Rejection pass first
Open the first frame, then arrow through and hit X on anything obviously gone. You clear the noise before you spend any judgement on the keepers.
Reference
Every shortcut, on one page.
A keyboard tool with a mouse attached. If Photo Mechanic’s chords are already in your fingers, most of this will feel familiar.
Master these six first
They cover a whole rejection pass and a whole rating pass. Everything else on this page is refinement.
P/T
Toggle pick / flag
Grid and loupe
X/Delete
Toggle reject
Marks the frame. Never deletes a file.
0to5
Set star rating
Grid and loupe
←/→
Move through the take
Enter
Open the focused photo in the loupe
Space/Esc
Back to the grid
Moving around the grid
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| ↑/↓/←/→ | Move the selection (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit)Up and down move by row; the grid scrolls to keep focus visible |
| ⇧+arrows | Extend the selection (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit)Range-select from the anchor |
| Home | First photo (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| End | Last photo (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| PageUp | Jump back four rows (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| PageDown | Jump forward four rows (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| Enter | Open the focused photo (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit)Same as double-click |
| L | Jump to the last photo you previewed (from the app reference dated 2026-08-10, not re-verified)Selects it and scrolls to it |
| Esc | Deselect everything, clear focus (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
In the loupeSingle-photo view
While the loupe is open the photo list is frozen: filters and sort apply when you enter, and rating or rejecting a frame never ejects it or reshuffles the take mid-pass. Only a confirmed delete removes anything.
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| ←/↑ | Previous image (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit)Hold for fast scrubbing |
| →/↓ | Next image (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit)Hold for fast scrubbing |
| Space/Esc | Close, back to the grid (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| Z | Toggle 1× / 2× zoom (from the app reference dated 2026-08-10, not re-verified) |
| R | Crop and straighten (from the app reference dated 2026-08-10, not re-verified)Lightroom muscle memory. Works in the grid too. |
| ⇧+R | Rotate the view 90° (from the app reference dated 2026-08-10, not re-verified)Display only — not saved |
| F | Cycle the filmstrip (from the app reference dated 2026-08-10, not re-verified)Bottom → left → right → hidden |
| N | Fan out into compare (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit)This frame and its neighbour, side by side |
Comparing framesSide-by-side view
Two to six frames at once, each an independent position in the same take. Three toggles cover the workflows you already know: leave both syncs off and the panes move separately; turn both on and it behaves like a fixed grid; pin one pane and arrow the other and you have a select-versus-candidate tournament.
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| N | Open compare (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit)From the grid with two or more selected, or from the loupe |
| Esc | Close compare (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| Tab | Cycle the active pane (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit)⇧Tab goes back. Clicking a pane also activates it. |
| ←/→ | Move the active pane through the take (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| Enter | Promote — pick this pane, reject the others (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit)One undo puts every frame back |
| Z | Toggle fit / 2× on the active pane (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| Right-drag | Zoom the pane under the cursor (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit)Drag right to zoom in, left to zoom out. Left-drag pans a zoomed pane; double-click returns it to fit. |
| N | Back to the single photo (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit)The same key that opened compare |
| S | Sync zoom and pan across panes (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| ⇧+S | Sync navigation across unpinned panes (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| K | Pin the active pane (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit)A pinned pane ignores synced navigation |
Ratings, picks and rejects
Single-key rating, colour and flag shortcuts are governed by the "Single-key shortcuts" toggle in Settings, which is on by default. The Photo Mechanic-style modifier variants always work, whatever that toggle says.
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| 0to5 | Set rating (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit)Press the same number again to clear it |
| ⌃+0to5WinAlt+0to5 | Set rating, Photo Mechanic style (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit)Always works, single-key mode or not |
| T/P | Toggle the pick flag (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| +/= | Force pick on (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| -/_ | Force pick off (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| X | Toggle reject (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| Delete/Backspace | Toggle reject (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit)A strict alias for X, on both physical delete keys |
| U | Clear the verdict (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit)Unpick and unreject |
Colour labels
All eight Photo Mechanic colours, on the chords your hands already know.
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| ⌘+1WinCtrl+1 | Red (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| ⌘+2WinCtrl+2 | Yellow (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| ⌘+3WinCtrl+3 | Green (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| ⌘+4WinCtrl+4 | Blue (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| ⌘+5WinCtrl+5 | Magenta (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| ⌘+6WinCtrl+6 | Cyan (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| ⌘+7WinCtrl+7 | Brown (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| ⌘+8WinCtrl+8 | Dark grey (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| ⌘+0WinCtrl+0 | Remove the colour label (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| 6/7/8 | Cyan, brown, dark grey (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit)Single-key mode. 1–5 stay reserved for ratings. |
SelectingGrid
With photos selected, a rating, flag or colour applies to all of them as one undoable action. Toggles are uniform: if every selected frame already has the value it clears for all, otherwise it applies to all. With nothing selected, it lands on the focused photo.
