Changelog

This update brings user experience improvements and a host of performance upgrades to make using Raster feel much more magical. More importantly, these changes set the stage for the introduction of new features we're excited to ship in the coming months. Stay tuned.

Here’s what’s new and improved in Raster:

Search gets an upgrade

We've rewritten our command palette search. This change brings faster, more relevant search results. We also implemented a smart caching system for search keys, which means less loading and quicker access to your assets.

Image grid and editor Improvements

• The image grid now resizes gracefully when you change your window size.
• Location metadata is now included in the sidebar when viewing an asset.
• Fixed a bug that sometimes caused zero-width thumbnails on mobile.
• Arrow key navigation in the image viewer is now more reliable.
• Transparent images now display with a checkerboard background, making them much easier to see and work with in both light and dark modes.
• Higher resolution images now have better handling, with limits for improved performance.

Organization settings redesign

• Refreshed the users table and added descriptions of all roles when inviting a new user.
• “Manage Subscription” section now provides a more detailed breakdown.
• Addressed multiple bugs where accessing certain subscription and invoice data could cause errors.

Deleted asset experience

• Dedicated "Deleted" section in the editor sidebar to make it clear when you're viewing a trashed item.
• You can now restore a deleted image directly from its context menu in the trash.
• A confirmation modal now only appears when you try to permanently delete an asset.

And many more fixes and improvements...

• All new onboarding flow for new users.
• Improved the image deletion logic in the API to ensure assets are only removed from storage when permanently deleted.
• The backend now better handles concurrent uploads.
• Set up Sentry for more effective error tracking and resolution.
• Optimized image uploads using ImageMagick for better resizing and compression.
• Fixed an issue that caused edited images to sometimes save as black images.

Enhanced Asset Mutations

• New uploadAssets Mutation: Supports uploading up to 20 assets in a single request.
• New deleteAssets Mutation: Delete multiple assets in a single operation.
• Improved Error Handling: Added detailed error messages for new mutations.
• Deprecated Mutations Removed: Cleaned up outdated mutation endpoints.
• Test Coverage: Added comprehensive tests for new mutations.

Improved Error Handling

• Library ID Validation: Enforced validation with clear error messages.
• Asset Not Found Handling: More descriptive errors when assets are missing.
• Access Control Improvements: Enhanced API key and library access validation.

Infrastructure Updates

• Chunked Uploads: Prevents Firebase operator limits from causing failures.

Other Improvements

• API Docs Refresh: New mutations and error handling improvements reflected in API documentation.

The aim of this update is to start building on the stable base we've built with Raster, to start refining the features and listening to our users. We've heard you, and we've improved a lot of things, big and small. And we have even more large improvements to ship this quarter!

New Features & Improvements

• HUGE if true (and it is true): you can now select any amount of images you want in a library, right click, and choose "Download" — Raster will automatically zip them all up (including their versions) and send it your way
• Improved the UX of the AI-generated alt text field, making it easier to edit, regenerate, and save the text
• Redesigned Organization settings to make it easier to invite users, rename your org, and much more
• Redesigned Subscription management — to make it easier to see your monthly spend and manage your subscription
• Internal tools to help Raster Support serve you better
• Clearer terms & conditions when signing up
• Performance improvements by scaling images no larger than your screen when previewed
• Updated all dependencies to the latest— this was no small task, because we kinda had to rewrite almost all the code
• If you have access to a lot of organizations, that's a good problem to have. So we want to make sure it remains a good problem, so we made the organization switcher scrollable when it gets too long

Bug Fixes

• In the past, if you ever deleted an organization, you were redirected to an abyss of a 404 page. No longer — now Raster redirects you to a new page list of all the organizations you have access to!
• Improved autosave, making it more stable and resilient to errors
• Fixed an instance where deleting an image would not decrement the count on the library in the sidebar
• Fix a bug with image sizing on rotation
• Improved stability when editing
• Improved stability while uploading
• Fixed a few visual glitches and instances of horizontal scroll
• Dozens of other bugfixes and behind-the-scenes tweaks

We're really starting to incorporate user feedback and also listening to our own error reporting pipelines. Since the last changelog, we've resolved literally hundreds of bugs that make Raster smoother and more reliable for everyone.

