Lap Photos - Private local photo manager
Lap is a privacy-focused, open-source desktop application designed to help users browse, search, and organize large photo libraries directly on their local machines without relying on cloud services. Built with a folder-first workflow, the software prevents library lock-in by interacting natively with existing file structures rather than forcing proprietary databases. It serves developers, designers, and privacy-conscious users seeking a responsive solution for massive media collections.
Key Features
- Local AI Search: Runs text prompts, visual similarity matching, subject detection, and face clustering entirely offline on your hardware.
- Flexible Browsing: Filters collections across multiple parameters including timelines, folders, locations, cameras, lenses, tags, ratings, and subjects.
- Smart Albums: Creates rule-based dynamic views equipped with custom grouping, sorting, and ordering configurations.
- RAW and Live Photo Pairing: Groups RAW files with corresponding JPEG or HEIC companions, alongside recognizing paired Apple Live Photos.
- Large Library Performance: Optimizes indexing and navigation for collections containing over 100,000 files without locking or slowing down.
- Folder-First Workflow: Supports multiple independent libraries, drag-and-drop importing, and background file synchronization.
The application is cross-platform, supporting macOS, Windows, and Linux environments. It is completely free and licensed under the GPL-3.0 open-source license, constructed using Tauri, Rust, Vue, and SQLite.