Your photos stay on your device
When you open a photograph, Photonica processes it in your browser using your device’s graphics hardware. We do not upload your photograph for editing or export. Your open photo and edit history stay in the current tab and are lost when the session ends. The JPEG you export is saved where you choose on your device.
If you save a preset to your account, we store the preset name and editing settings, not your photograph. Its cover is rendered from a Photonica sample image, not your photo.
Information we handle
Account and saved presets
An account is optional for editing. If you create one, our account provider processes your email address, authentication details, and account identifier so you can sign in, recover access, and manage your account. If you save presets, we store their names, settings, revisions, and covers for your account. We use this information to provide the features you request and to protect access to them.
If you share a preset as a link, we store a copy of its name and settings under a random code. Anyone with the link can open that copy; it contains no photograph, author, or other presets. A link nobody opens for 90 days is deleted automatically, and deleting your account deletes your links.
Sign in with Google
You can create an account or sign in with Google instead of a password. Photonica opens Google’s sign-in in a separate window only when you choose this option. After you approve, Google shares your Google account identifier, name, email address, and profile picture with our account provider. We request only this basic profile information and no access to your Google Drive, Photos, contacts, calendar, or other Google data.
We use your email address and Google account identifier to create your account, sign you in, keep it secure, and provide account features such as saved presets and the trial limit. Our account provider stores the name and profile picture Google returns with your account record; Photonica does not display them or use them for any other purpose. We do not sell information received from Google, use it for advertising, or share it except with the service providers described here. Photonica’s use and transfer of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.
Website and device data
Our hosting and account providers receive technical information needed to deliver the site and prevent abuse, such as your IP address, browser details, and request times. In your browser, Photonica stores your language preference, a few interface choices such as recent collage colours and the Instagram name you enter for the carousel preview, Pro tools it has downloaded for your account, and, if you sign in, authentication session data. We do not use cookies for advertising or analytics.
To apply the guest export limit, we also keep the local date and number of successful exports in your browser. This counter is not sent to our servers and contains no filenames or image data. It resets for each local calendar day.
Usage statistics
We use Umami, a privacy-focused analytics service, to count visits and learn which parts of Photonica people use. It sets no cookies and keeps nothing in your browser. For each page you open on photonica.studio, Umami receives the page address, the referring website, your browser, operating system, device type, screen size, and language, and an approximate location derived from your IP address. Visits are counted with an anonymous identifier, and we do not link them to your account.
We also count a few actions in the app, such as opening or exporting a photo, a browser that cannot run the editor, starting checkout, or completing a purchase, with details like the export type or the chosen plan. Before anything is sent, we remove the query and fragment from page addresses, keeping only campaign tags. Analytics never receives your photographs, their file names or metadata, your email address, or preset link codes, and we do not use it for advertising.
Payments
Checkout is provided by Paddle as merchant of record. Paddle collects and processes the information needed for payment, billing, fraud prevention, and tax. Photonica receives the customer and transaction information needed to provide paid access and support. We do not receive your full payment card number. See Paddle’s Privacy Policy for how Paddle handles payment information.
Free Pro trials
When you activate a trial, we keep its start date and a protected fingerprint of your verified email address to enforce one trial every 365 days. The trial register does not contain your email in readable form. The fingerprint is pseudonymised personal information and is used only to prevent repeated trials. It survives account deletion until 365 days after activation, then is automatically removed by an hourly cleanup. Deleting or recreating an account does not extend this retention period. We rely on our legitimate interest in preventing misuse of the free trial; contact us if you wish to object to this processing or request a review of its retention.
Messages to us
If you email us, we use your address and the contents of your message to answer your request. Resend receives and stores these messages for us.
Service providers and retention
We use Supabase for optional accounts, private presets, and access records. Google provides optional sign-in with a Google account. Our hosting provider delivers the site. Umami provides usage statistics. Resend handles email sent to us. Paddle handles purchases. These providers may process data in countries other than yours under their own applicable safeguards. We do not sell personal information.
We keep account data and saved presets while your account is active. You can delete individual presets or request account deletion in account settings; deletion removes your account, including information received from Google, saved presets, and their private covers from the active service. Usage statistics are kept for up to two years. We keep correspondence as needed to resolve requests and meet legal obligations. Providers may retain limited records when required for security or legal obligations. Paddle’s retention rules also apply to payment data it controls.
Your choices and rights
You can edit photos without an account. You can change your account email, delete saved presets, and delete your account in the app. If you sign in with Google, you can also remove Photonica’s access in your Google Account settings; this stops Google sign-in but does not delete your Photonica account. You can clear local browser data through your browser settings. Content blockers and tracking protection that stop usage statistics do not affect the editor. Depending on where you live, you may also ask to access, correct, export, or delete personal information, or object to or restrict certain processing. Contact us for help with these requests. We may need to verify your identity before acting on an account request.
Contact and changes
Photonica is operated by PE Lipatov Vladislav Pyotr, a sole proprietor registered in Armenia. For privacy questions or requests, email privacy@photonica.studio.
We may update this policy as the product changes. The date above shows when it was last revised. Material changes will be communicated where required.