There are hundreds upon hundreds of photo editing apps on the Apple AppStore. Each one with its own twist on photo editing. Any given month, I test several dozen new apps and most get installed, tested then quickly deleted but I recently stumbled on the DarkLight (link) iphone photo editor and its found a permanent home in my iPhone.

Not only has DarkLight earned the status of permanent app on my phone but it has also become my (usually) go-to photo editing app on my iPhone. The key feature which really sets this app apart (besides being free) is the Enhance feature. 

It has 3 automatic photo improvement modes that typically work better than most other automatic photo improvement apps (including Apple's very own iPhoto iPhone app). If you use Google Plus Photos then this feature closely resembles AutoAwesome except everything is processed on your phone.

You then have access to 12 Scene modes that perform minute improvements to make your photo the best it can be.

What impressed me most is that none of the modes over-modified the any the photos I tested the app with (over-modification is a bad thing).

Then you have the most basic, most standard controls. They include these because every photo editing app has to include them but typically you don't need them after using Enhance and Scene

Then they include nice features which are typically add-ons in other apps like adding text, stickers or frames.

The app is free and contains no in-app purchases, which makes me very very happy. I absolutely abhor in app purchases. The developer presents an ad every time you save a picture. I wish he gave me the option to buy an ad-free version.

Overall I really like this app and recommend it. It contains almost every feature I want except 2. HDR mode. I would like:

• HDR Mode : This should allow me to to merge multiple bracketed shots into one glorious wide dynamic range photo or to artificially generate a "fake" HDR from a single image like Snapseed does.
• Collage Feature : The ability to merge multiple pictures to create one photo (great for parents and pet owners).

It is a universal app which means it works on iPhone, iPad mini and iPad. I have been testing the app for weeks now and it hadn't crashed once.

Overall this has turned out to be a little gem that you definitely should download.