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| Click | Select one (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit)Clears the rest |
| ⌘+ClickWinCtrl+Click | Add or remove from the selection (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| ⇧+Click | Range select (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| Drag | Marquee select (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| ⌘+AWinCtrl+A | Select all visible (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit)Respects the active filter |
| ⌘+DWinCtrl+D | Deselect all (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
Committing the cull
Rejecting marks a frame; it never touches the file. Deleting is a separate, confirmed step, and the files go to the Trash or Recycle Bin — recoverable from the OS. Photos you restore come back still marked rejected.
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| ⌘+DeleteWinCtrl+Backspace | Delete every rejected photo (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit)Loupe. Confirmation dialog; scoped to the photos in the current filmstrip. |
| ⌘+DeleteWinCtrl+Delete | Move the selection to the Trash (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit)Grid. Keeps its Finder meaning here. |
Captioning and metadata
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| C | Caption this photo (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit)Opens the info panel and puts the cursor in the IPTC caption field |
| I | Toggle the info sidebar (from the app reference dated 2026-08-10, not re-verified) |
| ⌘+⇧+PWinCtrl+⇧+P | Apply stationery (from the app reference dated 2026-08-10, not re-verified)The caption pad, with {variables} and =code= replacements |
| ⌘+⇧+GWinCtrl+⇧+G | Location (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit)GPS plus city / state / country on the map |
| F2 | Rename in place (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit)The {template} engine on the originals — sidecars and RAW+JPEG pairs move together |
Getting it out the door
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| ⌘+EWinCtrl+E | Export the selection (from the app reference dated 2026-08-10, not re-verified) |
| ⌘+⇧+SWinCtrl+⇧+S | Send to editor (from the app reference dated 2026-08-10, not re-verified)FTP / FTPS / SFTP transmit |
| E | Open in your external editor (from the app reference dated 2026-08-10, not re-verified)System default app |
| [/] | Rotate left / right (from the app reference dated 2026-08-10, not re-verified)Persisted — EXIF orientation for JPEG, XMP sidecar for RAW. The pixels are untouched. |
Crop and straightenInside the crop editor
Non-destructive throughout — the crop is baked in at export, never into your original. The crop box stays level and the photo rotates behind it, the way Lightroom does it.
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| Enter | Apply (from the app reference dated 2026-08-10, not re-verified)Double-clicking inside the box does the same |
| Esc | Cancel (from the app reference dated 2026-08-10, not re-verified) |
| Drag inside | Move the photo under the crop (from the app reference dated 2026-08-10, not re-verified) |
| Drag outside | Rotate to straighten (from the app reference dated 2026-08-10, not re-verified)Live degree readout; the crop shrinks to stay inside the frame |
| ⌘+DragWinCtrl+Drag | Draw a level line (from the app reference dated 2026-08-10, not re-verified)Along a horizon or a vertical; the photo levels to it |
| Scroll | Resize the crop (from the app reference dated 2026-08-10, not re-verified) |
| Alt+Scroll | Trim the angle (from the app reference dated 2026-08-10, not re-verified) |
| ⇧+drag a handle | Lock the current ratio (from the app reference dated 2026-08-10, not re-verified) |
| Alt+drag a handle | Resize from the centre (from the app reference dated 2026-08-10, not re-verified) |
| O | Cycle the overlay (from the app reference dated 2026-08-10, not re-verified)Thirds → golden → spiral → triangle → diagonal → grid → off |
| ⇧+O | Rotate or mirror the overlay (from the app reference dated 2026-08-10, not re-verified) |
| X | Flip the crop portrait ↔ landscape (from the app reference dated 2026-08-10, not re-verified) |
| A | Lock or unlock the aspect ratio (from the app reference dated 2026-08-10, not re-verified) |
| [/] | Rotate 90° (from the app reference dated 2026-08-10, not re-verified)Saved with the crop on apply |
| P | Hold to preview the final crop (from the app reference dated 2026-08-10, not re-verified)The surround goes black and the overlays hide |
| arrows | Nudge the photo under the crop (from the app reference dated 2026-08-10, not re-verified)⇧ for 10× |
The application
On macOS these live in the native Actions menu and use its accelerators. On Windows they are handled directly as the chords below.
| Keys | Action |
|---|---|
| ⌘+ZWinCtrl+Z | Undo (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit)Rating, flag, reject, label |
| ⌘+⇧+ZWinCtrl+⇧+Z | Redo (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| ⌘+TWinCtrl+T | Open a folder (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| ⌘+WWinCtrl+W | Close the active tab (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| ⌘+BWinCtrl+B | Toggle the file tree (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
| ⌘+,WinCtrl+, | Settings (confirmed in the 2026-08-08 audit) |
Habits
Five things that make the cull shorter
Filter, then batch
Set the rating filter, select all, press one key. Everything that matches moves together as a single undoable action.
Keep your hands home
The mouse is optional for the whole cull. Arrow keys work in the grid as well as the loupe, and the grid follows your selection.
Undo is always there
Every rating, flag, reject and label change is undoable, including batch operations — those revert as one step, not fifty.
Typing suspends the shortcuts
While a text field has focus, single-key shortcuts stand down. You can type "X-ray tech, 4 stars" into a caption without rejecting anything.
Coming from Photo Mechanic?
The modifier chords are deliberately the ones you already know — ratings on the modifier keys, colours on 1 through 8. The switching guide covers exactly what carries over and what doesn’t.