FM Studio 1.3 is out. It's a Mac app that lets you look at every photo on your camera or card before a single file is copied, rate them, and download only the keepers. It's the tool I now use exclusively to get photos off my own cameras.
Why I built it
It started as a handful of command line scripts for my Leica cameras. I was tired of importing a whole card just to find out which frames were worth keeping. I wanted to look first, rate the keepers, and copy only those. I also wanted the real shutter count of my Leicas, and I was able to build that in too. The scripts grew into a full app that I've tested with many cameras, and I keep updating it as I use it.
What makes it different
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Look before you import: sharp thumbnails, large previews, full shooting info and GPS (with a map link) for everything on the camera or card, before anything is copied
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Real Leica shutter count: M8, M8.2, M9, M10 and M11 series, shown right in the header
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Your files are protected: ON DISK badges show what you've already downloaded, and nothing is deleted from a camera or card until a verified copy is on your Mac
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It names and files your photos as they land: rename, sort into folders and add your copyright in one pass, so there's nothing left to do afterward
Cull and rate
⦿ Rate 1 to 5 stars like in Lightroom, and the ratings carry over to Lightroom automatically
⦿ Filter by camera, lens, file type, download status or star rating, and select with click, drag or shift-click
Send files where they belong
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Rename on import: build the name from the date, camera, your own text and a counter, with presets and a live preview, for example 2026-10-18_Wedding_0001.DNG
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Folders (new in 1.3): sort into folders by date, camera model, job name and more, using the same building blocks as renaming, for example Year / Date / Camera model
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IPTC metadata (new in 1.3): write your name, copyright, credit line, caption, keywords and location into every photo as it downloads, 17 IPTC fields in all. The same fields Lightroom and Photo Mechanic use
⦿ Load photos into Lightroom automatically with the included plug-in
⦿ A DNG and its JPEG always travel together and keep matching names, and nothing is overwritten
Fix what the camera got wrong
⦿ Edit lens, focal length, aperture, ISO, exposure time and camera model before or after download, with saved presets. A big help with adapted and uncoded lenses
Delete and format safely
⦿ Delete from the camera only after FM Studio confirms a verified copy is on your Mac
⦿ Format a card or the camera's internal memory only when every photo on it is safely downloaded
What it works with
⦿ Most cameras in USB mass storage mode, and any SD or CFexpress card in a reader, including Leica SL and Q, Sony, Nikon, Canon, Fujifilm, Panasonic, OM System and Hasselblad. Leica M10 and M11 bodies also work over Wi-Fi, and the M11 series over USB. iPhones and iPads connect over USB too, including ProRAW and HEIC
⦿ Tethered shooting on selected cameras in PTP mode
⦿ If two cameras number files the same way (a Leica M-D and a Q3, for example), FM Studio tells them apart instead of mixing them up
Mac today, Windows next
⦿ A Windows version is in development, and one license covers both Mac and Windows at no extra cost, including for people who buy now
Get it
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/fm-studio.php
There's a Lifetime license (launch price until the end of December), 1 year, or 1 month if you'd like to try it first. It's signed and notarized by Apple, so it installs like any other Mac app. The "What's new" section on that page lists every update so far.
User manual (PDF)
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I'd love to hear how it works with your cameras and what you'd like to see added. Questions, bugs and suggestions are welcome in this thread, and a lot of what's in 1.3 came from your requests here.