New Features & Improvements

• Improved Onboarding flow, Raster now makes it easier and smoother to get an organization up and running in Raster
• Raster now has a more seamless browsing and editing experience when viewed on a mobile device
• Website tweaks & improvements
• Command Palette shortcut now works on Windows!
• You can no longer edit images in the trash, for your own sake
• If an uploaded photo has GPS coordinates in the EXIF, Raster will now display them, and even link to Google Maps
• Performance improvements when using the left and right arrow keys to navigate between images
• Increased file upload limits to 1GB each

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a lot of Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) that was introduced lately as a result of new features
• Fixed instances where the scrollbar would allow overflow into the emptiness of space
• Fixed an issue where opening an image via the command palette in another library would fail to change Library
• Solved an issue where an upload would fail silently. Now, Raster tries its best to give you an explanation why.
• Solved an issue where a photo would appear to be visible in all libraries while it was being uploaded. This was a visual issue, not an actual back-end issue, but the visuals have been fixed.
• Security tweaks, and many other refinements and fixes

The app will allow users to seamlessly manage and embed digital assets from Raster directly within their Contentful content entries.

Features include:

• Easy access to Raster’s asset library within the Contentful interface.
• Direct embedding of assets into Contentful content.

Raster is now available in the Contentful Marketplace.

The plugin will allow users to seamlessly manage and embed digital assets from Raster directly within their DatoCMS projects.

Features include:

• Easy access to Raster’s asset library within the DatoCMS interface.
• Direct embedding of assets into DatoCMS content.

Raster is now available in the DatoCMS Marketplace.

• Enhanced asset query functionality:
  • Implemented page and pageSize parameters for pagination
  • Added tags parameter for filtering assets by up to 5 tags
• Improved library information:
  • Added tags field to the Library type, returning detailed tag information
• New tags query for retrieving tag information for a specific library

Changed

• Optimized database queries for improved performance
• Updated assets query to support both user-created and AI-generated tags

https://docs.raster.app/api

We've learned a great deal in the past few months about scaling the back-end of Raster. With larger libraries demanding more from Raster's front and back-end, we've identified and been working on key opportunities to improve the user experience.

From rewriting the image edit stack to database overhaul, we have big things in store for what Raster can do.

New Features & Improvements

• Improved quality of AI tagging once again
• NEW: Full RAW image support
• Soon: Google Drive import coming to Enterprise customers
• Raster now supports M4V video format as well

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an annoying issue where Raster would silently fail on image upload. This was due to unknown, large, or corrupted metadata. Raster now nicely lets you know what's going on, so you're not left in the dark again
• Improved conversion of original files to Raster original formats
• Improved back-end processes for deleting user data. When you delete a library, we make sure all your images are actually deleted on the server as well.
• Fixed issues where metadata transfer would silently fail

We've completely rewritten the back-end of Raster to a custom stack. What this means is that we'll finally be able to deliver on the following items today:

• Instant edit previews, no more waiting several seconds for image previews to update
• Shorter URLs
• Faster CDN image load times throughout

And the following features in the near future:

• Replace versions that have already been published
• AI-based editing features
• More edits and other cool stuff

This is a huge update and there may be bugs and issues in the beginning, but it enables us to finally take Raster to where we envision it can be.

Improvements & Bug Fixes

• Improved tag design
• Bumped dependencies & security fixes
• Improved image tags using Google Gemini

We thank all of our beta tests and users for your awesome feedback and support. 🙏🏼

Raster is live on ProductHunt and is now in Public beta.

NEW! Raster now supports video hosting

Raster now supports video. No editing functionality at the moment, but you can store, organize, tag and serve MP4 files via the Raster CDN.

