Importing

Supported Formats

• RAW files — we support most camera manufacturer RAW formats and Adobe DNG
• Image files — JPEG, HEIC, TIFF, PNG, and other common formats supported by macOS

Video files are not supported.

In the app and documentation, we casually refer to non-RAW files as “JPG”. These formats are supported by Aphera but do not benefit from the RAW image formation pipeline.

RAW + JPG Pairs

When a folder contains a RAW file and a JPG with the same name, Aphera imports both and joins them as a single photo with two source files. One file takes the RAW role, the other the SOOC role (straight out of camera — the camera’s own rendering). Files pair only when one of them can fill each role; two files that would both take the same role stay separate photos.

Notes:

• The RAW file is the photo’s active source file, regardless of which file was imported first.
• A third file with the same name cannot take a role that is already filled, so it imports as its own photo.
• Rating, group membership, and rejection belong to the photo, not to the source file.
• Each source file keeps its own adjustments. Editing the photo edits the file that is currently active.
• Import counts and toasts count files, not photos, so a batch of 100 pairs reports 200 files imported.

To change which file a photo uses, see Source File.

What images look like during import

During import, Aphera uses a black and white preview of the image. This preview gives you enough information to know which photo it is, without biasing your perception of the photograph. Once imported and processed, RAW images are rendered using Aphera’s default settings. We never display the internal JPG preview. This means the image may look different from what you saw on the back of your camera or in other applications. Aphera’s default rendering is designed to be a pleasing, neutral place from which to bring the image to life. Apply a Look or adjust the Balance to take it from there.

Import Files

File > Import Files (Cmd+I) opens a file browser to select photos for import.

Drag and Drop

Drag image files onto the sidebar or content area to import them. Files dropped onto a specific group in the sidebar are added to that group. Files dropped elsewhere are added to a new group.

Image files (or folders of images) dropped onto the Aphera dock icon import into the frontmost project. If no project is open, a new untitled project is created to receive them.

Import Looks

File > Import Looks… opens a file browser to select .apheralook files for import. You can also drag look files directly into the looks panel. See Looks for details.

Import Batches

Imported files are organized by import batch. Each batch appears as a group in the sidebar. Import progress is displayed in the toolbar while files are being imported.

Manage Imports

The Manage Imports panel lists every import in the project. Open it from the project status popover with Manage Imports….

Imports are listed in two sections, Folders and Files. Each row shows the import’s path, its status, and the file count and capture metadata.

Each row has a gear menu with these actions:

• Show in Finder — reveal the import in the Finder. Disabled when the import cannot be located.
• Locate on Disk… — point Aphera at a new location to relink the import. See below.
• Remove — remove the import and its files from the project. This cannot be undone.

Import Status

Each import shows a status badge:

• Online — all of the import’s files are present.
• N Missing — that many of the import’s files have moved or been deleted.
• Reconnect drive — the files are on a disconnected drive.
• Empty — the import contains no files.

A spinner appears while an import is still in progress; a warning icon marks an import that failed.

Relinking Moved Files

Aphera tracks files by macOS bookmark, so most moves and renames resolve automatically with no action needed. When a file cannot be located this way, Aphera reports it as Missing in the project status. Use Locate on Disk… in the Manage Imports panel to relink it in place:

1. Open the gear menu for the missing import and choose Locate on Disk….
2. Select the folder where the files now reside.

Aphera matches the expected files at the new location and relinks the import. A result message appears on the row:

• Relinked N source(s) — the import was relinked. The count includes any related imports relinked by the same operation.
• No matching files at that location — the chosen folder did not contain the expected files.
• Relink failed — the operation could not complete.

Relinking does not move or copy files. It updates the project to reference the files at their new location.

Importing from SD Cards

Because Aphera must be able to access your image files, we don’t recommend importing directly from an SD card. SD cards are typically ejected and erased to use again in your camera. First copy files from SD to a location on your hard disk.

Apple Photos

Images inside the Apple Photos library can’t be imported directly. Export them from Photos first (File > Export), then import the exported files.