LapTwo ways to install
Lap ships as a .deb package for Debian-based distributions and as an AppImage that runs on most x64 and arm64 systems. The .deb integrates with your package manager; the AppImage is a single file you mark as executable and run without installing anything system-wide. Both are built from the same source, so the feature set is identical either way.
| Package | Best for |
|---|---|
| .deb (amd64 / arm64) | Ubuntu, Debian and Linux Mint |
| AppImage (x64 / arm64) | Running without a system install |
Video playback on Linux
Lap uses your system's GStreamer plugins for video playback, including in the AppImage. If videos fail to play on Ubuntu, Debian or Linux Mint, install the missing plugins:
sudo apt install gstreamer1.0-libav gstreamer1.0-plugins-good
First run
On first launch, add the folders that hold your photos. You can add several folders as one library or keep separate libraries for separate drives. Lap indexes them in the background and writes nothing back to the files, so you can keep editing the same folders with other tools at the same time.
Browsing and searching
Filter by date, folder, camera, lens, location or rating, or search with text prompts and similar images. The map view plots geotagged photos and follows the current filters. Smart Albums save a set of rules, so a view such as one camera or one year is a single click away.
Open source on an open OS
Lap is GPL-3.0-or-later, and every part runs locally: SQLite for the catalog, ONNX Runtime for AI inference, LibRaw and libheif for RAW and HEIC decoding, FFmpeg for video. Nothing is uploaded and the app works offline. If you would rather build it yourself, the source compiles with Node.js 20+, pnpm and a stable Rust toolchain; the steps are in the repository README. See download for the packages and open source for the licenses and libraries.
Formats and folder-first workflow
RAW files are decoded with LibRaw, HEIC and HEIF with libheif, and video with FFmpeg. Because Lap works with your existing folders instead of importing into a closed database, your library stays a normal directory tree you can back up, sync or mount from network storage. Albums on disconnected or network drives stay visible with cached thumbnails. Collections, tags and ratings are kept in Lap's local database rather than in EXIF sidecars, so the folders you point at stay readable by any other application. Check supported formats if you work with RAW or video files from less common cameras.