ICM Studio support · Version 1.2.1

A little help with
your next movement.

Installation, creative controls, and troubleshooting for ICM Studio in Lightroom Classic on macOS.

Installation Controls Troubleshooting Contact support

Install & get started

Keep the plugin somewhere permanent. Unzip your ICM Studio download and keep the complete ICM Studio.lrplugin package together.
Add it to Lightroom Classic. Choose File → Plug-in Manager → Add, select the package, and click Done.
Select a photo in Library. Open Library → Plug-in Extras → ICM Studio — Simulate Camera Movement.
Choose your movement and preview. Set strength, Movement Angle where available, blend, and quality. Click Refresh Preview after changes.
Compare, then create. Hold Show Original to see the starting image; release to restore the preview. Click Create TIFFs when ready.

Updating? Replace the installed package with the new version, then choose Reload Plug-in in Plug-in Manager. Update the copy shown in the manager's Path field if you keep more than one copy.

Requires macOS 12 or later and Lightroom Classic. The complete package includes its renderer; no Python or ImageMagick installation is needed.

Know your controls

Movement, direction, and the balance between detail and abstraction.
Control	What it does
Movement	Directional Pan, Rotation, Zoom burst, J-curve, or S-curve.
Strength	Changes the size of the movement. At 0%, the image is preserved.
Movement Angle	Enabled for Pan, J-curve, and S-curve, from −180° to 180°. Pan: 0° is horizontal and 90° is vertical. Curves: 0° is upright and positive values rotate counterclockwise. Disabled for Rotation and Zoom.
Effect blend	Mixes the original and the movement effect. 0% preserves the original; 100% applies the full effect.
Quality	Standard: 48 samples; Fine: 96; Ultra: 192. Applies to Rotation, Zoom, J-curve, and S-curve. Pan uses continuous motion blur.
Refresh Preview	Updates the preview from the current settings. The first selected photo represents a batch.
Show Original	Available after a successful preview. Hold the button to see the original, then release to return to the effect. Refresh and Create TIFFs pause during comparison.
Stack with original	Groups the imported TIFF below its original in the same catalog folder.

Try a vertical pan at 15–30% strength for tree trunks, or a horizontal pan at 10–25% for a coastal horizon. Start J and S curves around 15–30%, then rotate the path and refine the blend.

Troubleshooting

I cannot find the plugin menu.

Make sure you are in Lightroom Classic, switch to Library, and check that ICM Studio is enabled in File → Plug-in Manager. Choose Library → Plug-in Extras. After replacing the files, click Reload Plug-in.

Why is Movement Angle disabled?

Rotation and Zoom do not use Movement Angle. It enables for Directional Pan, J-curve, and S-curve. If the curves are missing or their angle stays disabled, update to version 1.2.1 and reload the installed copy.

How do I change the direction of a curve?

Select J-curve or S-curve, adjust Movement Angle, then click Refresh Preview. At 0° the curve is upright; positive angles turn it counterclockwise. The control rotates the path rather than choosing an independent starting point or changing the direction of travel.

Show Original is unavailable or does not stay selected.

Render a preview first. Show Original is a press-and-hold button: keep the mouse button down to see the original, then release to restore the effect. It is not a toggle. If a preview fails, resolve that error and refresh before comparing.

The preview looks different from the final image.

The preview uses a source limited to 1600 pixels on its long side. Fine streaks, sampling, and texture can change at full resolution. Also check for the “Settings changed” message and refresh before creating output. A batch preview only shows the first selected photo.

The plugin reports that my original is offline.

Reconnect the drive containing the original file. The plugin needs the original; a smart preview alone is not enough. Confirm that Lightroom can locate the source before trying again.

The renderer is missing or cannot launch.

Restore the entire plugin package, including bin/icm-render. Keep its files together. The current development renderer is ad-hoc signed, so a copy downloaded from elsewhere may be subject to macOS security checks. Include the exact macOS message when contacting support.

A TIFF was created, but I cannot see it.

Open the original's folder in Library and expand its stack. A filtered collection can hide the new result. The filenames contain -ICM-directional, -ICM-rotation, -ICM-zoom, -ICM-jcurve, or -ICM-scurve.

The TIFF was saved but catalog import failed.

The completion dialog lists TIFFs that need manual import. Use File → Import Photos and Video, select the reported file, and use Add. The plugin preserves a completed TIFF when import fails.

Saving fails or processing takes a long time.

Check that the original folder is writable and has free space. Reconnect external drives if needed. Large files and Ultra quality need more memory, processing time, and temporary disk space. Try Fine or Standard quality for curves, Rotation, or Zoom.

What does Cancel stop?

Cancel stops the batch before the next photo. A photo already being processed finishes and is imported first. Canceling a preview dialog lets its active task finish safely before temporary files are removed.

Why do the edges smear at high strength?

The effect extends edge pixels to avoid black borders during movement. Large movements can make this extension visible. Lower Strength or blend in more of the original for a subtler result.

Contact support

Questions, bugs, or an idea for a new movement? Include your Mac model, software versions, and the steps that led to the issue.

Privacy information

Local photos. Optional contact.

ICM Studio processes selected photographs locally on your Mac. Its code does not upload photos or include analytics, telemetry, ads, or an account service. It writes temporary processing files and finished TIFFs, imports completed results into your Lightroom catalog, and remembers effect settings in Lightroom's plugin preferences.

Image metadata can be carried into output TIFFs, including capture dates and any supported identifying or location information. While Show Original is held, the Mac helper checks the primary mouse-button state to detect release; it does not record mouse positions, click history, or keyboard input.

This website's support form is separate from photo processing. Sending it shares the contact details, system information, and message you enter with the support recipient through Formspree. The form has no photo-attachment field. This website also loads fonts from Google Fonts. Your web host and those external services may process connection information when you use the site.

Privacy information updated October 28, 2026.