Help
Reference for every Archyv process and settings tab — the same guidance shown in the app's built-in Help.
Pick a topic below to see what it does, when to reach for it, what it needs, and the steps to run it. This is the same reference built into Archyv's Help window, published here so you can browse it before you install.
OverviewPhoto management and organization tool for macOSGuides
Short, task-based walkthroughs for common jobs — each one links through to the full reference. See all guides.
How to rename photos by date taken on a MacName files from the date the shutter actually fired — not the date the file landed on your disk — across a whole shoot in one pass.How to sort photos into folders by date on a MacTurn one enormous folder into a dated structure — built from the date each photo was taken, with the undated ones set aside rather than misfiled.How to batch convert HEIC to JPG on a MacFive ways to turn a folder of iPhone HEICs into JPEGs — what each does to quality, metadata and location data, and which to use when.How to add copyright and photographer credit to photos in batchWrite ownership into the files themselves — the right IPTC and XMP fields, across a whole shoot, on images, RAW and video alike.A photo file naming convention that still works in ten yearsWhat to put in a filename, in what order, and why — the decisions that make an archive searchable long after you have forgotten what was in it.Using ExifTool on a Mac, without the command lineExifTool is the right tool for photo metadata and always has been. How to install and use it — and the point at which an interface over the top starts to pay for itself.RAW + JPEG pairs and XMP sidecars — what happens when you renameShoot RAW+JPEG and your files travel in sets. What a rename, a move or a metadata write does to the set, and how sidecars get attached to the wrong photo.How to batch rename photos from camera metadata on a MacTurn camera-default filenames into a clean, consistent naming convention — across a whole shoot in one pass.How to batch-convert RAW to web-ready JPEG on a MacTurn a folder of RAW files into lightweight, correctly-sized JPEGs for the web — in one pass, with your originals left untouched.Converting photos to AVIF and JPEG XL on a MacThe two modern image formats, what each is actually good for today, and the browser-support reality that decides which one you can publish.How to find and remove duplicate photos on a MacClear out the duplicate and near-duplicate copies that pile up when folders are merged — and review every call before anything is removed.How to set up a reusable file transfer profile on a MacSave your import-or-archive routine once — folder structure, naming, conflict handling, and verification — and run it the same way every time.
Processes
Find ExistingNarrow the selection to files that have a chosen metadata valueFind MissingNarrow the selection to files that lack a chosen metadata fieldMetadata RenamingTemplate-based file renaming using metadata variablesManual RenamingPattern-based renaming with user-provided photographer infoMetadata ReviewRead-only viewer for inspecting file metadataPhotographer AttributionAdd, replace, or clear photographer and date metadataMetadata EditorEdit metadata fields across the 10 metadata categoriesSpecies TaggingApply a species you choose to your selected files, recording it as keywords and Darwin Core taxonomyFolder GenerationCreate structured folder hierarchies for photography projectsFile TransferMove or copy files to new locations with optional renamingImage ConversionTemplate-based format conversion with 6 outputs and watermarkingFile SortTemplate-based resequencing to eliminate gaps in file numberingDuplicate DetectionIdentify and manage duplicate files in your collection