Mode

Negative, Positive or B&W: the one setting a preset never carries, chosen in the top bar, and the one that decides what three panels show.

Conversion mode

What the frame is: a colour negative, a positive, or a black and white negative. Chosen once in the top bar; a preset or paste of settings never moves it.

More about Conversion mode

On the Toolbar surface, in the Mode part of it.

Carried by a preset
Never: negative or positive is what the frame IS, not a look one applies.
  • Every photo opens as a negative; switch a slide or print to Positive, and a black and white negative to B&W.
  • Negative or positive is not a look one applies, it is the file, so a preset never carries the mode.
  • In B&W the Grade tab leaves the bar, the balance plate keeps a single key named Equalise, and Colour density is gone.
  • In Positive the ends of the Source balance rows swap and the per-channel track runs from 0 to 3.35 instead of −0.35 to 3.
  • Set the mode before the balance: a key pressed in the wrong mode places its points on the wrong side of the axis.

Every key of the bar

The bar is a relevé rather than a set of controls: what each key does is in its name, and the name is its tooltip. Three plates in the centre, the mode on the left, the view and the export on the right. Every key is a keycap, and every plate is one object; a key that changes colour is saying which state it is in.

Left: the mode

Absent while exporting. In the gallery, the conversion mode's bar is replaced by the medal filter.

KeyShortcutColourNotes
Editor / Gallery⌘Ggreythe key shows the other side
Negative · Positive · B&Wgreyeditor only; see the Conversion mode page
Filter: All · Bronze · Silver · Goldgreygallery only; cycles the medal filter

Centre, first plate: what you do to the image

One plate, since these gestures act on the picture.

KeyShortcutColourNotes
Crop and Straighten / Done Framing⌘Kconfirm while framingenters and leaves the Frame panel
Compare Before/After / Close Comparisongreya split view against the unconverted scan
New Contact Sheet / New Contact Sheet from N Photos / Making Contact Sheet…grindingneeds at least two photos selected

Centre, second plate: what you do to the work

History and the settings pasteboard.

KeyShortcutColourNotes
Undo⌘Zgrey
Redo⌘⇧Zgrey
Copy settings⌘⇧Cgrey
Paste settings / Paste settings to N photos⌘⇧Vgreylands on the selection if there is one, else on the open photo; never carries the framing

Centre, alone: the correction tool

Its own colour, standing apart from the plates like a panel's own family colour.

KeyShortcutColourNotes
Remove Dust & Scratches / Done Correctingcorrection, confirm while correctingenters and leaves the Correction panel

Centre, third plate: what you do to the file

The two keys that reach past the look.

KeyShortcutColourNotes
Reset photo to imported state / Reset N photos to imported state⌘⇧Rundoablereturns the look and keeps the framing and the measure window
Remove from Library / Remove N Photos from Librarydestructivethe originals are never touched

Right: the view and the export

Absent while exporting.

KeyShortcutColourNotes
Zoom readoutgreythe current scale, with “· preview” while the reduced copy is shown
Zoom out / Zoom in⌘− / ⌘+greyin the gallery: Smaller thumbnails / Larger thumbnails
Mute Key Clicks / Unmute Key Clicksgrey
EXPORT / EXPORT N PHOTOS⌘EaccentIMPORT (⌘O) in the gallery, in pink; UPDATE TO x in orange when a version is ready, export staying on ⌘E