Process

Overview

Photo management and organization tool for macOS

Overview

Archyv manages photo and media collections on macOS. Use it to standardize file naming, organize files into folder structures, edit and review metadata, convert image formats, find duplicates.

All 13 processes work on a batch of files at once. Select your files in the left Folder Navigator panel, pick a process from the process bar, set its options, and run it. Each process reports its progress in the log and lists the files it changed.

Supported formats: Archyv reads 40 file formats, recognised across 44 file extensions. 32 of them can have metadata written; 8 are read-only, meaning Archyv can read and display their information but cannot save metadata changes back into them. The full breakdown:

Standard images (9): JPEG (.jpg / .jpeg), TIFF (.tif / .tiff), PNG, GIF, HEIC / HEIF, WebP, AVIF, and JPEG XL (.jxl) can all be read and written. BMP is read-only. AVIF and JPEG XL need macOS 15 or later.

RAW camera files (20): every supported RAW format — including Canon (CR2, CR3, CRW), Nikon (NEF, NRW), Sony (ARW, SR2, SRF), Fujifilm (RAF), Olympus (ORF), Panasonic (RW2), Adobe DNG, and others — can be read, and metadata can be written for all of them. DNG saves changes directly into the file; the other formats save them to a companion sidecar file kept alongside the original. GoPro's GPR is recognised and its metadata can be written, but its image cannot be opened for conversion.

Video (11): MP4, MOV, M4V, and 3GP can be read and written. AVI, MKV, WebM, WMV, FLV, MPEG (.mpeg / .mpg), and MTS are read-only.

Image-conversion outputs (6): you can convert images to JPEG, TIFF, PNG, HEIC, AVIF, or JPEG XL. AVIF and JPEG XL outputs need macOS 15 or later.

PDF is accepted as an input for image conversion only (each page becomes an image); it is not used by the other processes.

When to Use

Use Archyv whenever you have a batch of photo or video files to tidy up, organize, or document. Rename files from the values they already carry, sort and renumber them, generate folder structures and file them away, or transfer (move or copy) them into a new location. Convert images to another format. Review or edit their metadata, or attribute a photographer. Clean up a collection by finding duplicate files before you archive or back it up. Whatever the goal, you select files in the left Folder Navigator panel, pick a process from the bar, set its options, and run it. The Help pages for each process explain when to reach for it.

Requirements

  • macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later (converting to AVIF or JPEG XL needs macOS 15.0 or later)
  • Enough free space for processed files and temporary files
  • Write permission for the files you process and their destination folders
  • Archyv reads 40 file formats (across 44 file extensions): 9 standard image families, 20 RAW camera formats, and 11 video formats. Of those, 32 can have metadata written and 8 are read-only; 6 are available as image-conversion outputs. PDF is accepted as conversion input only. The Overview above lists every format and marks the read-only ones
  • Files must not be write-protected or locked by another application (this applies to every process that writes, renames, moves, or sorts files)
  • Cloud-synced files (iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive) are handled automatically; large or slow-syncing files may need a longer timeout. Cloud and local timeouts have separate defaults (120s cloud, 30s local) and are adjustable in Settings > General

How to Use

  1. Select your files in the left Folder Navigator panel
  2. Pick a process from the process bar
  3. Set the process options (names, destinations, formats, and so on)
  4. Click 'Start' to run the process
  5. Watch the log for per-file results
  6. Click 'Refresh' to reload the file list before running another process

Tips & Important Notes

  • Turn on Simulation Mode in General Settings to preview any process — it reports the results in the log without changing your files
  • Back up your files before running a process that renames, moves, or writes metadata
  • Each process page in this Help window explains when to use it and what it needs
  • A typical order is rename first, then sort and organize into folders, then add metadata
  • Click 'Refresh' to reload the file list if you change files outside Archyv during a session
  • Open Metadata Review to check a file's metadata at any point, before or after a process