Kiln

Professional photographers typically reach the end of their editing workflow and face a familiar friction: the final steps of preparing images for delivery, export, and publication are scattered across separate tools. Kiln is designed to be the last stop, a dedicated finishing environment built around that final stage rather than adapted from tools built for other purposes.

Workspaces

The core of Kiln is a modular workspace system. Each workspace contains a configurable arrangement of panels and widgets that the user assembles to match their workflow. Layouts persist between sessions and can be switched instantly via keyboard. The design premise is that Kiln itself is clay, meant to be shaped by each user rather than imposing a fixed structure on them.

Keyboard Accessibility

Kiln is fully keyboard accessible. A command palette (Cmd+K) surfaces any feature without navigating menus, and keyboard chords allow moving through the interface at speed. Power users can do most things, and eventually everything, without touching the mouse.

Image Browsing

Kiln provides grid and loupe views for browsing collections, a folder tree with filmstrip toggle, and sorting options. Supported input formats include JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, GIF, TIFF, HEIC, and HEIF.

Export

Export is central to Kiln’s purpose. A single export task can produce multiple renditions simultaneously, handling in one pass what typically requires multiple trips through separate tools. Output formats include JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, TIFF, and animated GIF and WebP. Kiln also handles specialized outputs like app icons and favicons.

Status

Kiln is early, and in active development. The current build centers on image browsing and export; the broader vision is still taking shape.