Improvements

• New Metadata: "Uploaded By"
• Click to copy photo dimensions
• If you invite someone to an organization who hasn't joined Raster Private Beta yet, they will also receive an invite to Raster
• When creating a new version of a photo, Raster will not intelligently name the version based off of the branching version name, rather than incrementing "Untitled"
• Wayyyy better alt text generation — using Blip ML
• Organization names can now be three or more characters (previously required four characters)

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue where version names may not save correctly
• Fixed an issue where photo dimensions may not display properly
• Fixed an instance where Empty trash would not work
• Fixed multiple small issues with dragging and scrolling
• Some dark mode text color fixes

• Raster is now on the blockchain
• All your pictures are NFTs now
• Just kidding... here are the real updates:

New! Personal Organizations

We're introducing Personal Organizations! While not truly an Organization, it behaves like one in the sense that you can create Personal libraries within it. Every Raster user now has a Personal organization that will remain free to use forever. The only limitations of Personal Organizations versus Organizations is that you cannot invite other users to your personal Organization.

New Features

• Transfer photos between libraries by dragging and dropping
• Bulk invites! You can now invite more than one user to Raster, at a time
• You can now "Empty trash" with one click
• Improved Organization settings UX
• Improved messaging when accessing an Organization you don't have access to
• API key managament is now restricted to Organization owners

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue where, in some instances, you could save a duplicate view infinitely
• Fixed an issue where you could not save Organization settings
• Fixed an issue where alerts & notifications in Raster were overlapping
• Fixed an issue where the drop zone did not appear whilst drag and dropping

Raster now has a public API! 🎉 Learn more at docs.raster.app/api

More Improvements

• Fixed an issue where signing in to Raster did not take you to your previously viewed library
• Fixed an issue where Raster would break if you signed in after previously viewing a library that you no longer have access to
• If you attempt to sign in to Raster and don't yet have Beta access, you'll now automagically be added to the Beta list
• Improved tag autocompletion
• Back-end improvements

Website Updates

• You can now access the Raster website while signed in to Raster by visiting raster.app/home

For this month, we made tons of backend updates to ensure Raster runs smoothly.

• Organization switcher now has a slightly refined look & feel
• Mobile sidebar toggle switch is now much more usable

More Updates

• Upgraded SvelteKit to 1.0! 🎉
• (yes this means the new layout structure)
• Show friendly errors if you're snooping around in Organizations you don't have access to
• Removed unnecessary logic that was called on every page navigate
• Fixed an issue where an Organization would load forever
• Fixed instance where errors would not show in light mode because they were the same color as the background
• Fixed bug where Raster would occasionally throw a 404 error (this one was pesky, but we found it and squashed it)

Website Updates

• We launched Raster Blog
• Performance improvments
• Raster Design System usability improvements
• You can now copy the SVG of an icon in Raster Design System
• Fixed incorrect share metadata

We introduced a new "Transform" pane! This includes three cool new edits.

• Rotation rotates the image within the current frame. This is useful for correcting a slightly misaligned photo or creating a flat horizon
• Orientation works as you expect. Rotate your entire canvas by 0°, 90°, 180°, 270°
• Flip allows you to mirror your image across the X axis, Y axis, or both.

More Updates

• Better docs @ https://docs.raster.app
• Status monitoring @ https://status.raster.app
• Changelog looks a bit more beautiful
• Some new icons
• Improved Welcome flow with less steps
• Fixed an issue where a long organization URL prevented you from being able to edit your library URL
• Type-ahead autocomplete on user tags in the Photo sidebar
• Removed autocomplete and autocorrect in some instances where it was not helpful at all
• More clear error messages when editing Organization settings
• Segmented controls are now a bit more graceful and smooth. This change has also been reflected in the Raster Design System

We've redesigned and refined tons of small things around Raster, including but not limited to the navigation, image editor, gallery, and settings views.

New Sidebar

To accommodate the new Organizations and Libraries updates, Raster has a new and reimagined sidebar design. This sidebar enables you to easily switch Organizations and Libraries, and establishes a clear hierarchy.

