Release Notes

Version 2026.07.17

Spot Correct improvements
Spot Correct now performs a Heal, eliminating the "pucker star" and smudging that could appear around corrected spots.

Retouch: quicker loading, better-aligned clones
Retouch loads the frame you're on first and warms outward from it, so browsing is faster. In images with strong focus breathing, cloned areas now line up correctly with the stacked result.

Dark backgrounds stay dark
Low-key source images no longer wash out to dark grey in the Enhanced look stacked result.

Accurate EXIF and GPS in saved files
Stacked DNG/TIFF exports now carry genuine EXIF/GPS data, so capture info and location survive the stack.

Mouse scroll doesn’t move Adjustment sliders
If you scroll while your mouse is over an Adjustment slider, it no longer moves the slider.

Plus continued performance / memory optimization enhancements

Type exact Adjustment values The Adjustments panel now lets you type a precise number into any field instead of only dragging the slider.

A more responsive app while saving and stacking Saving now runs in the background so the window stays responsive while it writes.

Smoother handling of large stacks and low-memory machines Reworked memory management stacks large sets more reliably on modest hardware, showing a clear "reduced-memory mode" notice when it needs to dial back — so big jobs degrade gracefully instead of stalling or failing.

One-click diagnostic reports If a stack runs into trouble, a new "Send diagnostic report" button shares what happened in a single click, so issues are faster to diagnose and fix.

In-app announcements Macro Studio can now surface short announcements — new features, tips, and important notices — right in the app so you don't miss what's new.

Plus assorted UI polish and stability fixes.

Version 2026.07.10

Lots of goodies in this release, and the work on performance and memory optimization continues, with several more identified improvements that I’m working on now!

Faster stacking
Stacking is quicker this release — a rebuilt GPU processing path and a faster 16-bit TIFF decoder cut wall-clock time on large stacks, and 16-bit TIFF sources no longer bottleneck on decoding.

Lower memory use on long sessions
The AI masking model now frees its memory when idle (several GB reclaimed after you finish masking), and finished stacks release their image buffers instead of holding them for the whole session — so later stacks in a long session keep running at full speed.

Retouch and Spot Correct renaming
Source Cloning is now Retouch, and the old Retouch tool is now Spot Correct. This better matches how other apps refer to Retouch.

Autostack: subfolders and split-only
A new "split only" mode sorts loose images into stack folders without running any stacks. Also, Autostack can now stack already-sorted subfolders.

Online-only cloud files in the Library
Macro Studio now recognizes iCloud/OneDrive/Dropbox files that haven't been downloaded yet, badges them with a cloud icon, and gives you an opt-in Download button. Opening a cloud folder no longer freezes the preview while files hydrate.

Editing polish
Save dialogs now confirm on Enter, Open Folder remembers your last-used directory, brush tools gain Lightroom-style [ ] size and { } hardness shortcuts, and the Retouch control bar now sits below the preview to match every other tool.

Version 2026.07.05

Improved support for newer cameras

RAW files from bodies too new for the bundled decoder now stack from the embedded JPEG instead of failing outright, with a heads-up banner in the editor.

Performance & efficiency

• Stacks use about half the scratch disk space, with faster restage/blend I/O.

• Lower memory peak on large stacks.

• Linux: memory is now reclaimed while you edit (scratch is kept off RAM-backed temp filesystems).

• Clearer "not enough scratch space" message — it now names the disk volume, distinguishes disk from RAM, tells you how many frames fit, and points to Preferences → Scratch folder.

Version 2026.07.04

Lightroom Classic-style shortcuts!
By popular demand! R to Crop, Z/Space to Fit↔100%, C to Compare, \ to toggle Before/After, Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+E to Save, and Cmd/Ctrl +/− to zoom.

Customizable keyboard shortcuts!
Don’t like Lightroom’s shortcuts? A new Preferences editor lets you remap the editor shortcuts to your liking.

Choose your scratch folder
Redirect the multi-GB stacking scratch off a small system drive from Preferences.

Performance & stability
Large stacks are handled more gracefully on low-memory machines.
Linux users get a notification if your system has little or no swap, with instructions for fixing it.

Fixes
Source Cloning now always shows frames matched to the current look after switching between Natural and Enhanced.

Version 2026.07.03

Performance & responsiveness improvements
We’ve made a round of improvements to overall responsiveness, including smoother lag-free adjustment sliders, faster loading of Library previews, and lower memory use during long stacking & editing sessions.

Fixed: Source-Cloning brightness match
When you have “Match camera brightness in the Editor” enabled in Preferences, Source Cloning will now apply that brightness to source frames so that they match the stacked result.

Version 2026.06.30

New

• Info Card watermark — stamp your shot's camera, lens, exposure, frame count, and more into the watermark, over an optional background panel, with your own logo.

• Draft Social Post now supports live photo fields, so your captions can fill in the gear and settings automatically.

Fixed

• In the Library, the right-click "Copy file path” option now copies the path correctly.

Set a default Look, and scroll to browse frames

Publish date: 2026-06-26 | Version: v2026.06.21 | Tag as: New, Fixed

New

• Set your preferred default Look for new stacks (Natural vs. Enhanced) in Preferences.

