Photo Mechanic 2025.5 Release Candidate: Keyboard Shortcuts Issues

[mhobi]

Hi all

Thanks for implementing configurable Keyboard Shortcuts. I tested it a little bit and noticed some issues:

Apply Rotation to JPEGs

After changing the Keyboard Shortcuts for 'Apply Rotation to JPEGs' and 'Apply Rotation to JPEGs (with prior settings)', the setting doesn't correspond to what is shown in the menu. Also I can't make Command-R to work as 'Apply Rotation to JPEGs', even it is defined in Settings. Pressing Command-R does nothing. A restart of Photo Mechanic doesn't help.

Rename Photos

After changing the Keyboard Shortcuts for 'Rename Photos...' and 'Rename Photos... (with prior settings)',  the setting doesn't correspond to what is shown in the menu and the entry 'Rename Photos...' is missing in the menu completely. A restart of Photo Mechanic solves this.

XYZ (with prior settings)

In previous versions, when pressing Command, Shift or Option modifier keys changed the menu entries to show the options like 'XYZ (with prior settings)'. Now some menu entries like e.g. 'Remove Crops... (with prior settings)' show the options without pressing any modifier key. Or menu entries like e.g. 'Apply Rotation to JPEGs' always show a second menu entry with the option 'Apply Rotation to JPEGs (with prior settings)'.


Please see attached screenshots showing the issues described above.

Thanks and regards 
Michael

[Max Lemesh]

Another shortcut issues...
control + numbers for setting star rating for multiple photos doesn't work.

single photo works, single color label works, multiple color labels (cmd + numbers) work, but multiple rating doesnt.
works via menu items though

[Max Lemesh]

also why would there be a separate shortcut to apply rating/color to multiple images
it seems redundant

[Max Lemesh]

I might have found the problem.
All these years PM worked the following way
Stars ratings were done with numbers 1-5
Colors with cmd+ numbers 1-8 (single and multiple images)
Stars ratings for multiple images were done with Control + 1-5

But now it is all messed it seems. Different shortcut for different parts of PM

[Max Lemesh]

Removing conflicting Color Class shortcuts from Contact sheet solved the problem.

I got a question though, why does PM have shortcuts that do exactly the same but considered different functions?
I couldn't set Contact Sheet color class shortcuts to the same buttons as Menus, so they were in conflict with star ratings.

I think shortcuts need to have presets, so that they are easy to save and share.
Also I kinda miss that old switch between setting colors and stars in Accessibility

[Kirk Baker]

Michael,

Thanks for implementing configurable Keyboard Shortcuts. I tested it a little bit and noticed some issues:

Apply Rotation to JPEGs

After changing the Keyboard Shortcuts for 'Apply Rotation to JPEGs' and 'Apply Rotation to JPEGs (with prior settings)', the setting doesn't correspond to what is shown in the menu. Also I can't make Command-R to work as 'Apply Rotation to JPEGs', even it is defined in Settings. Pressing Command-R does nothing. A restart of Photo Mechanic doesn't help.

Rename Photos

After changing the Keyboard Shortcuts for 'Rename Photos...' and 'Rename Photos... (with prior settings)',  the setting doesn't correspond to what is shown in the menu and the entry 'Rename Photos...' is missing in the menu completely. A restart of Photo Mechanic solves this.

XYZ (with prior settings)

In previous versions, when pressing Command, Shift or Option modifier keys changed the menu entries to show the options like 'XYZ (with prior settings)'. Now some menu entries like e.g. 'Remove Crops... (with prior settings)' show the options without pressing any modifier key. Or menu entries like e.g. 'Apply Rotation to JPEGs' always show a second menu entry with the option 'Apply Rotation to JPEGs (with prior settings)'.

What version of macOS are you running?  The reason I ask is that the menus on my macOS Ventura system do not look like yours.  The look the way one would expect them to look.

Thanks for trying out the new build and bringing this to my attention.  I certainly don't want this to be anyone's experience, but I need to know how it is happening if I am to fix it.

-Kirk

[Kirk Baker]

Max,

Removing conflicting Color Class shortcuts from Contact sheet solved the problem.

I got a question though, why does PM have shortcuts that do exactly the same but considered different functions?

The 'single key shortcuts' operate on a single item, and do not require any modifier keys to be pressed (Command/Control).  This was important to some users that didn't want to press Command-1 to set the rating (for instance).  They would rather press 1 and not have to contort their hand to do so.  It was asked for a number of years ago and it became popular.

