Find the right moment
A filename tells you very little. You remember a summer, a city or a trip, then open folders to find the picture.
PHOTOS & VIDEOS · OPEN SOURCE & SELF-HOSTED
Your photo library, on your NAS.
Turn your photo folders into a collection you can browse by date and place. Build albums and share your selections from your own server.
YOUR EXISTING FOLDERS · DOCKER OR BINARYAn album in action
YOUR PHOTOS DESERVE MORE THAN A FILE LIST
Years of photos. Find the picture you remember.
Your NAS holds years of pictures. Yet finding a memory, putting together a selection and sharing it still means browsing directories by hand.
Put together a selection
Pictures from an event are spread across several folders. Making an album becomes another round of sorting and copying.
Share with the people close to you
You want to send the right photos and choose who can access them, while keeping your photo library on your own server.
Lightcella turns those folders into a photo library you can browse by date and location. Your albums bring pictures together; your files stay where they belong.
01 / CONNECT
Keep your folders. Add a photo library.
Years of photos, already in folders. Lightcella indexes them where they are, so you can keep the structure you have built.
Designed for NAS devices and modest hardware.
Install with Docker or a pre-built binary.
Connect a library.
Choose a directory, assign its owner and start indexing. Then browse its folders from the application.
Add new images.
Import from your NAS or browser into a library your account can upload to.
Follow each import.
Track progress, resume transfers and detect files already uploaded while thumbnails are being prepared.
INSTALL ON YOUR SERVER
Install Lightcella.
Connect your folders.
Install Lightcella on your NAS or server, then add your library’s folder path in the interface.
Open source under AGPL-3.0.
NAS devices and modest servers, including ARM.
DOCKER · QUICK START
docker run -d \
--name lightcella \
-p 8080:8080 \
-v /path/to/photos:/photos:ro \
-v lightcella-data:/app/data \
ghcr.io/lightcella/lightcella:latestReplace /path/to/photos with your photo folder. This mount gives read-only access to your photos; the lightcella-data volume keeps the application data persistent.
Then open port 8080 on your server in a browser and set your library path to /photos.
SQLite catalogueWeb interface on desktop and phoneDocker or a pre-built binary
02 / FIND
Find a photo. Even years later.
Jump back through the months. Open a photo in the viewer, move to the next, then return to your selection.
NARROW YOUR SEARCH
Combine text search with a date range, folder or album. You can also filter for images with missing or unconfirmed locations.
Sort by capture date, date added or filename. Navigate the viewer and filmstrip with your keyboard.
ANOTHER WAY IN: THE MAP
Remember the place?
Find the photos.
Sometimes you remember the town before you remember when you went.
- Explore
- Explore clusters of geotagged photos. Search for a place by name.
- Correct
- Place a photo on the map or correct the coordinates of a whole selection.
- Fill in
- Interpolation estimates missing locations using photos taken around the same time. Set the time window, filter by camera and confirm the result.
03 / ORGANISE
Correct one photo. Or an entire series.
Add a title and keywords to help find your photos. When a whole series has the wrong date, correct the selection in one operation.
- Describe
- Titles, descriptions, keywords, ratings from 0 to 5 and colour labels.
- Edit in batches
- Apply changes to a selection, correct dates and time zones, or restore source values.
- Keep your tools
- If needed, enable XMP sidecar writing or embedded metadata for compatible formats.
FOR PHOTOS FROM YOUR CAMERA
One exposure.
Several files.
Shooting RAW and JPEG? Lightcella can group the variants into a single photo. It usually displays the JPEG while keeping the other files indexed.
RAWIMG_0241.nefJPEGIMG_0241.jpgXMPIMG_0241.xmp
One photo, all its sources
See how the photo was taken.
Camera, aperture, shutter speed, ISO and focal length: inspect the EXIF information and the sources it comes from.
Correct the time on your travel photos.
When GPS data reveals a time zone mismatch, you can correct it in the viewer. Your photos return to their place in the timeline.
Choose where corrections are written.
Configure XMP sidecar files or embedded metadata for compatible formats. You can also preserve the file’s modification time when writing changes.
SORT YOUR COLLECTION
Sort through your photos.
Keep what matters.
Similar photos & duplicates
Review groups, choose your photos and dismiss the groups that no longer need attention.
Archive
Move a photo out of the main gallery without deleting it. Unarchive it whenever you need to.
Trash
Restore an image before it is permanently deleted. Configure automatic cleanup to suit your needs.
YOUR SELECTIONS
Build your albums.
Your files stay where they are.
Bring your images together, name the album and arrange their order. A photo can belong to several albums while its file stays in the original folder, with no extra copy.
A WORKING EXAMPLEOur projects,
Our projects,
in one album.
Six screenshots from Granit Golem and Marble Minotaur, imported into a working Lightcella demo instance.
All six files remain in their source folder. The album brings the selection together.
04 / SHARE
Your album.
The people you choose.
WHAT YOUR GUESTS SEE
FROM PHONE TO CAMERA
Different files.
One collection.
Browse previews in your browser, then download the files or selection you need.
- JPEG / HEIC
- Everyday photos, with thumbnails and previews.
- RAW
- Sony ARW, Canon CR2/CR3, Nikon NEF and Adobe DNG: RAW format support depends on the installed decoders.
- VIDEO
- Previews prepared with FFmpeg, so you can browse your video clips too.
Download a selection.Track file preparation before downloading.
AFTER THE FIRST IMPORT
Your folders keep growing.
Your library keeps up.
Choose how new images arrive and where they are stored.
