Aster
Features
From the memory card to the finished picture, in the folders you already own.
Safe import
Aster imports from memory cards, cameras and folders. Every copy is checked before anything else happens; when you choose to move rather than copy, an original is deleted from the card only once its copy has been verified. Files are named and filed by date as they arrive, and you can attach your copyright and contact details on the way in.
A library made of folders
Finder folders
No import into a database: Aster shows your folders as they are, and follows changes made in the Finder.
XMP beside each photo
Edits, ratings, labels, titles and IPTC information are stored in sidecar files that other software can read.
Albums
Albums and smart albums gather photos from several folders without moving them.
Fast grid
Thumbnails are prepared in the background, so a large library stays fluid to browse and sort.
A RAW render frozen per photo
Aster records, for each photo, the version of the RAW processing it was edited with. An update never changes the look of a photo you have already finished: improvements apply to the photos you open next. Lens corrections use the open Lensfun database.
Local retouching
Masks
Paint with a brush or draw shapes, then adjust exposure, contrast, colour and more on that area only.
Ranges
Limit an adjustment to a range of luminance or colour — the highlights of a sky, the greens of a forest.
People
Automatic masks for people, skin, subject and sky, detected on the Mac, ready to refine.
Healing
Remove dust, a passer-by or a stray cable with healing, cloning or a single click.
Titles in batches
Give a title to a whole selection at once, and rename the files from it with the date pattern of your choice. Titles are written to the XMP and can be reused when you export.
Find again
Search by date, camera and lens, by title, caption and keyword, by rating and label. Searches can be kept as smart albums.
Export
JPEG or TIFF, at the size and with the naming you choose, with or without metadata.
Requirements
A Mac with macOS 26 or later.