iPhotron is a folder-native photo manager inspired by macOS Photos that organizes media using lightweight JSON manifests and cache files. It offers rich album functionality while keeping all original files intact, providing a macOS Photos experience for Windows users.

The application features folder-native design where every folder is an album without needing import. It includes JSON-based manifests that record human decisions like cover selection, featured photos, and ordering. The system uses an SQLite-powered global database for lightning-fast queries on massive libraries with smart incremental scanning and persistent SQLite index. Full Live Photo pairing and playback support is included using Apple's ContentIdentifier, and there's a map view that visualizes GPS metadata across all photos and videos.

iPhotron works through a core engine that treats folders as albums managed via .iphoto.album.json manifest files. All asset metadata is stored in a single high-performance database at library root (global_index.db) with incremental scanning of new/changed files using idempotent upsert operations. The system features smart indexing with multi-column indexes on parent_album_path, ts, media_type, and is_favorite for instant queries. Live Photo pairing automatically matches HEIC/JPG and MOV files using ContentIdentifier or time proximity.

The application provides non-destructive photo editing with adjustments stored in .ipo sidecar files, GPU rendering with real-time OpenGL 3.3 preview, and reverse geocoding that converts GPS coordinates into human-readable locations. Users benefit from immersive detail viewing with filmstrip navigation, smart albums that auto-generate basic library groupings, and rich interactions including drag-and-drop functionality from Explorer.

The target audience includes Windows users who want macOS Photos functionality, photographers needing non-destructive editing, and anyone managing large photo libraries with Live Photos and GPS metadata. The application offers both GUI interface via PySide6/Qt6 and command-line tools for album management.