Darkroom + Safari Split View on iPad: A Practical Guide

You can use Darkroom and Safari together in Split View on iPad by opening one app, swiping up from the Dock to grab the other, and dragging it to the left or right edge of the screen until the display divides.

That gets you into Split View, but doing it manually every time is slow. This guide explains why this particular pair is worth the effort, what you can actually do with them side by side, and how to make launching them together a one-tap action on your Home Screen.

Why Darkroom and Safari work well together

Darkroom is a serious photo editing app. Safari is where most visual research happens. The gap between them — downloading an image, switching apps, cross-referencing a color palette, looking up a shoot location — is where time disappears. Putting them side by side closes that gap without forcing you to context-switch.

Here are three workflows where this combination earns its keep:

• Color reference grading. Open a mood board, a photographer's portfolio, or a specific image in Safari, then match tones and curves in Darkroom against what you see. No more toggling back and forth and trying to remember a hue you saw three seconds ago.
• Client feedback rounds. Keep a client's feedback email or shared brief open in Safari while making the exact adjustments they requested in Darkroom. You can read and edit simultaneously rather than re-reading, switching, forgetting, and switching back.
• Location and lighting research. Before editing travel or outdoor photos, pull up the actual location in Safari — street view, the photographer's original post, a mapping tool — and use that visual context to make editing decisions that match the real light of the place.

How to set it up with Splicon

If you haven't already, Download Splicon free from the App Store — it creates a custom Home Screen icon that opens any two apps directly into Split View with a single tap.

1. Open Splicon and search for Darkroom and Safari. Select them as your pair. Splicon pulls in both app icons so you can preview how the combined icon will look.
2. Choose a split style — left-heavy, right-heavy, or even — then generate the icon. When you're happy with it, save it to your Photos library.
3. Open the Shortcuts app, create a new shortcut, and add an "Open App" action. Set it to open Darkroom and Safari in Split View. When prompted to choose an icon, select the image you saved from Splicon.
4. Add the shortcut to your Home Screen. Long-press your Home Screen, tap the plus button, find your shortcut, and place it wherever makes sense for your workflow.

The result is a single icon that looks purpose-built — because it is. One tap, and both apps open exactly where you need them.

A few things worth knowing

Split View on iPad works best on iPad Air and iPad Pro models where the screen gives each app enough room to breathe. On smaller iPads, Slide Over may feel more comfortable for quick Safari checks while staying primarily in Darkroom.

If you edit photos in batches, consider keeping Safari open to a single reference page — a consistent mood board or a saved color story — rather than browsing freely. The value of the split layout comes from having a stable visual anchor, not a second browser session competing for your attention.

The Darkroom and Safari combination is not flashy, but it removes a real friction point in photo editing workflows that involve any kind of visual research or client communication. That friction compounds across a full editing session, and removing it is worth the two minutes of setup.