• Scroll your mouse over the filmstrip to browse through frames — a highly requested feature!

• The Natural / Enhanced Look toggle now works on reopened and Autostack images, not just freshly stacked ones.

Fixed

• Hidden macOS companion files (._name.tif) no longer show up as a broken duplicate at the start of the filmstrip.

• Saved images now appear in the Library immediately, without needing a refresh.

The Editor now matches your camera's brightness

Publish date: 2026-06-25 | Version: v2026.06.20 | Tag as: Improved

Improved

• Photos and stacks now open in the Editor at the same brightness as your camera and the Library, instead of looking darker. If you prefer a flatter, neutral starting point, uncheck "Match camera brightness in the Editor" in Preferences and re-run your stack.

Natural vs. Enhanced Look toggle, and a sharper Editor preview

Publish date: 2026-06-24 | Version: v2026.06.19 | Tag as: New, Fixed

New

• New "Natural vs. Enhanced" Look toggle in the Editor. Many of you found the output over-sharpened on some images — flip to "Natural" to reblend with no post-processing (it only takes a few seconds). It defaults to "Enhanced".

• On large, high-resolution displays, the Editor preview no longer pixelates when you move a slider, and stays crisp when zoomed in.

• Smarter Species ID — a photo's GPS and capture date are now used for better matching.

Fixed

• Canon CR3 and Fuji RAF metadata — camera make/model, capture date, GPS, and copyright are now read from these RAW formats.

Show / hide individual masks, and faster CPU stacking

Publish date: 2026-06-22 | Versions: v2026.06.17–v2026.06.18 | Tag as: New, Improved, Fixed

New

• Show / hide individual masks — turn any mask (and its adjustments) on or off.

• Source Cloning — the source filmstrip now shows per-frame loading progress.

Improved

• Faster, lower-memory CPU stacking.

Fixed

• Running out of memory mid-stack now shows a clear message instead of failing with an error.

• Macro Studio now checks for enough free disk space before starting a stack, so it tells you upfront instead of partway through.

• Fixed a minor auto-update bug.

Re-editable Autostack DNGs, and Source Cloning that survives save

Publish date: 2026-06-22 | Version: v2026.06.16 | Tag as: New, Fixed

New

• Autostack can now write a re-editable DNG you can open and source-clone from later.

• Source Cloning now survives save & reopen — saved DNGs remember their source frames!

• "Remember this save location" option when saving images.

• Library updates — filenames under thumbnails, a clearer edit button, and right-click to edit a single image.

Fixed

• Occasional error when deleting folders / images on Windows.

• Library DNG thumbnails now display with the correct exposure.

• Miscellaneous bug fixes and stability improvements.

Full frame with clean edges, and faster Source Cloning

Publish date: 2026-06-19 | Versions: v2026.06.12–v2026.06.15 | Tag as: New, Improved, Fixed

New

• Stacked images now keep the full frame with clean edges — no more aggressive auto-cropping.

Improved

• Faster Source Cloning: significant performance improvements to both frame browsing and brushing.

Fixed

• Saved-image metadata (caption, lens, author / GPS) fixes and improvements.

• Miscellaneous bug fixes and stability improvements.

Windows fixes

Publish date: 2026-06-18 | Version: v2026.06.11 | Tag as: Fixed

Fixed

• Windows Smart App Control should no longer throw a warning.

• Text in the "unsaved images" dialog no longer gets clipped on Windows.

Gradient masks and the Source Cloning filmstrip

Publish date: 2026-06-17 | Version: v2026.06.10 | Tag as: New

New

• Radial and Linear gradient masks! Drag the shape right on the image, with feather, invert, and rotation.

• Source Cloning filmstrip — browse and pick the source frame to clone from at a glance.

• Unsaved-work warning — prompts before you close a result or quit with unsaved edits.

• Fuji RAW files now stack at a better brightness level.

Automatic chromatic-aberration removal

Publish date: 2026-06-16 | Version: v2026.06.9 | Tag as: New, Fixed

New

• Automatic chromatic-aberration removal during stacking.

Fixed

• Source Cloning now positions the crop preview and brush correctly on rotated images.

Defringe brush and a "saved" indicator

Publish date: 2026-06-16 | Version: v2026.06.8 | Tag as: New, Improved, Fixed

New

• Defringe brush — paint out red / blue / green color fringing from chromatic aberration.

• "Saved" indicator in the Editor history strip, so you can see which images are already saved.

Improved

• GPU acceleration engages more reliably on large stacks.

Fixed

• Autostack now works on non-APFS drives.

• The active-folder highlight now updates correctly after refreshing a folder.

• The Editor filmstrip now has a horizontal scrollbar when it has more frames than fit.

Highlight recovery, zoom presets, and recalibrated sliders

Publish date: 2026-06-14 | Version: v2026.06.7 | Tag as: New, Improved

New

• Image previews now show the zoom level, with quick zoom presets and "Z" to fit.

• Saved stacks now include the date, time, and an "MS" tag in their filename.

