Files browser

The Photomator Files browser offers a quick and easy way to browse and edit photos anywhere on your device, or even in external locations. You can edit photos from cloud services like iCloud Drive, Dropbox, and Google Drive, as well as from SSDs, NAS devices, SD cards, and more.

When you edit photos in Photomator, it saves the changes in a separate sidecar file without changing the original photo. This means that your original photo stays unchanged, allowing you to undo any edits at any time. Additionally, sidecar files are especially lightweight, so, for instance, if you're working with large RAW photo files, they won't take up much extra space on your device.

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Browse files

iPhone

On iPhone, you can browse files, folders, and images by choosing an option at the bottom of the screen:

Recents shows your recently edited images.

Shared shows images and folders you share with others using iCloud.

Browse show locations on your device, connected cloud services, storage drives, and more. The default locations in Photomator are:

• On My iPad shows files, folders, and images stored locally on your device.

• iCloud Drive shows files, folders, and images stored in iCloud Drive.

• Recently Deleted shows your recently deleted files, folders, and images.

Favorites show folders or locations you've saved as favorites.

Tags show the files and folders you tagged on your device or in iCloud.

iPad

In the Photomator sidebar on iPad, you can browse files, folders, and images in the following categories:

Recents show your recently edited images.

Shared shows images and folders you share with others using iCloud.

Locations show locations on your device, connected cloud services, storage drives, and more. The default locations in Photomator are:

• On My iPad shows files, folders, and images stored locally on your device.

• iCloud Drive shows files, folders, and images stored in iCloud Drive.

• Recently Deleted shows your recently deleted files, folders, and images.

Favorites show folders or locations you've saved as favorites.

Tags show the files and folders you tagged on your device or in iCloud.

Mac

In the Photomator sidebar on Mac, you can browse photos automatically added to the following categories:

• All Files shows the complete collection of images in your Files browser.

• Edited folder lists all your images edited using Photomator.

• Imported folder contains the photos you import to Photomator one by one.

Or, under Folders, you can browse the folders or locations that you've added to Photomator.

If you don't see any photos in the Files browser, start by adding some. You can add photos one-by-one or import entire folders or locations by simply dragging and dropping them to the sidebar or the Photomator icon in the Dock.

View or open individual images

iPhone and iPad

View or open an image

To view or open an individual image, do any of the following:

• Tap the thumbnail of an image to open it. If an image is grayed out in the Files browser, its file format may not be supported in Photomator.

• Drag the Zoom slider or pinch open or close on the trackpad to zoom the photo. You can drag the zoomed photo to reposition it.

See details about an image

To view photo info like the image type, camera settings, location info, or date, do any of the following:

• Touch and hold the thumbnail of the photo and choose Get Info.

• Open a photo, then tap More in the toolbar, and choose Show Info.

Move between images

When viewing photos from a location for the first time, you can choose to display other photos from that same location and easily navigate between them using the Photomator filmstrip. To give the filmstrip access to a specific folder or location, follow these steps:

1. Tap and hold the folder thumbnail, then select Edit with Filmstrip.

2. Open the photo, tap Give Access at the bottom, navigate to the root folder where your photo is stored, and tap Open.

3. Open a photo, then tap More in the toolbar, and choose Give Access to Filmstrip from the menu that appears.

Mac

View or open a photo

To view an individual photo, do any of the following:

• Double-click the thumbnail of the photo.

• Press the Space key on your keyboard, or press the Return ↵ key to immediately start editing image colors.

• Click to select the photo thumbnail, then click Edit 1 Photo in the toolbar and choose Open Edit Tools.

• Drag the Zoom slider or pinch open or close on the trackpad to zoom the photo. You can drag the zoomed photo to reposition it.

See details about a photo

To view photo info like the image type, camera settings, location info, or date click the Info button in the toolbar.

Move between photos

• Press the arrow keys or swipe left or right with two fingers on the trackpad.

• Use the filmstrip below your photo to quickly jump to another photo. If the filmstrip is not visible, choose View > Show Filmstrip to turn it on, and deselect the currently selected tool.

Create a new folder

iPhone

In the Files browser on iPhone, tap Browse at the bottom of the screen, then do any of the following:

• Create a new folder: Navigate to the location where you want to create a new folder, tap More in the toolbar, and choose New Folder. Give it a name and tap Done.
• Create a folder with selected items: Navigate to the location where you want to create a new folder, tap More in the toolbar, and choose select. Select the items you want to put into a folder, then tap more at the bottom of the screen and choose New Folder with Items.
• Create a new shared folder: Touch and hold the folder you want to share, then tap Share and choose Send a Copy or Collaborate and choose how you want to send your share invitation.

iPad

In the Files browser on iPad, do any of the following:

• Create a new folder: Navigate to the location where you want to create a new folder and tap to add a new folder or press Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + N on your keyboard. Give it a new name and tap Done.
• Create a folder with selected items: Navigate to the location with the items you want to put into a folder, tap Select in the toolbar, and select them. Then, tap More at the bottom of the screen and choose New Folder with Items.

