Show HN: Imagin Raw - A 9MB Open-Source Alternative to Adobe Bridge for Mac
A lightweight, native macOS application for browsing, culling, and organizing RAW photos - built as a more efficient alternative to Adobe Bridge for read/rate/organize workflows. An iOS companion app is in development, focused on a simple way to browse your library, cleanup, in-field backup of your shots, and scouting.
- UI: SwiftUI (macOS 14.6+). AppKit/UIKit for the thumbnails list where SwiftUI performance was poor.
- RAW decoding: LibRaw (C++), wrapped via Objective-C++ bridge. CoreImage also used for other formats and as a fallback.
- Metadata: EXIF parsed directly from RAW/JPEG binary structures; XMP sidecars read/written for Lightroom/Bridge compatibility.
- File system monitoring: FSEvents for real-time folder change detection.
- Search: NSMetadataQuery (Spotlight) for indexed file/folder search.
- Concurrency: A mix of Tasks and OperationQueue.
Features
- Multi‑root folder browsing - add any number of folders from local disks, external drives, or SD cards; no import step, no managed library.
- Real‑time file system monitoring - new photos, deletions, and folder structure changes are detected and reflected immediately.
- RAW format support - via LibRaw, covering a broad range of camera manufacturers and formats.
- Rating and color labeling - written to XMP sidecars (RAW) or embedded directly without re‑encoding (JPEG/HEIC), compatible with Adobe Bridge and Lightroom.
- Rejection workflow - a session‑scoped label (not persisted across folder changes) for marking photos to delete; batch‑delete via right‑click.
- JPG/RAW pair deduplication - when a RAW+JPEG pair exists, only the RAW is shown in the browser.
- Two grid layouts - compact grid (more room for preview) and large grid (more room for browsing).
- Spotlight‑backed search - search across files and folder names using the macOS indexing engine.
- SD card ingest - copy photos into date‑based folder structures, with optional simultaneous backup to a second destination.
- Duplicate/similar photo detection.
- Review mode for quickly resolving near‑duplicate burst shots.
- Instagram frame export - fits 2:3 RAW images into a 3:4 canvas, exported as PNG to avoid re‑encoding loss (useful for Camera Raw edits because it doesn't support framing).
Comparison
| Imagin RAW | Bridge | |
|---|---|---|
| App size | ~9 MB | ~2 GB |
| Idle CPU | 0% | non‑zero |
| Memory | As low as 100 MB depending on the album | Easily gets to GBs |
| Launch time | Near‑instant | Many seconds |
| Scrolling | Native, smooth | Row‑jumping |
| External drive eject | No app restart needed | Requires quitting Bridge |
- Camera Raw-processed previews - Bridge renders thumbnails with ACR adjustments applied. Imagin RAW currently shows unprocessed previews; replicating the ACR pipeline isn't feasible, though basic exposure/crop preview adjustments may be explored. See the open Issues.
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Arrow Keys | Navigate between photos |
| CMD A | Select all photos |
| CMD Click / Shift+Click | Multi‑select photos |
| CMD Del | Move photos to trash |
| CMD Z | Undo photos moved to trash |
1-5 |
Set Star Rating |
6-0 |
Apply Labels |
- |
Remove label |
A |
Approve photos (same as the 8 key) |
X / Del |
Reject photos |
OPT 1-5 |
Filter by Star Rating |
OPT 6-0 |
Filter by Labels |
OPT X |
Filter by Rejected |
C |
Toggle Sidebar |
G |
Toggle Grid Type |
| Return | Open selected photo(s) in external editor |
System Requirements
- macOS 14.6 or later
- Apple Silicon or Intel processor
Installation
- Buy from the AppStore if you want to support the project and receive updates automatically.
- Download the latest release from Releases. Updates might not be on par with the AppStore and there's no update notification in app.
- Compile from source code.
Contributions
Small straightforward fixes and issue/ideas reporting are welcome.
Comments
No comments yet. Start the discussion.