AlbumMaker Support
support@kra.devEmail is the only support channel. When reporting a problem, please include:
- Your macOS version and AlbumMaker version (About window / App Store page)
- What you did, what you expected, and what happened instead
- Whether the folder lives on iCloud Drive, an external disk, or a network volume (the most common source of surprises)
- Any red warnings shown in the plan or the compare report
AlbumMaker is built by a solo developer, so expect an honest reply within a few days.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between the guided flow and Expert mode?
Nothing but the presentation. The wizard walks through four steps with plain-language explanations; Expert shows the whole flow as one panel for repeat users. Switch any time in the title bar. The engine and the safety guarantees are the same either way.
What is an "event"?
A cluster of photos taken around the same time, same place: a birthday, a city trip. A new event starts after a pause (you pick: 2 h / 3 h / 6 h / a day) or a location jump (2 / 5 / 10 km, in Settings ⌘,). Photos without GPS data cluster by time alone; they never split an event.
Why are event albums named with dates and not places?
Because AlbumMaker never looks anything up. Coordinates are compared locally and never leave your Mac. There is no place-name database and no internet lookup. Albums are named by their dates (2026/Jul 3–5); rename any album in the plan (the ✎ next to its name) to "Barcelona", and the plan shows what it was called before. If several events fall on the same date, their hour ranges are appended automatically so the names stay apart.
Where does AlbumMaker get the dates from?
From the file's embedded capture metadata: EXIF DateTimeOriginal for photos (with TIFF fallback for scanners), the embedded creation date for videos. Only files with no embedded date fall back to the file date, and those are never sorted silently (see the next question).
Why does it ask me about "files without a capture date"?
File dates often lie: an iCloud download carries the download date, a restored backup the restore date. Sorting by those would scatter old photos into new folders. So AlbumMaker keeps the decision visible in the plan: trust the file dates, or keep those files together in one folder (default "_No capture date"). Your last choice is pre-selected next time, but the decision is always yours and always shown.
Can it delete or overwrite my photos?
No. Nothing is ever overwritten or deleted. Name clashes are auto-renamed (photo.jpg → photo-1.jpg), and a byte-identical file already at the destination is skipped and reported. Scanning is read-only. Files move only when you click Apply, and the plan shows everything first.
What does "Compare folders" do to my files?
Nothing. It's a report, on both sides. It answers "do these two folders contain the same photos?" by content, not by name, so a renamed copy still counts as the same file. Use it to verify a backup or an export before deleting the source. Files that can't be read are listed too, which means the report is never silently incomplete.
How does duplicate detection work?
On by default (toggleable in Expert). AlbumMaker compares file contents, not names, so byte-identical copies are found whatever they are called and wherever they live. You then decide in the plan: sort all copies, leave the redundant ones where they are, or collect them into one folder for review. The copy with the cleanest name is pre-selected; click the circle next to any file to choose a different one.
What are "media types" and what are the routes?
The scan reads each file's metadata, offline, to recognize what it is: screenshots, panoramas, portraits, bursts, RAW, Live Photos. Each type can get a route: videos into a Video/ folder inside each album, screenshots into their own album, RAW files staying with their same-name JPG. Live Photo pairs (photo + video) are recognized by Apple's shared identifier and always kept together; if one half is set aside as a duplicate, the other follows. Files with stripped metadata (some messengers and editors remove it) fall back to plain photos.
Can folder names be in a different language than the app?
Yes. Settings (⌘,) has a folder-name language (12 choices or the system language) that only affects month, weekday and week names in album folders. The app's own language (English or Danish) follows the system.
What do Move and Copy do on a re-run?
Files already in their correct folder are skipped. Re-running a Copy sort doesn't multiply files, because identical copies at the destination are detected and skipped.
Why does the scan say "locations could not be read"?
Some folder or file couldn't be opened (permissions, disconnected volume, iCloud file not downloaded). AlbumMaker refuses to pretend the scan was complete. Check the folder in Finder (Get Info → Sharing & Permissions), reconnect the volume, or download the files, then scan again.
Which files does it handle?
Anything with a date: photos (including RAW), videos, any file. Hidden files and app packages are skipped.
What are the system requirements?
macOS 13 (Ventura) or later. The app is available in English and Danish.
How do I get the beta?
Currently a free beta via TestFlight; a paid Mac App Store release is planned.
Where is my data sent?
Nowhere. See the privacy policy: no network, no accounts, no analytics. Event clustering compares GPS coordinates on your Mac only.