OpenLens

A modern, native macOS replacement for Apple Aperture — that reads and writes real Aperture libraries (*.aplibrary) in place, preserving your projects, versions, ratings, and metadata.

Aperture was discontinued in 2015 and nothing has truly replaced it for people who organised their whole catalog around its projects + non-destructive versions model. OpenLens is an attempt to bring that workflow back on modern macOS, working directly with the libraries you already have.

Status: working app. A full create → import → browse → organise → export loop runs today, in an Aperture-style dark UI (Grid/Split/Viewer, tabbed Library/Info/Adjustments inspector, filmstrip, control bar), with last-library memory. Reading: projects, folders (nested), albums + smart albums, keywords, stacks, EXIF/IPTC, GPS, adjustments (listed), RAW-aware thumbnails. Editing (tested, opt-in, DB + .apversion plist kept in sync): ratings (incl. Reject), flags, colour labels, keywords, trash (move/restore/empty), duplicate version. Authoring: create a new library, projects, albums, and import photos (with generated thumbnail + EXIF). Plus filter, search, statistics, and export (originals + rendered JPEG). All on a documented, reverse-engineered format (docs/aperture-format.md) and a CI suite (60 tests) against a synthetic fixture, which also publishes a runnable OpenLens.app.

Not yet: rendering adjustments (the edit parameters still need decoding from a real edited library) and full byte-for-byte Aperture authoring. Treat real libraries as precious and work on copies until writing is battle-tested.

Goals (feature parity with Aperture)

• Open existing .aplibrary packages without converting or migrating them.
• Browse the project / folder hierarchy exactly as Aperture organised it.
• View photos with ratings, flags, colour labels, and keywords.
• Edit ratings/flags/labels/keywords and write them safely back to the library.
• Basic non-destructive adjustments (exposure, white balance, crop, etc.).
• Open in external editor round-tripping.
• Export originals and rendered versions with metadata.
• Honour referenced masters (files stored outside the library).

See ROADMAP.md for the phased plan.

Architecture

OpenLens/
├── Package.swift
├── Sources/
│   ├── OpenLensKit/        ← core library (no UI, fully testable)
│   │   ├── Database/       SQLiteDatabase — tiny dependency-free SQLite wrapper
│   │   ├── Models/         Project, PhotoMaster, PhotoVersion, Photo
│   │   ├── Reader/         ApertureLibrary — opens & reads a library
│   │   └── Writer/         ApertureLibraryWriter — guarded rating/flag/label writes
│   ├── openlens-cli/       ← command-line inspector (proves the reader works)
│   └── OpenLensApp/        ← SwiftUI app (sidebar · grid · inspector)
├── Tests/OpenLensKitTests/ ← runs against a real library via env var
└── docs/                   ← format notes + build/setup guide

The core has no third-party dependencies: SQLite via the system SQLite3 module, property lists via Foundation.

Quick start

Requires macOS 13+ and a Swift toolchain (Xcode 15+).

# Run the app
swift run OpenLensApp

# Inspect / author a library from the command line
swift run openlens-cli /path/to/MyLibrary.aplibrary --list --meta
swift run openlens-cli /path/to/MyLibrary.aplibrary --search "canon beach"
swift run openlens-cli /path/to/New.aplibrary --create "My Project"
swift run openlens-cli /path/to/MyLibrary.aplibrary --import <projectUuid> a.jpg b.jpg
swift run openlens-cli /path/to/MyLibrary.aplibrary --export /tmp/out --rendered --size 2048

# Run the tests against the committed synthetic fixture
OPENLENS_TEST_LIBRARY=Tests/Fixtures/Mini.aplibrary swift test

# Prefer not to build? Download OpenLens.app from the repo's Actions ▸ latest run ▸ Artifacts.

You can also just open the folder in Xcode (File ▸ Open…) — it reads Package.swift directly.

See docs/building.md for promoting the SwiftUI target to a full Xcode .app (bundle, icon, entitlements).

Safety

OpenLens never modifies a library unless you explicitly enable writes (allowWrites: true in the writer, or the "Save edits" toggle in the app). Even then: back up, or work on a copy. Reverse-engineered formats deserve caution.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.

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OpenLens is an independent project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple. "Aperture" is a trademark of Apple Inc., used here only to describe compatibility.