Non-Destructive Keyword Storage
Your photos are never altered
When you add a keyword in LunaFinder, the app does not rewrite your JPEG, PNG, or RAW file. Colors, resolution, and embedded camera metadata inside the image file stay as they were.
This is called non-destructive tagging.
How keywords are stored
LunaFinder writes a small companion file beside each image on disk. The companion travels with the photo in Finder as a separate item.
You do not need to open or edit companion files manually—the app reads and updates them when you add or remove keywords in the interface.
What you will notice in Finder
In Finder you might see an extra small file next to an image. That is expected. Do not delete companion files if you want to keep LunaFinder keywords for that photo.
If you edit photos elsewhere
- Re-exporting or replacing an image file may leave an old companion behind—keywords might not match the new file until you retag.
- Renaming an image in LunaFinder or Finder updates the filename; companion naming follows the image—use LunaFinder’s rename carefully.
Keywords vs what is inside the image
Some photos already contain title, description, or copyright inside the file. LunaFinder can display much of that in the Properties panel but does not use those fields as your LunaFinder keyword list.
Your Tags panel and filters use LunaFinder keywords from companion storage.
Benefits for archival workflows
- Safe for masters and RAW workflows
- Easy to back up—copy both image and companion together
- No lock-in that burns keywords only into a proprietary database on one machine without files you can see