Stability and Usability Enhancements · Release Candidate 40

One notable addition is the new menu option to move images from a scanned folder into the main library folder. This provides greater control over file organization without requiring external file management tools. It’s a small but meaningful step toward more flexible library management, particularly for users who prefer to keep all assets under the library’s structure after the initial setup.

A key improvement in this release is how full-screen view behaves when switching between applications. Previously, the full-screen view could close unexpectedly when interacting with other windows. Now, it only exits when the entire Aspect application loses focus, making the experience more predictable during multitasking – especially useful when using the secondary window to review images in full-screen.

Several fixes target stability during shutdown and library unloading, which should reduce rare but disruptive crashes when closing the app, particularly in complex library setups. Similarly, improvements have been made to how Aspect handles file system events during background synchronization. We’ve resolved cases where manual and automatic synchronization processes could interfere, which previously led to inconsistent states or crashes.

Metadata handling has also been strengthened. A crash affecting certain Olympus RAW files with malformed GPS data has been fixed, improving robustness when importing from a wider range of camera models. Additionally, the image analysis pipeline now skips files in the library trash, preventing unnecessary processing and potential errors during background tasks.

File system notifications – used to track changes like moves, renames, and deletions—have been fine-tuned to avoid false positives. This includes correcting spurious deletion alerts when renaming or moving event folders, and ensuring accurate detection of moved files even when duplicates exist in the trash. These changes contribute to a more reliable library state, especially in workflows involving frequent reorganization.

We’ve also corrected behavior around event folder manipulation, such as replacing, renaming, or reordering folders. Several crash scenarios related to moving .aspectnode files or exchanging folder names within the same parent have been resolved, making structural changes safer and more predictable.

Lastly, minor but important UI and logic corrections include updating outdated terminology (replacing “shoe box” with “photo stream” in message boxes) and fixing a misleading warning about insufficient storage when all images were already within a scanned folder.

Overall, this update strengthens the foundation of Aspect’s library management system. The changes may not be immediately visible, but they contribute to a more stable and consistent experience – particularly for photographers working with large, evolving collections across different devices.

As always, see the change log for the full list of changes.