• Create a new shared folder: Touch and hold the folder you want to share, then tap Share and choose Send a Copy or Collaborate and choose how you want to send your share invitation.

Mac

To create a new folder on Mac, navigate to the location where you want to create a new folder and do any of the following:

1. Choose File > New Folder from the File menu at the top of the screen.

2. Press Shift ⇧ + Command ⌘ + N on your keyboard.

See Share files and folders in iCloud Drive on iCloud.com to learn how to create shared folders on iCloud.

Rename a photo, album, or folder

iPhone and iPad

1. In the Files browser, touch and hold the image, folder, or file you want to rename.

2. Tap Rename in the menu that appears

3. Type a new name and tap Done.

Mac

1. In the Files browser, Control-click the image, folder, or file you want to rename.

2. Choose Rename from the menu that appears.

3. Type a new name and press the Return ↵ key.

Add or import images, folders, or locations

iPhone

Photomator integrates seamlessly with the iPhone Files app, allowing you to browse and access locations directly without importing files.

iPad

Photomator seamlessly integrates with your iPad's Files app, allowing you to browse and access files directly from the Browse tab without needing to import them.

Mac

• Import images, folders, or locations: Drag and drop a desired item onto the Photomator icon in the Dock or the sidebar on the left. When importing photos one by one, they will be automatically added to the Imported collection.

• Add to an existing album or folder: Drag and drop an image from anywhere on your Mac to the album photo grid.

• Move a photo from a different album: Drag and drop the photo or photos you want to add from one album or folder onto your desired album in the sidebar.

Delete photos and folders

iPhone

1. In the Browse tab, navigate to the photo or folder you want to delete.

2. Touch and hold its thumbnail, lift your finger, and tap Delete in the Quick Actions menu.

To delete an image shared with you by someone else (so that it can no longer be recovered), tap Delete Now.

iPad

1. In the Files browser, navigate to the photo or folder you want to delete.

2. Touch and hold its thumbnail, lift your finger, and tap Delete in the Quick Actions menu.

To delete an image shared with you by someone else (so that it can no longer be recovered), tap Delete Now.

Mac

1. In the Files browser, navigate to the photo or folder you want to delete.

2. Do any of the following:

   1. Delete an image: Control-click the image thumbnail and choose Delete.

   2. Remove a folder: To remove a folder from the Photomator sidebar without deleting it from your Mac, control-click the folder name in the sidebar and select "Remove Folder."

   3. Delete a folder: Control-click the folder in the sidebar and select “Move to Trash” to delete it from your Mac. You can still recover it from the Trash.

To delete an image shared with you by someone else (so that it can no longer be recovered), tap Delete Now.

You can recover your deleted files from the Trash on your Mac.

Recover a recently deleted photo or folder

iPhone

1. In the Files browser on iPhone, tap Browse at the bottom of the screen, then tap Recently Deleted.

2. Do any of the following:

   • Recover one or more items: Tap Select in the upper-right corner, tap one or more images, then tap Recover at the bottom of the screen. To recover only one item, you can also touch and hold the name, lift your finger, and then tap Recover in the menu that appears.

   • Get information about a recently deleted item: Touch and hold the name of the image or folder, lift your finger, then tap Get Info in the menu that appears.

When you delete an image that's been shared with you, it’s deleted immediately from your device and can’t be recovered from Recently Deleted. If you later need to see the image again, tap the link you received in the original invitation or ask the owner to send another.

iPad

1. In the Files browser iPad, tap Recently Deleted.

2. Do any of the following:

   • Recover one or more items: Tap Select in the upper-right corner, tap one or more images, then tap Recover at the bottom of the screen. To recover only one item, you can also touch and hold the name, lift your finger, and then tap Recover in the menu that appears.

   • Get information about a recently deleted item: Touch and hold the name of the image or folder, lift your finger, then tap Get Info in the menu that appears.

When you delete an image that was shared with you, it’s deleted immediately from your device and can’t be recovered from Recently Deleted. If you later need to see the image again, tap the link you received in the original invitation or ask the owner to send another.

Mac

1. Open the Trash app on your Mac.

2. Do any of the following:

   • Recover one or more items: Control-click to select the items you want to recover and choose Put Back from the menu that appears.

   • Get information about a recently deleted item: Control-click the thumbnail of the item you want to recover then choose Get Info.

When you delete an image that was shared with you, it’s deleted immediately from your device and can’t be recovered. If you later need to see the image again, click the link you received in the original invitation or ask the owner to send another.

See also

Files browser

Interface overview

Save, share, and export

Files browser overview