The Collection mode grid and sidebar work together to let you browse, select, and organize your photos.
Sidebar Sections
All (Ctrl+A)
Shows every photo in the project.
Starred (Ctrl+S)
Shows photos with one or more stars, grouped by number of stars.
Rejected (Ctrl+D)
Shows photos marked as rejected.
Groups
Photo groupings within the project.
Collection Grid
The grid displays photo thumbnails for the current sidebar selection.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| / | Show/Hide Metadata |
The grid has two modes:
- Extended (default): shows photo metadata below each thumbnail — filename, star rating, camera/lens info. Layout adapts to column count with richer detail at fewer columns.
- Regular: thumbnails only, no metadata.
Selection
Click a photo to select it. Use standard selection modifiers:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Cmd+A | Select All |
| Cmd+Shift+A | Select None |
Reject & Remove
Aphera uses a three-tier system for removing photos:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Delete | Reject — marks as rejected and hides from the collection |
| Option+Delete | Remove from the current sidebar section (group, workflow, starred, or rejected) |
| Cmd+Delete | Remove from Project |
The Option+Delete shortcut is contextual: its menu title changes based on the current sidebar section (e.g. “Remove from Group”, “Remove from Workflow”, “Remove from Starred”, “Remove from Rejected”).
Navigation
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| J | Previous photo |
| K | Next photo |
| Left Arrow | Previous photo |
| Right Arrow | Next photo |
Arrow key navigation is also available when the sidebar has focus.
Photo Organization
Rating
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 – 5 | Set star rating |
| ` | Clear rating (no stars) |
Rating works on the current selection, including multiple photos. A toast notification confirms the change.
Context Menu
Right-click on any photo to open a context menu with the following options:
- Show in Finder (single selection)
- Rating (5 stars through 1 star, No Stars)
- Add to Group (submenu of project groups)
- Add to Workflow (submenu of export workflows)
- Reject
- Remove from… (contextual: Group, Workflow, Starred, or Rejected)
- Remove from Project
The context menu is available in both Collection and edit modes.
Collection Filters
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Cmd+Shift+F | Show/Hide Filters |
| Cmd+Shift+Option+F | Reset Filters |
| Cmd+Option+1 – Cmd+Option+5 | Filter by star rating |
| Cmd+Option+` | Filter to unstarred |
The filter bar includes an “at least” / “exactly” toggle for star rating comparison. For example, “at least 3 stars” shows 3, 4, and 5 star photos, while “exactly 3 stars” shows only 3 star photos.
Zoom
In Collection mode, Zoom In and Zoom Out adjust the grid thumbnail size (number of columns).
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Cmd+= | Zoom In (fewer columns, larger thumbnails) |
| Cmd± | Zoom Out (more columns, smaller thumbnails) |
Use the trackpad to pan when zoomed in on a photo.
In edit modes, these shortcuts zoom the photo:
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Cmd+= | Zoom In |
| Cmd± | Zoom Out |
| Cmd+Shift± | Fit Window |
| Cmd+Shift+= | Fill Window |
| Cmd+Option+Shift+= | 1:1 Pixels |
| Space | Toggle between fit and fill (in edit modes) |
Audition
Hold \ (backslash) to temporarily view the original, unedited photo. Release to return to the edited view. This works in any mode that displays a photo.