Pixata Support

1. Grant Photos Access

When you first launch Pixata, macOS will ask for permission to access your Photos library:

1. Click "OK" when prompted for Photos access
2. If you denied access, go to System Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Photos
3. Enable Pixata in the list of apps
4. Restart Pixata to load your library

2. Understanding the Interface

Pixata uses a three-pane layout:

• Left Sidebar: Albums and collections from your Photos library
• Center Grid: Photo thumbnails with selection support
• Right Inspector: Metadata editing panel with all tools

3. Selecting Photos for Editing

• Click a photo to select it
• Command-click to add to selection
• Shift-click to select a range
• Command+A to select all visible photos
• Selected photos highlight with a border

Fixing Photo Dates

Set Absolute Date:

• Select one or more photos
• In the Inspector, click "Date" section
• Use the date picker to set exact date and time
• Click "Apply" to save changes

Shift Dates:

• Select photos that need time zone correction
• Choose "Shift by Duration" option
• Enter hours/minutes to add or subtract
• Preview changes before applying

Parse from Filename:

• Select photos with dates in their filenames
• Choose "Parse from Filename"
• Select a date pattern (ISO-8601, WhatsApp, etc.)
• Preview detected dates before applying

Adding Location Data

• Select photos to geotag
• In the Inspector, click "Location" section
• Use the map to search or click a location
• Coordinates update automatically
• Click "Apply" to save

Remove Location (for privacy):

• Select photos you want to strip location from
• Click the "Remove Location" button
• Confirm the action
• All GPS data is permanently removed

Viewing Change History

Every edit you make is logged to a persistent change history:

• Open Change History from the menu or toolbar
• Browse all changes in list or grid view
• Filter by change type (dates or locations)
• Filter by date range
• Sort by newest or oldest first

Photos with change history show a badge in the photo grid for easy identification.

Reverting Changes

Single Revert:

• In Change History, find the change you want to undo
• Click the revert button on that entry
• The original value is restored immediately

Batch Revert:

• Select multiple entries in Change History
• Click "Revert Selected"
• Confirm the action
• All selected changes are reverted at once

Quick Undo (Cmd+Z):

• Press Cmd+Z immediately after making a change
• The most recent change is undone

Note: Reverts are logged as new entries in the change history, preserving a complete audit trail.

Quick Apply Overview

The Quick Apply panel at the top of the Inspector lets you rapidly apply saved dates and locations to selected photos. This is the fastest way to tag multiple photos with the same metadata.

• Date Menu: Access your saved favorite dates
• Location Menu: Access favorite locations and recent locations
• Repeat Button: Repeat your last action on new photos

Saving Favorite Dates

Save commonly used dates for quick access:

1. Right-click on any photo in the grid
2. Select "Add Date to Favorites"
3. Enter a name for this date (e.g., "Wedding Day", "Trip Start")
4. The date is now available in the Quick Apply Date menu

Applying a Favorite Date:

• Select the photos you want to update
• Click the Date dropdown in Quick Apply
• Click the favorite date to apply it instantly

Saving Favorite Locations

Save frequently used locations:

1. Right-click on a photo that has a location
2. Select "Add Location to Favorites"
3. Enter a name (e.g., "Home", "Office", "Beach House")
4. The location is saved to Quick Apply

Recent Locations:

Pixata automatically remembers locations you've recently applied. These appear in the Location dropdown under "Recent" - no need to save them manually.

Repeat Last Action (⌘Y)

After applying any date or location, you can quickly repeat it on other photos:

• Apply a date or location to some photos
• A "Repeat" button appears in Quick Apply showing your last action
• Select different photos
• Click the Repeat button or press ⌘Y
• The same value is applied to the new selection

This is perfect for workflows where you're applying the same date or location to many photos across different albums.

Managing Favorites

• Clear Date Favorites: Open the Date menu, scroll to bottom, click "Clear All"
• Clear Location Favorites: Open the Location menu, click "Clear Favorites"
• Clear Recent Locations: Open the Location menu, click "Clear Recent"

Note: Favorites persist between app sessions. Recent locations are cleared when you quit Pixata.

Photos not appearing?

• Verify Photos library access in System Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Photos
• Make sure Apple Photos app is installed and has your library
• Try quitting and reopening Pixata
• Large libraries may take time to load initially

Changes not saving?

• Ensure you clicked "Apply" after making changes
• Check that Photos app isn't open with the same photos
• Verify you have write permission to the Photos library
• Some system photos may be locked from editing

App running slowly?

• Close other heavy applications
• Work with smaller selections for batch operations
• Apple Silicon Macs perform significantly better
• Initial library scan is slow; subsequent launches are faster

What does Pixata edit?

Pixata edits dates and locations only. We don't touch titles, keywords, ratings, or any other metadata. We focus on doing two things extremely well.

How does the free trial work?

Pixata gives you 40 free actions to try everything the app offers. An action is any edit you make (changing a date, updating a location, etc.). After 40 actions, you'll need to upgrade to Pro for unlimited use.

Pro ($19.99 lifetime or $9.99/year):

• Unlimited actions
• All features unlocked
• Priority support

How do I upgrade to Pro?

Pixata is available on the Mac App Store with in-app purchases:

1. Open Pixata
2. Click "Upgrade to Pro" when prompted (or in Settings)
3. Choose Lifetime ($19.99) or Annual ($9.99/year)
4. Complete purchase via Mac App Store
5. Unlimited actions unlock immediately

Note: All purchases are handled securely through the Mac App Store. We never see your payment information.