Memorywell™
Collection OrganizerEvery photo on its shelf.
Phone backups, camera cards and Google Photos downloads end up as folders named DCIM and Takeout. Memorywell puts every photo and video on its shelf: a folder for its year and month, and for the day or event it belongs to.
What Memorywell does
Memorywell reads when each photo was taken and files it under its year and month, or its year, month and day, or its year, month and event, such as 2019/2019-07 July/2019-07-04 Lake Tahoe. It finds the events by itself, lets you name the ones you know, and can add a keyword for each named event.
Nothing is moved or copied until you have seen every folder it will fill, and every run can be undone. The app copies by default, so the photos you started with stay exactly as they are.
It comes two ways, with one license for both: the Lightroom Classic plug-in, for photos already in your catalog, and the Windows & Mac app, for a client's drive, a phone backup or a folder of downloads that isn't in Lightroom.
Features
Three ways to shelve
Year / Month, Year / Month / Day or Year / Month / Event, with month folders named 2019-07 July, 07 July or just 07.
Finds the events
A new event starts after a gap without photos (4 hours to start with, and you can change it) or when the photos jump more than 50 km. A name already in the photos' old folder is filled in for you.
Dates from the best source
The camera's date first, then a Google Takeout .json file, then a date in the file's name, then one in the folder's name. Photos with no date at all go into an Undated folder, easy to find.
Google Takeout ready
Google Photos downloads give many photos the download day as their date. Memorywell reads the .json file beside each photo, so it lands in the month it was taken.
Keywords for each event
Add an Events keyword for every event you named, written into the photo (or its .xmp sidecar for raw files and videos) and, in Lightroom, into the catalog.
Companions travel together
Raw and JPEG pairs, .xmp sidecars and a Live Photo's video move with their photo. Exact copies can be left where they are, so nothing is shelved twice.
Lightroom keeps everything
Move the files and Lightroom follows them, with their flags, keywords, edits and collections. Or leave every file where it is and make Memorywell collections, one set per year and month.
Preview first, undo any run
See every folder and how many photos go into it before you click Shelve. Undo puts everything back, in the app for any run in the last 30 days, and in Lightroom.
How it works
In Lightroom Classic
- Select the photos and choose Library > Plug-in Extras > Shelve into date folders.
- Choose the folder to shelve into, pick Year / Month / Event, and click Preview.
- Name the events you know, check the folders, then click Shelve.
In the app
- Choose the folder with the photos (add more, such as a phone backup and a camera card) and an empty folder to shelve into.
- Check the dates and name the events, clicking Next after each.
- Look over the folders, then click Shelve. It copies by default, so the originals stay as they are.
Requirements
- Windows
- Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit). Nothing else to install: Python and the image libraries come with it.
- Mac
- A Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later) and macOS 13 or later. An Intel Mac uses the Mac's own Python 3; the installer says so if it has none.
- Lightroom Classic
- For the plug-in only. The app needs no Lightroom, just a current web browser (Edge, Chrome, Safari or Firefox).
- Files
- Photos and videos, including camera raw files, HEIC and Live Photos. Keywords for raw files and videos go into an .xmp sidecar beside them.
Coming soon
Memorywell is in its final testing and isn't available yet. This page will have it as soon as it is ready.
Questions? Email info@thepictureorg.com · The -well tools available now
Questions
Will it change my photos?
The app copies by default, so the photos you started with stay exactly as they are and you can delete them yourself once you've checked the result. Only the keyword for a named event is written, and only if you choose it.
What happens to photos with no date?
Memorywell tries the date in the file's name and in the folder's name. Anything still undated goes into an Undated folder and gets a keyword, so it is easy to find. Datewell can date them from their names or the dates printed on them.
Will Lightroom lose track of the photos?
Not with the plug-in: Lightroom follows every photo it moves, or you can make collections instead and move nothing. If the app moves photos that are in a Lightroom catalog, Lightroom shows them as missing, so use the plug-in for those.
Can I organize a Google Photos download?
Yes. Unzip every Takeout zip into one folder and choose it in the app. The date in each photo's .json file puts it in the month it was taken.
Can I undo a run?
Yes. In the app, Undo this run right after shelving, or Undo an earlier run for any run in the last 30 days: copies are removed and moved photos go back. In Lightroom, Undo a Memorywell run moves the photos back and Lightroom follows them.
Does it work with Lightroom (the cloud version)?
No. Adobe lets plug-ins run only in Lightroom Classic. If you use the Lightroom app, use the Memorywell app on your photo folders instead.
Does it run on an Intel Mac?
Yes. An Intel Mac uses the Mac's own Python 3; the installer says so if it has none.
email info@thepictureorg.com.