RapidRAW v1.6.0 released — Lens Blur (Bokeh), Culling View, RAW+JPEG Grouping & a new CLI

Timon has released v1.6.0, a major update focused on speeding up photo organization and adding new creative depth tools. This is the biggest release in a while — a new multi-image culling workflow, depth-based lens blur, smart RAW+JPEG stacking, and a headless command-line export tool.

New features

• Lens Blur (Bokeh) — a new depth-based blur tool that generates realistic depth-of-field after the shot. Control blur amount, diffusion, bokeh shape, and the exact depth range to separate subject from background. The depth range controls can also isolate a horizontal or vertical band of focus for tilt-shift style miniature effects on cityscapes and landscapes.

• Culling View — compare up to 6 images side-by-side to check sharpness and composition across similar shots, with star ratings and metadata visible right in the view. Built for burning through big shoots fast without flipping back and forth between frames.

• RAW+JPEG grouping — pairs are now stacked together in the library instead of cluttering it with duplicates. Choose whether RAW or JPEG displays as primary, optionally ignore mismatched EXIF dates, and toggle between the two formats from the image info overlay.

• Command Line Interface — a new headless export tool for batch processing without opening the GUI. Export folders using .rrdata sidecar edits, single files to specific targets, or batches with a custom adjustments JSON:

  rapidraw export /path/to/photos --output /path/to/output_dir --format jpeg --quality 90

  See the README on GitHub for full CLI documentation.

Core improvements

• Drastically faster thumbnail loading, especially on HDD-based libraries — the app now tries the embedded JPEG before decoding the full RAW.
• Crop tool upgrades: area preservation and crop-centered rotation.
• Significantly reduced RAM usage during exports, plus recalibrated JPEG XL quality curves for better size-to-quality ratios.
• Selection is now kept when switching between library and editor views.
• New shortcuts for library search and jumping into settings.
• Automatic adjustment sync for multi-selections is now optional.
• Improved EXIF lens metadata extraction and fixed Canon multi-exposure white balance.
• Fixed slowdowns affecting Linux users with NVIDIA GPUs.

Downloads

Builds available for Windows, macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel), Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04, and experimental Android. ARM builds, RPM, and AppImage formats are in the full asset list.

RapidRAW v1.6.0 on GitHub

A note on installation warnings

RapidRAW is not yet code-signed, so your OS may complain on first launch:

• macOS — If macOS reports the app as damaged or corrupted, it is not broken — you need to remove the quarantine flag after installation. Run this in Terminal:

  xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/RapidRAW.app

• Windows — SmartScreen may warn you. Click More info → Run anyway.

• Linux — the app starts in compatibility mode by default for stability across GPU drivers. Enable full GPU acceleration in Settings.