Press Kit

Everything you need to write about Lathe. For interviews, review codes, or anything else, email [email protected].

The one-liner

Lathe is what Finder would be if it had been built for photographers: browse, cull, and edit your media straight from your folders, with every AI feature running on-device.

Boilerplate

Lathe is a fast media browser for macOS that works directly from your folders. There is no import step, no proprietary library, and no subscription. Photographers can cull hundreds of shots with single keystrokes, and ratings are stored in industry-standard XMP sidecars that Lightroom and Capture One can read. A non-destructive develop panel, background removal, batch tools, video trimming, and PDF utilities mean most jobs never need a second app. Search understands what is in your images, from scene content to text to dominant colour, and all of it runs on Apple silicon. Nothing is ever uploaded. Lathe requires macOS 13 or later and is available on the Mac App Store as a free download with a one-time Pro unlock.

Fact sheet

Name	Lathe
Category	Media browser and photo workflow utility
Platform	macOS 13 Ventura or later, optimised for Apple silicon
Price	Free download. One-time Pro unlock for batch and export tools. No subscription.
Availability	Mac App Store
Privacy	All processing on-device. No account, no cloud, no tracking.
Formats	JPEG, HEIC, PNG, WebP, TIFF, GIF, 20+ RAW formats, MOV, MP4, HEVC, ProRes, MP3, FLAC, WAV, PDF, and more
Contact	[email protected]

Why it's interesting

No import, no library. Lathe reads folders in place, like Finder. Files never move, and nothing is duplicated or locked in.
On-device AI, actually on-device. Scene-aware search, OCR, background removal, blink detection, and burst ranking all run locally on Apple silicon. No photo ever leaves the Mac.
Anti-subscription by design. A single one-time purchase unlocks Pro permanently, including future updates.
Pro-grade culling for everyone. Keyboard-first rating and flagging, focus peaking, histograms, duplicate detection, and an issue scanner that catches blurry shots and closed eyes.
Interoperable, not a walled garden. Ratings and edits live in XMP sidecars readable by Lightroom and Capture One, and tags are native macOS Finder tags.