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Phosor
Internal Beta

First Launch

Beta Status

Phosor is currently in an Internal Beta stage. Features may change before the public release. Performance may occasionally be inconsistent depending on hardware, image formats, and library size. Unexpected bugs may still occur. Feedback from beta testers is highly appreciated.

This guide walks you through launching Phosor for the first time, opening a folder, and preparing your photos for culling.

The Welcome Screen

When you launch Phosor, the welcome screen appears displaying:

  • The application name
  • The tagline: "Less clicking, more shooting."
  • An Open Folder button

Click Open Folder to begin, or use the change-source button in the sidebar at any time to select a different directory.

Opening a Folder

Phosor recursively scans the selected folder for all supported image files and prepares them for the culling workflow.

Steps

  1. Click Open Folder on the welcome screen, or click the folder-open icon next to Source in the sidebar.
  2. Select a directory in the native file dialog.
  3. Phosor scans the folder and all subdirectories.
  4. If supported files are found, the source path updates in the sidebar and the main viewer loads the first photo.
  5. If no supported files are found, a notification appears and the previous source folder is preserved.

Recursive scanning

Nested folders are automatically included. You don't need to flatten your directory structure before opening it.

Folder Scanning Behavior

What to Expect

  • The source path updates only after a successful scan with at least one supported file.
  • If the selected folder contains zero supported files, the source section continues displaying the previous valid folder.
  • An informational notification ("No supported files found in the selected folder.") is shown when a folder has no supported images.
  • Filesystem errors during traversal (e.g., permission denied on a subdirectory) are silently skipped so the scan can continue.

Limitations

  • Scanning very large folders (thousands of files) may take a few seconds.
  • There is no file-type filter — all supported formats are included.
  • The scan order is determined by the filesystem, not by filename or date.

Scan order

Photos appear in filesystem order, not sorted by filename or date. This is a current limitation. See the Roadmap for planned improvements.

After Scanning

Once the scan completes:

  • The first photo appears immediately in the main viewer.
  • Adjacent photos are preloaded in the background to reduce waiting.
  • The filename and format extension appear in the footer bar.
  • The source path is displayed in the sidebar for quick reference.

You can now begin browsing and sorting your photos.

Changing the Source Folder

You can change the source folder at any time without restarting the application.

Undo history is cleared

Opening a new folder clears the undo history. Any sorting actions from the previous session are lost.

See Also