CaptureMood uses a sidecar-first architecture. All develop settings, crop geometry, ratings, and tags are written to lightweight .s612 text sidecars beside the original files.
The .s612 Sidecar Format
The .s612 file is plain UTF-8 text containing clean key-value parameters. Because it is plaintext, it can be versioned with Git, backed up with Time Machine, or inspected with any text editor.
The Disposable Catalog Index
Library does not copy the shoot into a private catalog. The grid is the folder. The status line LIVE · count · ALL PREVIEWS BUILT is the index of that folder, and it rebuilds when the folder changes. Ratings, picks, and develop settings are the .s612 files beside the originals. Remove the folder from the sidebar and the files stay where Finder left them.
Three-Way Merge
A shared folder can be open on two machines. Saving writes a three-way merge against the stack this session loaded. A panel only the other machine changed is taken in. A panel both machines changed, differently, keeps this machine's version, and the other version stays on disk beside the photograph. History from both machines is kept, in the order the entries happened.