Pict-o-view - A fast, private photo viewer for your Mac β no importing
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Pict-o-view opens folders of photos instantly β no importing, no library, no cloud. Unlike Photos.app, it only sees folders you explicitly add; unlike Lightroom, there's zero setup. Point it at a folder and browse at full speed: instant photo paging, non-destructive rotate/crop, slideshows, video with picture-in-picture, and drag-and-drop file management. Fully offline, App Sandboxed, zero data collection. Built natively with SwiftUI for macOS. Your photos stay yours, on your Mac.
Replies
Finally something that treats my photo folders like folders instead of locking them in a library. The instant paging feels snappy, and the non-destructive crop saved me from making duplicates.
@glayeg2gΒ Thank you β "folders as folders" is exactly the idea the whole app is built on, so this comment made my day. If it's earning a spot in your workflow, a rating on the App Store would help a lot π And if anything ever feels slow or missing, tell me β the roadmap is basically built from comments like these.
the zero-setup, folder-only approach is such a breath of fresh air compared to the bloated catalog monsters out there. love that it just gets out of the way and lets you browse your actual files at full speed.
@adem1343093Β Gets out of the way" might be my favorite description of it yet β that's exactly the goal. Zero setup, zero lock-in: it's your folder, I just show it fast. Appreciate you giving it a run!
Finally a photo browser that just shows me my folder without making me import anything. The instant paging is honestly kind of addictive, especially flicking through RAW files.
@ld_ilayda57147Β Thank you! The no-import thing was the entire reason I built it β glad it lands. And good to hear the RAW paging holds up; that's the workflow I optimized hardest (photos pre-decode as you page so there's nothing to wait for). If you shoot a camera whose RAW files ever misbehave, tell me the model β happy to test against it.
Folder watching would be a great addition here, the app could auto-refresh when you drop new photos into a folder without needing to re-add it manually. Would save a lot of clicks for anyone using it for active shoots.
@cansutokmalosfΒ good news, it already does this! folders are watched live , so new photos show up as they land, no re-add needed. it even handles the folder being renamed or moved. if you tried it and something didn't refresh, tell me the setup (local drive vs external etc) because that would be a bug i'd want to fix
the "only sees folders you explicitly add" approach is honestly so refreshing compared to apps that try to swallow your whole drive. love that the privacy stance isn't just marketing fluff but actually baked into how it works.
@serpiltrmey8slΒ thanks! that was the core design decision.
Love how it just points at a folder and goes. One thing that would make it a daily driver for me: keyboard shortcuts for quickly starring or flagging photos so I can triage a shoot without reaching for the mouse.
@suatxogwΒ Thanks Suat! A culling workflow (one-key flag/reject from the viewer, then a flagged-only filter) is the most requested feature so far, and it's the top item on the roadmap right now. it's what I'm building toward next. Would love to hear how you'd want it to work: single flag key, or star ratings too?
Pazi
Love the idea behind Pict-o-view. Big congratulations on shipping and launching! π