Final Pass FAQ
Last Updated: June 17, 2026
General Information
What is Final Pass?
Final Pass is a folder comparison tool for digital techs and photographers. It checks the RAW files from a capture session against the processed output files, so you can see at a glance what made it through and what’s missing.
How is Final Pass different from other folder comparison tools?
Final Pass compares by file name rather than analyzing file contents. That keeps it fast and simple, which is what you want when you’re checking a delivery against the originals on set.
What platforms does Final Pass support?
Final Pass is a native Mac app. It needs macOS 14 or later.
Can Final Pass compare folders on external drives or cloud storage?
Yes. If the Finder can reach it, Final Pass can compare it. That covers internal drives, external drives, network shares, and cloud-synced folders.
Does Final Pass modify or move files?
No. Final Pass only reads your folders, it never moves, renames, or deletes anything inside them. Comparison results, your settings, and document data are saved separately in the app’s own support folders on your Mac.
How does Final Pass handle large folders?
Final Pass handles folders with tens of thousands of files. How fast it runs comes down to your drive speed, available memory, and how many files are involved.
Does Final Pass read star ratings or color tags?
Yes. Final Pass reads star ratings and color tags from a wide range of image files, from RAW captures to finished JPEGs, TIFFs, HEICs, and PNGs. Once it has them, you can filter your results by rating or color tag.
Is Final Pass available in other languages?
Final Pass ships with ten languages: English, Danish, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Russian, and Turkish. The interface follows your macOS language preference.
Pricing & Licensing
How much does Final Pass cost?
Final Pass is a one-time purchase of $15 USD. See the pricing page for full details.
Is there a free trial?
Yes. Direct downloads from thedigi.tech include a 10-day free trial of the full app, and you don’t need to enter any payment details to start it. After installing, open the License settings panel and click Start Free Trial. You’ll need an internet connection to begin the trial.
How many Macs can I install on?
A direct license activates Final Pass on up to 3 Macs. You can review and manage your activations at thedigi.tech/my-license using the link in your purchase email.
What’s the difference between the Mac App Store version and a direct purchase?
It’s the same app either way. The Mac App Store handles its own purchases, refunds, and Family Sharing under Apple’s terms. A direct purchase uses a license code good for up to 3 Mac activations and is processed by FastSpring.
Are updates included?
Updates within the current major version are typically included. A future major release may be a separate purchase.
What’s your refund policy?
Use the free trial before purchasing. Once a license has been issued, purchases are final except as required by law. Mac App Store refunds are handled by Apple. See the full Refund Policy for details.
How to Use
How do I compare two folders?
Drag a folder onto each of the two folder wells, or click the folder buttons to browse for them. Then hit Compare and look over the results in the hierarchy view.
Can I save my comparison results?
Yes. You can export to PDF or TXT, and save a comparison as a document you can reopen later.
Can I open the same comparison file on more than one Mac?
Final Pass works best as a single-Mac workflow. You can keep your .fpd files in iCloud Drive, Dropbox, or any shared folder so they show up on all of your Macs, but only one Mac should have a given file open at a time. The comparison results live locally on each Mac, so when you open a file on a second Mac you’ll need to run the comparison again there. And if two Macs save the same file at once, your sync service can leave a conflict copy that you’ll have to sort out by hand. The simplest habit is to close a document on one Mac before you open it on another.
Folder Selection
How do I select folders to compare?
Drag a folder onto each folder well, or use the folder buttons to browse for them.
Does Final Pass remember previously selected folders?
Yes. When you save a document, Final Pass stores the folder paths along with the whole comparison: the match data, the ratings and color tags, and the folder hierarchy with the rows you had expanded. Reopen it on the same Mac and everything comes back the way you left it. The comparison data lives locally on each Mac, so opening the same document on another Mac means running the comparison again there.
Hierarchy View & Results
How do I interact with files in the results?
Select files, then right-click for options like Show All in Finder, Copy All Filenames, Copy All Paths, and Deselect All.
How do I filter and navigate the results?
Type in the filter bar to search, open the menu icon for the filter options, or use the View menu commands to narrow things down.
What filtering options are available?
You can filter by unique files, matching files, multiple matches, files only, folders only, and by a specific file format. Once the metadata has been collected, filter chips also let you narrow down to a particular star rating or color tag.
Integrations & Workflow
Does Final Pass work with a Stream Deck?
Yes. Final Pass comes with a Stream Deck plugin that makes commonly used commands easily accessible. Install it from Settings → General → Install Stream Deck Plugin.
Is there a menu bar app?
Yes. The menu bar icon lists your open documents and recent files, lets you kick off a one-click compare, and shows the overall comparison status without pulling the main window forward. Turn it on from Settings → General → Show menu bar icon.
Can Final Pass run comparisons automatically?
Yes. Auto Run re-compares the selected folders on a schedule you set, so the results stay current through a shoot without you running them by hand. It also notices when a folder’s contents change in the Finder and flags when your results have gone stale.
Does Final Pass sync documents across Macs?
Final Pass uses iCloud to keep your .fpd documents available on all of your Macs. The comparison data itself stays local on each Mac for speed, so opening a document on a second Mac means re-running the comparison there. As with any synced file, only one Mac should have a given document open at a time.
Settings & Customization
What settings are available in Final Pass?
Final Pass includes five settings panels: General, Defaults, Appearance, Database, and License. (The License panel is direct-download only; the App Store version manages purchases through Apple’s account.)
What does “Ignore File Extensions” do?
It leaves the file types you list out of the comparison. Handy when there are formats you’d rather not have counted in the check.
What are the comparison modes?
Exact Match: a straight one-to-one match by file name. Smart Match: a more flexible match that can tie one file to several, for when a single capture turns into more than one output.
What is the “Ignore Folders” feature?
It lets you name folders that should be skipped during a comparison.
What are “Ignore File Name Parts”?
Only in Smart Match mode, this lets you ignore certain prefixes or suffixes when matching file names, so an extra tag on one side doesn’t stop two files from matching.
Can I change the appearance of Final Pass?
Yes. Choose System (which follows your macOS setting), Light, or Dark.
Can I add custom branding to exports?
Yes. In the Appearance panel you can add your own logo or image, and it shows up on your PDF exports.
What database information is available?
The Database panel shows where the data is stored, the total size, and the size of each document’s database. You can also clear all databases from here.
Are there debug logs for troubleshooting?
Yes. Final Pass keeps troubleshooting logs automatically and clears out anything older than 7 days.
Can I customize export reports?
Yes. You can tailor your export reports with production metadata, your own custom fields, a choice of what to include, the file format, and your logo.
Troubleshooting
Why am I getting an error when selecting folders?
There are two you might run into. “Can’t Compare the Same Folder” means you picked the same folder twice. “Invalid Folder Selection” means one folder sits inside the other.
Why is the Compare button disabled?
The Compare button stays greyed out until you’ve selected two different, valid folders.
Why am I not seeing expected files in the results?
Check the Defaults panel in Settings for any active filters. Ignore File Extensions, Ignore Folders, and Ignore File Name Parts can each hide files you expected to see.
Why am I seeing more files than expected?
If you’ve edited the ignored extensions list, system or metadata files can start showing up. Resetting the Defaults panel restores the standard filtering.
How can I contact support?
For technical questions, please contact us. We read every message, though we can’t promise a specific response time.