# LightBites > A fully native photo library and raw editor, written in Swift for iPhone, iPad and Mac: a real alternative to Lightroom that is fast, light on battery and keeps your original photos untouched. Use a local library on the device, or sync every device through your own self-hosted LightCraft server. No account, no ads, no subscription. LightBites is for people who shoot raw and want a photo library and editor that is native on Apple devices, with no subscription and no account. It runs on iPhone and iPad (iOS 26 or later) and Mac (macOS 26 or later). Everything runs on the device; syncing between devices is optional and goes through a LightCraft server that you host yourself. ## Pages - [Home](http://localhost:3000/): What it does, who it is for, how sync works and the questions people ask. - [Guides](http://localhost:3000/guides): Step-by-step guides with screenshots from iPhone and Mac: how to use the app, and how to edit raw photos like a pro, with the raw files and finished settings to download. - [Developers](http://localhost:3000/docs): Developer docs: control the Mac app from a script, a terminal or an AI assistant. The local protocol, commands, controls, MCP setup and recipes. - [Roadmap](http://localhost:3000/roadmap): What is being built now, what comes next and what is already done. - [Developer docs as Markdown](http://localhost:3000/docs.md): the whole reference in one file, for assistants: the control protocol, commands, controls, MCP setup and recipes. - [Guides as Markdown](http://localhost:3000/guides.md): every guide below in one file, with the settings of each step. ## Guides: Using LightBites - [Get started with LightBites](http://localhost:3000/guides/getting-started): Add photos from Photos, Files, a camera or a Mac folder, check what comes in, and find your way around the library. - [Rate, flag and sort your photos into albums](http://localhost:3000/guides/organize-photos): Cull a shoot fast with stars and flags, group photos in albums, add keywords, and filter the library down to your best. - [Find any photo with search](http://localhost:3000/guides/search-photos): Find photos by place, date, camera or keyword, describe the one you remember, browse the map, and save a search as a smart album. - [Edit a photo: the basics](http://localhost:3000/guides/editing-basics): The editor in five minutes: the edit groups, Auto, the Light and Color sliders, comparing before and after, undo, and dials or sliders. - [Crop and straighten a photo](http://localhost:3000/guides/crop-and-straighten): Level a crooked horizon, crop to 4:5, 9:16 or square for social media, rotate and flip, and change it all again later. - [Edit part of a photo with masks](http://localhost:3000/guides/masks): Brighten just the subject, darken just the sky, or fade an edit across the frame with a gradient. Masks in LightBites, step by step. - [Remove people and objects from a photo](http://localhost:3000/guides/remove-objects): Paint over a distraction and LightBites fills it in. Remove, Heal and Clone, Generative AI for big objects, and dust spots. - [Use, make and import presets](http://localhost:3000/guides/presets): Apply a look in one tap, save your own edit as a preset, import Lightroom and XMP presets, and copy an edit to other photos. - [Export and share your photos](http://localhost:3000/guides/export-and-share): Send an edit to Messages, AirDrop or Photos, choose JPEG, PNG, TIFF, AVIF or the original, pick the right size, and keep your location private. ## Guides: Edit like a pro - [How to edit a raw photo, in the order the pros do](http://localhost:3000/guides/raw-workflow): A raw file is where a great photo starts. The order to work in, from profile and white balance to tone, colour and sharpening, with a raw file to practise on. - [How to edit a sunset photo](http://localhost:3000/guides/edit-sunset): Bring back a burnt-out sky, lift a dark foreground, and keep the warm glow of a sunset without making it look fake. With the raw file to follow along. - [How to edit a portrait naturally](http://localhost:3000/guides/edit-portrait): A natural portrait edit: light the face, even out skin tones, make the subject stand out from a softer background. With the raw file to follow along. - [How to edit night city photos](http://localhost:3000/guides/edit-night-city): Tame bright city lights, clean up noise, open the shadows and keep the night dark. A night photo edit, step by step, with the raw file. - [How to make a black and white photo that pops](http://localhost:3000/guides/black-and-white): A black and white edit with depth: convert, mix the colours into the right greys, build contrast, and finish with grain. With the raw file to follow along. ## Optional - [Full text of this site](http://localhost:3000/llms-full.txt): the home page and its questions in one Markdown file. - [Support](http://localhost:3000/support): chat with the maker; contact elrumo97@me.com.