Guide & support

Folder Atelier X

The essentials at a glance. In the app, open this guide with the question mark at the top right or with ⌘?.

Contact

Questions, problems or ideas? Write to us: info@bureaubureaux.ch

Please mention your macOS version and the app version (menu “Folder Atelier X” → “About Folder Atelier X”).

Requirements

macOS 12 Monterey or later, for Macs with Apple silicon and Intel. Automatic cut-out needs macOS 14 or later.

In four steps

Choose a design: a preset on the left, or a style under “Epochs”; at the top “Shuffle” (R) or “Vary” (M).
Adjust it: shape, fill, pattern, outline, effects and layers in the inspector on the right.
Apply it: “New folder” creates a folder with this icon. Add existing folders at the bottom and click “Apply”.
Back to the original: “Restore original”, or the “Applied” tab on the left.

Presets and styles

“Draw” starts with a blank canvas, “Photo” with a picture of your own. Add more layers afterwards in the “Layers” tab.
“All” shows every preset, “Epochs” arranges the styles from antiquity to Memphis.
Each epoch has a palette, typical patterns and shapes. One click applies them to your current design.
Save your own designs with “Save” (⌘S); they appear under “Mine”.

Shapes

The “Shape” tab has folders, basic shapes, playful shapes and shapes from art and architecture history.
Capitals, columns and tracery have “Carving” with its own colour and “Shading” for depth.
Under “Your own” you draw a shape yourself: “Draw new”, then drag on the preview or click corners. You can move the points afterwards.
“Image” turns the outline of a picture into the shape.

Layers and pictures

In the “Layers” tab you add emoji, text, symbols, SF Symbols, pictures, drawings, badges, confetti or shapes.
On the preview you drag layers; corners scale, sides stretch, the round handle rotates (with ⇧ in 15° steps).
Drag pictures into the window or paste them with ⇧⌘V. Cut-out, colouring and distortion are with the picture.
Placeholders such as {name}, {initials} or {n} are replaced with the folder name, initials or number when you apply.

Drawing

“Draw” in the presets opens a blank canvas. Or add a “Drawing” layer to any design. You draw directly on the preview.
Tools: brush, pen (tapered), broad nib (calligraphy), spray, line, rectangle, ellipse and eraser.
“Symmetry” mirrors every stroke or repeats it around the centre, ideal for rosettes and ornaments.
With ⇧, lines snap straight, rectangles become squares and ellipses circles. ⌘Z takes back the last stroke.

Applying to folders

“New folder” (⇧⌘N) creates a new, empty folder with this icon.
Add existing folders at the bottom with “Choose folders…”, “Desktop” or “Subfolders…”, or drag them from the Finder into the window.
“Apply” (⌘↩) gives every selected folder the icon. The “Batch” tab sets how several folders differ.
Under “Rules” the app styles new folders on the Desktop automatically while it is running.

Back to the original

“Restore original” brings back the previous icon of the selected folders.
The “Applied” tab on the left lists every folder you styled; restore single ones or all of them there.
If a folder already had its own icon, the app backs it up first and puts it back when you restore.

Access to your folders

For your security the app only changes folders you show it.
The first time, a macOS window asks for access to the Desktop or Documents. Click “Allow access” there.
Folders you choose or drag into the window are allowed automatically. The app remembers these permissions so it can restore the original later.
The gear menu resets all permissions.

If the Finder shows old icons

The Finder sometimes caches icons. Close the Finder window and open it again.
If that does not help: press ⌥⌘⎋, choose “Finder” and click “Relaunch”.

Good to know

Custom icons live in the folder’s metadata. They are lost when folders are copied to storage without Mac metadata (some cloud services, zip archives, USB sticks).
Your designs, settings and the list of styled folders stay on your Mac. Back up important designs as a file with “Export”.
The app collects no data. The details are in the privacy policy.

Keyboard shortcuts

⌘N – New design
⌘S – Save design
⇧⌘N – New folder with this design
⌘O – Choose folders
⇧⌘D – Folders on the Desktop
⌘↩ – Apply to the selected folders
⌘E – Export PNG
⇧⌘E – Export ICNS
R · ⌘R – Shuffle
M · ⇧⌘R – Vary
⌘Z · ⇧⌘Z – Undo / Redo
⇧⌘V – Paste a picture from the clipboard
← → ↑ ↓ – Move the selected layer (with ⇧ in larger steps)
⌫ – Delete the selected layer
Esc – Deselect, cancel drawing
⇧ – Rotate in 15° steps; draw straight lines, squares and circles
⌘? – Open the guide in the app