever you want.

Heavy footage, instant preview

• AddedProRes, 4K HEVC, and other demanding formats preview the moment you drop them in. Filmtone prepares an optimized copy in the background and reuses it at export, so you never wait on the same clip twice.
• AddedMotion blur has been rebuilt with real shutter-angle control (0° to 720°), and a separate Trail Intensity slider for stylised streaks, so you can shape the look more intuitively.
• Added9:16 vertical clips now display full-frame. The side areas are filled with a softly blurred version of the footage itself, so portrait video looks polished without any manual setup.
• FixedFixed Before / After compare so only the graded side shows motion blur — the original stays clean, and no ghost frames carry over when you switch modes.

Grain that looks like the real thing

• AddedThe grain engine has been rebuilt from the ground up — each film stock now has its own natural clumping, texture size, and color-noise character, so Kodak and Fuji grain no longer look the same.
• AddedA new Diffusion slider wraps your image in a soft, milky haze — like shooting through a Pro-Mist filter — gently lifting contrast and flattering skin tones.
• ChangedCineStill 800T now loads clean by default. Dial in the iconic red halation glow yourself with the slider whenever you want it.
• ChangedAll 10 film stock presets have been hand-tuned with matching grain size and diffusion, so each look feels true to the actual film it was inspired by.
• ChangedThe Pro panel has been reorganized so the controls you use most are immediately visible. Effects still being refined are tucked away until they are ready.

Bloom and halation, done right

• ChangedBloom and halation have been completely reimagined — glow spreads more naturally, highlights behave at any slider position, and the overall look is closer to real film. Existing grades may shift slightly.
• ChangedAll 10 film stock presets have been recalibrated so bloom and halation feel natural and true to each stock's character.

LOG footage support

• FixedYou can now import, grade, and export ProRes MOV files — including LOG footage straight from your camera. Filmtone prepares the file automatically on the way in.
• FixedCinema-resolution files (DCI 4K and above) are now fully supported as video input.

Much faster exports

• Changed4K footage that used to take three minutes to export now finishes in under 45 seconds — up to 4× faster for demanding camera files.
• AddedFilmtone quietly optimizes heavy camera files before grading so export runs at full speed. Lighter files skip this step entirely.
• AddedA progress bar now shows while Filmtone prepares a heavy source file, so you know exactly what is happening before export begins.

Labels that speak photographer

• ChangedVideo preview now has full playback controls — play, pause, scrub, timecode display, and Space bar toggle.
• ChangedPro panel labels have been updated to plain photography language — Film texture, Color fringing, Source adjustments — so controls are easier to understand at a glance.
• ChangedBloom's threshold slider now shows a brief tip explaining which highlight tones trigger the glow.

Friendlier tone controls

• ChangedThe tone section now uses everyday language — highlight softness, tone span, print snap — with short hover descriptions so every slider is self-explanatory.
• ChangedAll sliders now show a tip reminding you that tapping the label resets that control to default.

Film process controls and a cleaner workflow

• AddedNew film process controls let you shape compression, tonal range, print contrast, and color cast — what you see in the preview is exactly what exports.
• ChangedQuick mode takes you straight to the look; Pro mode surfaces the full set of film process, texture, and source controls — each mode shows only what you need.
• ChangedFilm stocks are now grouped by category, so finding Velvia 50 among cinematic and other options takes seconds instead of scrolling.
• FixedDesktop no longer loses your process settings when you switch between photo and video tabs.
• ChangedShared links and exported grades remain fully compatible with older versions while carrying the new process fields when available.

Export in the browser — and better reliability across the board

• AddedYou can now export a graded video clip directly from the browser — no download required to test your look on short footage.
• ChangedBrowser export is more reliable, and a clearer message now guides Safari users toward Chrome, Edge, or the Desktop app when needed.
• FixedExported MP4s no longer show a black thumbnail in Finder or Quick Look — previews now display the actual graded frame.
• ChangedVideo import now handles a wider range of camera files, including MOV files that some cameras save without standard type information.

Cleaner export and faster preset discovery

• ChangedPhoto batch export and single video export are now clearly separated — tabs, panel, and toolbar all point you to the right place.
• FixedThe image or clip you are actively grading carries over into export as the default, so wrong-file exports are much less likely.
• ChangedThe export panel and the editing view share the same visual language, making the transition between grading and exporting feel seamless.
• AddedType to search film stock presets — no more scrolling through the full list to find a specific look.
• ChangedVideo preview pauses automatically while a file is exporting so nothing looks out of sync.
• ChangedThe browser demo preview is taller and better framed, giving a closer impression of the Desktop experience.

Two LUTs at once, redesigned export, and faster video

• AddedLoad two LUT files simultaneously — use the first to convert your LOG footage to a standard look, the second for your creative grade, each with its own intensity control.
• AddedLUTs you set in the editing tab now follow through to export. A status indicator shows at a glance whether your grade is in sync, out of sync, or partially applied.
• AddedExport now lives right alongside your grade in a compact panel — the image stays visible the whole time, no more multi-step wizard.
• ChangedVideo export in the browser has been restored with improved color accuracy and hardware-accelerated performance.
• AddedA banner appears inside the app when a new version of Filmtone is available.
• ChangedUnder-the-hood restructuring to keep the app fast and stable as new features are added.

Smoother video export

• ChangedVideo export now runs more cleanly in the background, with a small performance improvement on longer clips.

Video color accuracy fix

• FixedFixed a color shift that could appear in exported video, ensuring graded footage matches what you see on screen.

Desktop install fix

• FixedFixed an issue where the Desktop app (DMG) could fail to process video after installation.

First release

• AddedApply any preset to an entire folder of photos and export them all at once as JPEG or PNG.
• AddedExport a video clip with your chosen grade baked in.
• AddedFour film stock looks to start: Kodak Portra 400, Fuji Pro 400H, Kodak Ektar 100, and Ilford HP5 Plus.
• AddedTry any preset on your own photos in the browser before downloading the Desktop app.