Refined Command Palette

The Command Palette has been refined to increase clarity between images and non-image search queries. It also has an improved visual design that fits at home in Raster.

Introducing Raster Design System

We're going to start designing Raster components in public. That was always our intention. And now we're getting ready to show the world! We've launched a new section on our public website where we showcase our design system. We also intend to grow this page and improve it alongside Raster.

Check it out at raster.app/design

Improvements

• Fixed minor visual issues where the scrollbar may not render in the correct color scheme
• Added ability to change Library URL
• Two new actions in the command palette: "Switch organization" and "Open Library"
• Command palette now has separate actions which can be called
• Fixed layout shift on command palette, which is now faster

Workspaces are now Libraries, and paired with Organizations, are now a lot more powerful. A Library is a collection of images in Raster. A Library also contains its own subset of tags and users. You can transfer a Library to another Organization within Raster.

New onboarding flow

We've added a quick Welcome flow in Raster (< 90s).

It guides new users through choosing their display mode, creating their first organization and library, and uploading their first photos.

Improvements

• Improved 404 pages, when you don't have access to view a workspace
• Added ability to change Library URL
• Two new actions in the command palette: "Switch organization" and "Open Library"
• Command palette now has separate actions which can be called
• Fixed layout shift on command palette, which is now faster

Organizations add another layer to Raster for improved organization. Every team has been upgraded to an Organization in Raster. You can also now transfer a workspace to another organization.

Better access control

Organizations also introduces more powerful access controls with a new user role: Guest.

Looking for more information? Check out our docs.

Improvements

• Invitations to Raster now work better
• We now require confirmation when deleting a workspace
• When uploading images, tags now update instantly
• Tons of small bug fixes and UI enhancements

Cropping photos just got way easier. Users will be able to use a familiar interface, and control the maximum width and height of the image in the Output pane.

Archive versions

Based on user feedback, we learned that Raster needed a way to archive versions. We've added that, and redesigned the interface in the meantime. Now, you can archive versions, and view archived versions in any image.

Improvements

• Our website now supports light and dark mode
• For accessibility, users who prefer high contrast or users who who prefer reduced motion are respected on the app and website
• We've removed the Details pane in the image editor and spread it into the other panes

Previously, users had no way to view or change their profile information, like name, email, or profile picture. We've added that in the latest update.

Light mode

Toggle light or dark mode with the flip of a switch. Or, use your system settings (default).

Right click actions

Right click on any photo or tag to bring up options, like copying many URLs at once, or copying a tag's link.

Improvements

• Faster processing times on images (up to 2x)
• Better support for HEIC and HEIF image types
• Use the right/left arrow keys to navigate through images
• Added link to documentation in the profile dropdown
• While in edit mode, hitting escape will exit out of edit mode, instead of closing the image
• Better emails. All of Raster's emails are now branded and have a more consistent look

Raster's photo editor got a major upgrade from a list of parameters to an interactive and engaging tool to quickly make changes.

Introducing versions

Versions are a way to make changes to a photo without creating an entirely new one, leaving your workpsace nice and clean. Create a new version by hitting the "Edit" button on any image.

1. Each version has its own unique URL
2. Versions are non-destructive (they cannot be edited afterwards)
3. You can have unlimited versions on an image

Improvements

• Faster frontend performance. Raster now supports thousands of images on one page.
• No more invite link. Users can log into Raster using their invited email; no need to use the link in the email.
• Faster image load times. Raster preloads images it expects you to open soon.
• Version data is now shown in the sidebar (created date, width, height)
• Support for GIF images added
• The file extension is now removed from the image name when uploading
• AI tags are able to be deleted

We've added support for searching through images with a command palette. Use Cmd+K to open the command palette on any page. Search for images, commands, and more. You can only search in the selected workspace.

Improvements

• We now show a sample image on your very first workspace, to help users become more familiar with Raster.
• Instead of deleting images immediately, they are moved to your trash for a brief period of time. You can restore them from your trash.
• Better upload reliability. More images can be uploaded in one session than before.