I couldn't set Contact Sheet color class shortcuts to the same buttons as Menus, so they were in conflict with star ratings.

Commands in menus must either have the Command key or the Control key to function.  If you don't like the keyboard shortcuts for single items, you can clear them.

I think shortcuts need to have presets, so that they are easy to save and share.

I agree.

Also I kinda miss that old switch between setting colors and stars in Accessibility

Sorry, it had to go in order to make all shortcuts configurable.

Thanks for trying out the new build.

-Kirk

[Max Lemesh]

The 'single key shortcuts' operate on a single item, and do not require any modifier keys to be pressed (Command/Control).  This was important to some users that didn't want to press Command-1 to set the rating (for instance).  They would rather press 1 and not have to contort their hand to do so.  It was asked for a number of years ago and it became popular.

I get it why its cool to have a single key shortcut, question is why even have an additional double key shortcut if they do exactly the same thing.

[Kirk Baker]

Max,

The 'single key shortcuts' operate on a single item, and do not require any modifier keys to be pressed (Command/Control).  This was important to some users that didn't want to press Command-1 to set the rating (for instance).  They would rather press 1 and not have to contort their hand to do so.  It was asked for a number of years ago and it became popular.

I get it why its cool to have a single key shortcut, question is why even have an additional double key shortcut if they do exactly the same thing.

They don't do exactly the same thing, which is what I tried to explain above.  I'll try again:

The commands in the menu operate on one or more images at a time.
The `single key shortcuts` only perform their operation if a single item is selected.  If there is more than one image selected, then pressing 's' does nothing.
Command-S will save multiple selected images as new files.

I hope this is more clear, please let me know if not.

-Kirk

[Max Lemesh]

I just find it a bit redundant and confusing.

If I select one image and ask app to perform a function I expect it to do it to one image, but if I select multiple images and ask app to perform the same function I would expect it to do the same for multiple. What's the point of having a shortcut for single image function when it wouldn't even do the single image function if more than one is selected?

I checked Bridge, LR, C1 and even FRV. They all consistently use the same shortcuts for one or multiple images. Exception is C1 which has a special mode of single image adjustment where only main image of selected is getting adjustments. But shortcuts still stay the same.

[Max Lemesh]

Another problem is overlapping shortcuts.

PM seems to have 3 shortcut areas
Menu items, Contact Sheet, Preview
Somehow short cuts can be set for each one separately, they can overlap, but at the same time they cannot.

In Menu sections I set my multiple ratings to Control + 1-5
Color Labels (s/m) to CMD+ 1-8

In Contact sheet section I set my single ratings shortcut to 1-5
and remove all Color Class label shortcuts because I they were the same as multiple ratings in Menu Section, and yet I cannot set them same as Color Labels in menu section to cmd + 1-8

Then I get to Preview section
Single Image rating is set to 1-5 (which is great)
Color labels set to contol + 1-8 (same as multiple ratings shortcut in Menu) and it does set color labels, but not ratings as set in Menu section.
I can't make it cmd+1-8 so it is consistent with Menu Section (it is already used in Menu), at the same time cmd+1-8 which is set it is set in Menu section also works for color labels in Preview.

Hope you see how confusing it is. Maybe there is a way to make shortcuts consistent across the whole app. At least those that perform the same function

[mhobi]

Hi Kirk

I am running macOS Sequoia 15.5

Thanks for looking into it.

Best regards
Michael

[Kirk Baker]

Michael and Max,

These builds should address some or all of what you're seeing:

macOS Ventura or later, Universal Binary:
https://www.camerabits.com/download/PhotoMechanicR8556_5c7e99ca.dmg

macOS Big Sur or later, Intel only:
https://www.camerabits.com/download/PhotoMechanicR8030_5af50878.dmg

Please give the build of your choice a try and let me know how things go.

-Kirk

[Max Lemesh]

Thanks Kirk! Hope I don't come too aggressive. Just want PM to be great and (hopefully) help polish all of the little UX/UI things

[mhobi]

Thank you Kirk!

I tried the new Beta and it worked correctly. I could assign Command-R to 'Apply Rotation to JPEGs' and the Keyboard Shortcut settings matched the menu items.

One thing I noticed, but I don't know if this is by intention: When a command like 'XYZ (with prior settings)' has no shortcut assigned, it is being shown in the menu below its 'related' menu item 'XYZ'. If it has a shortcut assigned, the menu item is only shown when the modifier key is pressed.
Please see screenshot.

Thanks again and regards
Michael