# How Ben McCarthy is bringing Obscura's vision to photo editing

DevFeed: [How Ben McCarthy is bringing Obscura's vision to photo editing](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/how-ben-mccarthy-is-bringing-obscura-s-vision-to-photo-editing-9112.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://www.sketch.com/blog/obscura-studio/>)

Author: Ale Cubero

Published: 2025-09-01T09:46:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Sketch Blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/sketch-blog.md>)

Topics: [Sketch](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/sketch.md>), [User interface design](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ui-design.md>), [Interaction Design](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/interaction-design.md>), [iphone](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/iphone.md>), [Development](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/development.md>), [iOS](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ios.md>)

Tags: [app-development](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/app-development.md>), [apple](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/apple.md>), [interaction-design](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/interaction-design.md>), [interface-design](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/interface-design.md>), [ios](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ios.md>), [iphone](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/iphone.md>), [library](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/library.md>), [made-with-sketch](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/made-with-sketch.md>), [product](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/product.md>)

## AI overview

An interview with Obscura creator Ben McCarthy about Obscura Studio, a standalone photo editor built entirely in Sketch. McCarthy explains how Apple's Lock Screen Camera extension requirements influenced the app's architecture, and how a filter-tuning tool evolved into a photo-editing product designed around simplicity.

## Source excerpt

We spoke with Obscura Studio's creator, Ben McCarthy, to learn how their new app strips photo editing down to the essentials -- and why thoughtful design sometimes means doing less.