Improved

• Bright highlights no longer blow out to pure white — white flowers, specular reflections, and other very bright subjects keep their detail.

• Adjustment sliders have been recalibrated to better match a natural range of settings.

More natural rendering

Publish date: 2026-06-13 | Version: v2026.06.6 | Tag as: Improved, Fixed

Improved

• More natural rendering — eased the default contrast curve so highlights and shadows look less over-processed, while keeping the same crisp detail.

Fixed

• Various bug fixes and memory optimizations.

Faster GPU stacking, and Standard vs. Advanced modes

Publish date: 2026-06-11 | Versions: v2026.06.4–v2026.06.5 | Tag as: New, Improved

New

• New Standard vs. Advanced modes — a simpler UI for new users, with the full feature set available for advanced users.

Improved

• Faster focus stacking on graphics-capable machines (GPU-accelerated), with more efficient RAW processing (less CPU and heat).

New unified stacking engine; "Develop" is now "Editor"

Publish date: 2026-06-10 | Version: v2026.06.3 | Tag as: New, Fixed

New

• New unified stacking engine — more detail, cleaner backgrounds, and fewer artifacts on difficult stacks. Replaces the separate method and detail choices with one automatic engine.

• Renamed the "Develop" tab to "Editor" to make it more intuitive for new users.

Fixed

• Reveal in Finder / File Explorer from the Folders pane now works correctly on Windows.

Send us a stack, and folder management

Publish date: 2026-06-07 | Version: v2026.06.2 | Tag as: New, Fixed

New

• Send us a stack — unhappy with a result? A new "Let us know" link sends the stack's frames to us so we can diagnose it and improve stacking.

• Folder management — right-click to Rename or Delete a folder, and drag one folder onto another to move it. The Folders pane also remembers which folders were expanded.

Fixed

• Autostack now stacks at full resolution for sharper results, and the setup screen has been improved.

• Source Cloning shows the full frame on rotated crops instead of a zoomed-in corner.

• Masking is faster and more reliable on some systems.

Autostacker (beta) and simplified stacking modes

Publish date: 2026-06-03 | Version: v2026.06.1 | Tag as: Beta, New, Improved, Fixed

New (Beta)

• Autostacker mode (beta) — point it at a folder of images and it groups them into sets and stacks them for you. (Thanks to Wolf Amri for the suggestion!)

New

• Simplified stacking modes — choose Higher Detail or Smoother Edges.

Improved

• Source Cloning performance — better feedback, memory-adaptive caching, cloned areas now match the photo's tone and sharpness, and your edits auto-save if you're interrupted mid-edit.

• Up / down arrows now navigate folders in the Library.

• More stacking speed improvements.

Fixed

• Large and high-resolution stacks no longer lock up on lower-memory machines (smarter GPU memory use with automatic CPU fallback).

• Clearer message when a camera's RAW format isn't supported yet.

GPU-accelerated Pyramid stacking, and cleaner blending

Publish date: 2026-05-31 | Version: v2026.5.28 | Tag as: Improved

Improved

• Faster stacking! Pyramid stacking is now GPU-accelerated where a GPU is available — substantially faster, with automatic CPU fallback.

• Better image quality — cleaner focus blending; removed edge halos and fringing around fine structures (antennae, legs, hairs) for crisper, more natural edges.

• Linux: smoother in-app update and restart.

Source Cloning is here

Publish date: 2026-05-27 | Version: v2026.5.27 | Tag as: New, Fixed

New

• Source Cloning is here! Paint from specific source frames into your result — for example, to fix duplicate antennae caused by subject motion. (Some apps call this Retouch; we use Retouch for spot removal.)

Fixed

• Stacking no longer crashes when source frames have mismatched dimensions; mixed-size stacks now pad / crop to the reference frame.

• Compare mode opens with equal-sized A/B panels and a freshly-fit view, so zoom / pan from a prior session no longer carries over.

Macro Studio is now on Linux

Publish date: 2026-05-25 | Versions: v2026.5.23–v2026.5.26 | Tag as: New

New

• Now available on Linux! Macro Studio now runs on Ubuntu 22.04+, Fedora 36+, Arch, Debian 12+, and most other modern desktop distros as an AppImage.

Share Feedback menu and history navigation

Publish date: 2026-05-24 | Version: v2026.5.22 | Tag as: New, Improved, Fixed

New

• New "Share Feedback" menu makes it easy to send us your bug reports and feature suggestions.

• Arrow keys navigate history in the Editor — Left / Right walks through your stacks and edits, same as Cmd+Z / Cmd+Shift+Z.

• Right-click a stack thumbnail while it's processing to cancel it or jump to its source folder (a cancel button is also live on the thumbnail itself).

Improved

• Stack thumbnails now show the folder name and the first frame instead of a generic placeholder, so you can tell what's brewing at a glance.

• AI masking improvements on Windows.

• Removed the Sharpness slider from Advanced stacking settings — it was mostly redundant with the Sharpness slider in the Editor.

Fixed

• The Detail slider in Advanced stacking settings is now honored by the stacking algorithm.

• Various other bug fixes.