Monitor your existing folders.
Configure folder monitoring and periodic rescans. Direct change detection depends on your storage’s file system.
Organise new uploads by date.
Choose a library, subfolder and naming pattern, such as year and month. These rules apply to new imports; your existing folder structure stays in place.
Upload from a WebDAV client.
Send files to the authenticated endpoint from compatible software. It gives you another way to add images to your library.
EXPLORE THE DETAILS
Every feature.
In detail.
Choose a light or dark theme, your starting view and map options. Access your library from your phone’s browser too.
Find the full details of the features, permissions and settings available.
36 detailed features in 11 groups.
Libraries, owners and imports
One library, one owner
Add folder paths, browse subfolders and run a new scan. An administrator can transfer a library to another owner.
From your NAS or browser
Index files already on your server or upload new images to a library your account can access.
Follow each import
Track transfers and thumbnail preparation. Resume uploads and identify files already sent using their fingerprints.
Search, filters and sorting
From a month to a photo
Browse the grid, jump between months and open the viewer with its photo strip. Keyboard navigation is available too.
Narrow your search
Combine text search with a date range, folder or album. Find images without GPS coordinates or with a location still awaiting confirmation.
Choose your order
Sort by capture date, import date or filename, in ascending or descending order.
GPS correction and interpolation
Find photos by place
The map groups images by area. Search for a location by name and choose your map background in settings.
Correct one photo or a selection
Place a photo on the map or update GPS coordinates for several images together.
Review estimated locations
GPS interpolation suggests a location using photos taken around the same time. Adjust the time window, filter by camera and confirm the proposed coordinates.
Metadata, batch editing and XMP
Describe the image
Edit titles, descriptions and keywords. Add a rating from 0 to 5 and a colour label.
Apply corrections together
Edit a selection in one batch, correct dates and time zones, or revert fields to their source values.
Keep using your other tools
Configure XMP sidecar files or write metadata into supported image formats.
Similar photos, archive and trash
Compare similar images
Review groups of similar photos and duplicates. Dismiss a group without deleting its images, then restore it for review if needed.
Archive a photo
Remove an image from the main gallery by archiving it. Unarchive it to bring it back.
Restore from the trash
Recover trashed photos before they are permanently deleted. Configure automatic trash cleanup in settings.
Albums and photo permissions
Build your selection
Create an album with a name and description. Add, remove and reorder photos as the project evolves.
One photo, several albums
Albums reference your photos. They do not duplicate files or change their original folders.
Keep permissions precise
Album access and permissions on its photos are separate. An album editor does not automatically receive every permission on the files.
Accounts, links and contributions
Share with registered users
Accounts have administrator, member or viewer roles. Viewing, contribution and editing permissions apply separately to libraries and albums.
Set an end date
Protect a public link with a password, set its expiry date and revoke access when it is no longer needed.
Receive photos too
Allow uploads through a public link with an upload allowance and maximum file size. Contributions follow your configured permissions and limits.
Formats, videos and downloads
Thumbnails and previews
Lightcella prepares photo previews. Supported RAW formats include Sony ARW, Canon CR2/CR3, Nikon NEF and Adobe DNG; decoding depends on your installation.
Videos belong here too
Video processing uses FFmpeg to prepare media and their previews.
Download your selection
Download your files and follow the preparation of your selection.
Mobile interface and preferences
Light or dark
Choose the appearance that suits you when browsing and organising your photos.
Start with your preferred view
Set the initial view, map options and other application preferences.
Manage your own library
Manage accounts, libraries and application data. Arrange separate backups for your photos and SQLite database.
RAW/JPEG variants and source information
RAW and JPEG together
Variants of the same photo can be grouped in one entry. Lightcella displays the source easiest to read, usually the JPEG, while indexing the other files.
Capture details
Check the camera, aperture, shutter speed, ISO and focal length. The source list shows where metadata came from.
Dates and time zones
Correct a time zone mismatch detected from GPS coordinates in the viewer, so photos taken on a trip fit your timeline.
Metadata writeback
Configure XMP sidecars or embedded metadata. An option preserves the file modification time when writing changes.
Ongoing imports, WebDAV and configuration
Folder monitoring and rescans
Libraries can be monitored and rescanned periodically according to your configuration. Direct change detection depends on the filesystem.
Choose an upload destination
Select an authorised library, subfolder and naming pattern. New files can be organised into year and month folders.
Upload over WebDAV
Send files from a compatible client to the authenticated WebDAV endpoint. It supports uploads rather than mounting or downloading a complete remote photo library.
Map services and network access
An administrator can disable online map services. Available map backgrounds and how they work depend on your configuration.
Shared photos in the timeline
Access to a share and showing its photos in the recipient’s timeline are separate settings.
BEFORE YOU START
Before you install,
what you need to know.
Where are my photos hosted?
On the NAS or server you manage. Lightcella is self-hosted: you choose the storage and control access to your installation. Map tiles may use external services.
Do I need to reorganise all my folders?
No. Lightcella can index your existing directories. Albums then let you organise photos within the app. Some editing options can write metadata back to files, so configure write permissions to suit your needs.
Can I use it on my phone?
The web interface adapts to smaller screens and touch controls. You can browse your library and upload files from your browser.
Which media formats are supported?
Lightcella generates photo thumbnails and previews, including HEIC and RAW processing. Videos use FFmpeg. Exact support depends on the format and your server configuration.
Does Lightcella replace a backup?
No. A photo library helps you access and organise your collection; it does not replace a backup plan. Keep separate copies of your photos and database.