Entering Develop

Press D to open the selected photograph for editing and load its original if needed.

While the first photograph loads, the canvas shows a spinner, its filename and a preparation or download message. If you entered from Browse, returning with B or Esc restores the view used before entering Develop.

Selecting another photograph in Develop’s filmstrip loads it immediately, including an iCloud download when required. There is no pause before this request.

Frames stores each version’s adjustments as a recipe in the catalogue. The sidebar histogram uses the same measurement as Loupe’s info panel.

Availability. Develop distinguishes six states: editable, original unavailable, missing, unsupported camera, changed in Photos since the recipe was made, and unreadable recipe. Each has an explanation. Only editable photographs and those changed in Photos allow editing.

Edited previews. Leaving an edited photograph saves a rendered proxy. Grid uses it and shows the edited mark. These previews are cached on disk with a 2 GB limit. When an edit arrives through Decision sync, another device renders its own preview after sync if it already has the original locally. The grid shows its unedited local preview until the new rendering replaces it. If the original is unavailable, the edit remains saved; a later launch or source refresh tries again when it is local, or Refresh in the activity row can fetch the original sooner. On iPhone and iPad, automatic rendering pauses in Low Power Mode or serious heat, and waits for either charging or more than 40% battery.