Collo Support
Collo is a RAW photo developer for Mac, iPad and iPhone, made by Alexander Creative in San Antonio, Texas. Open a RAW file, develop it with the built-in Apple Standard rendering or with the camera profiles and looks you already own, remove distractions with on-device AI, and export. No account, no tracking, and your photos stay on your device.
Requirements
- Mac: macOS 26 or later, on a Mac with Apple silicon. Lightroom and Capture One are optional: Collo uses their profiles and styles if they are installed and works without them.
- iPad: iPadOS 26 or later. Apple Pencil is optional; pressure drives the brushes.
- iPhone: iOS 26 or later.
FAQ
Which cameras and files does Collo open?
Lumix RW2, Leica and drone DNG, Fujifilm RAF, Sony ARW, Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, Samsung and every other camera Apple's RAW engine supports, plus JPEG, HEIC, PNG and TIFF. Collo develops RAWs with Apple's RAW engine, so which camera bodies work depends on your macOS or iOS version: a brand-new camera works once Apple adds it in an update. If your device can't decode a file, Collo says so. Every RAW gets a built-in Apple Standard rendering, so nothing needs to be installed to start.
Where do the profiles, looks and styles come from?
From copies you already own. On the Mac, Collo reads Lightroom / Camera Raw camera profiles (DCP) and looks, and Capture One styles and ICC camera-native packs, in place from their installed folders (see the folder question below). On iPad and iPhone, choose Import Looks & Profiles and pick a folder of Lightroom looks (.xmp) or Capture One styles in Files; Collo copies them into its own storage. Collo ships none of these files. If you have none, the Apple Standard rendering is always there.
What is the Bria key, and do I need one?
No. AI Remove and generative Expand run entirely on your device with an on-device inpainting model, and that is how Collo ships. Bria is an optional cloud model: if you have your own Bria account, paste its API key into Collo's settings and Remove and Expand will use Bria instead. It is off until you add a key, the key is stored in your device's Keychain, and any Bria usage is between you and Bria. With Bria on, Remove sends only the brushed area and Expand sends a downscaled copy of the photo; the privacy policy has the details.
Where are my edits stored? Does Collo change my originals?
Never. Collo is non-destructive: the RAW is read, never written. On the Mac, edits live in a small sidecar file next to the RAW (an .acdev file), so they travel with the folder; if the folder can't be written, they go in Collo's own storage instead. Star ratings, color labels and picks go in a standard XMP sidecar, which Lightroom and Bridge also read. On iPad and iPhone, edits live inside Collo's own storage on the device. Delete the sidecar and you are back to the untouched original.
How do I export?
Choose Export, pick JPEG, HEIC or TIFF, then set the size, a quality or file-size limit, output sharpening, and which metadata to keep (you can strip location and people info). File names come from a naming template, so a batch comes out consistently named.
How does Edit in Affinity work?
Mac only. Edit in Affinity renders your developed photo to a 16-bit TIFF and hands it to Affinity Photo. Do the pixel work there and save from Affinity; Collo keeps the RAW and your develop settings as they were. It needs Affinity Photo installed on the same Mac.
How do favorites sync?
Favorites (the looks you mark) sync between your devices through iCloud, using your Apple account, as long as each device is signed in to the same account. That is the only thing that syncs: photos, edits, imported profiles and your Bria key stay on each device. If a favorite points to a pack you have not imported on that device, Collo says so; import the pack there and it works.
Why does Collo ask for access to folders on my Mac?
Collo on the Mac is sandboxed, so it can only read what you allow. The camera profiles Lightroom and Capture One install for everyone are readable as is. Your own Camera Raw looks folder and your Capture One styles folder are private to your account, so on first launch Collo offers, once, to let you point it at them. It reads them in place and never copies or uploads them. You can grant or revoke either one any time under Collo, Library Access. If you do not use Lightroom or Capture One, there is nothing to grant and the prompt never appears: the built-in Apple Standard rendering needs nothing.
Does Collo need an internet connection?
No. Everything, including AI Remove, runs on the device. The only network use is Bria, if you add a key, and iCloud for favorites sync.
Contact
Email creative@alexandergoeke.com. For a bug, include your device and OS version, the camera model, what you did and what you expected, and a screenshot if you have one. If a specific RAW misbehaves, a link to the file (Dropbox or iCloud is fine) helps more than anything. Alex reads every message.
Trademarks
Adobe, Lightroom and Camera Raw are trademarks of Adobe Inc. Capture One is a trademark of Capture One A/S. Affinity is a trademark of its owner. All other product and camera names are trademarks of their respective owners. Collo is an independent app, not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them; the names are used only to say what Collo works with.