The editor and its tools
Every edit is non-destructive: your original file is never changed, and every setting can be changed or undone later.
The photo fills the left side. The panel on the right (on iPhone, a panel that slides up over the photo) has four tools across the top:
| Tool | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Edit | Brightness, contrast, colour, black & white, film looks, grain, sharpening and vignette. |
| Crop | Cropping, straightening, correcting leaning buildings, and borders (R). |
| Heal | Removing dust, spots, hairs and scratches (Q). |
| Masks | Changing only part of the photo: a person, the sky, an area you paint. |
Film Lab, for making your own film stock look to share or reuse, is in the menus: … at the top on iPhone and iPad, or the panel's … (Panel Options) on a computer. Tap Done (or Edit) to leave it.
The filmstrip under the photo shows your other photos. Press ← and → to move between them.
Background behind the photos
Choose what's behind your photos everywhere (the Library, round the photo while you edit, round the page in Layout): Black, Dark Grey (the usual), Mid Grey, Light Grey or White. On iPhone and iPad it's in the … menu (and View → Background while editing); on a computer, Background in the bar above the Library and under the photo. The surround changes how you see a photo: on black or dark grey it looks brighter and punchier than it will print, on white darker and flatter. Mid Grey is the fairest for judging tone before printing. Grain & Tone remembers your choice on each device. (Proof versions sit on white, like paper on a lightbox; the full-screen preview stays black.)
Comparing with the original
- Hold \ (backslash), or press and hold the Original button under the photo, to see the photo without edits.
- On a touch screen, touch and hold the photo for half a second. Lift your finger to return.
- Compare menu (Y) under the photo: Side by side or Split before/after with a divider you can drag.
Zooming
- Double-click (double-tap) the photo to switch between the whole photo and 100%.
- Scroll with a mouse or trackpad, or pinch with two fingers.
- ⌘+ and ⌘− zoom in and out, ⌘0 fits the photo, ⌘1 shows 100%.
- Drag to move around when zoomed in. While a tool such as the mask brush is in use, hold Space and drag to move around instead (as in Photoshop and Lightroom). On a touch screen, drag with one finger (two fingers while painting a mask).
Always judge sharpening, noise and grain at 100%.
Undo
Press ⌘Z, or the undo arrow at the top right; it also undoes ratings and flags. ⇧⌘Z (Ctrl+Y on Windows), or the redo arrow that appears after an undo, puts it back. Revert in the Edit tool takes the photo back to how it was imported.
Removing photos from the Library asks first, because it deletes them and their edits from the device and can't be undone.