Help & FAQ

What AAF Look does

AAF Look reads an AAF and shows you what is inside: tracks, clips, timecode, source files, and markers, as a clean report you can read, export to PDF, or print. It is built for the picture-to-sound turnover, the moment you need to know exactly what an editor handed off.

Getting started

Installing

1. Open the downloaded disk image (.dmg).
2. Drag AAF Look into your Applications folder.
3. Open it once from Applications. (Do not run it from the disk image or your Downloads folder. Installing it properly is also what enables the Finder Spacebar preview; see below.)

Opening an AAF

Any one of these works:

• Drag an AAF onto the window.
• File → Open (⌘O), then pick an AAF.
• Select an AAF in the Finder and press the Spacebar. Quick Look shows the full report without opening the app, and it is always free (see Quick Look previews).

Quick Look previews (Spacebar in the Finder)

Select an AAF in the Finder and press the Spacebar. macOS shows AAF Look's full report right there, without opening the app. It works on every supported macOS and is always free, with or without a license.

One-time setup

macOS only learns about the preview after it has seen the app once:

1. Drag AAF Look into your Applications folder, not run from the disk image or your Downloads folder.
2. Open it once. That is what registers the preview with macOS.
3. Now select an AAF in the Finder and press Spacebar.

After that it is on by default. Most people never open a setting.

If the preview is blank or shows only a plain icon

The preview may be switched off. Turn it back on, and note that Apple moved this control between macOS versions:

• macOS 15 (Sequoia) and macOS 26 (Tahoe): Apple menu → System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions, scroll to Quick Look, and make sure AAF Look is turned on.
• macOS 14 (Sonoma): Apple menu → System Settings → Privacy & Security → Extensions → Quick Look, and tick AAF Look.
• The version-proof shortcut: open System Settings and type "Quick Look" into its search box. It jumps straight to the right place on any macOS.

Still nothing? Open Terminal, run qlmanage -r to rebuild the preview registry (or just restart the Mac), then try the Spacebar again. If it persists, email us.

Reading the report

The top of the report is the headline: file, size, who authored it, frame rate, start timecode, duration, and counts for tracks, clips, markers, and source files. Below that, each topic is its own section:

• Overview: a visual map of the timeline.
• Tracks: every track, its type and channels, clip count, and the first and last timecode it touches.
• Source files: the underlying audio (and picture) the clips point at, with format and size.
• Markers: positions, names, comments, and colors.
• Warnings: anything about the file worth a second look.

Click a section's disclosure triangle to collapse or expand it. View → Collapse All / Expand All does the whole report at once.

Finding text

In the app, press ⌘F to open the find bar, type, and press Return to jump between matches. ⌘G finds the next match, ⌘⇧G the previous, Esc closes the bar.

Choosing what is in the report

Open Settings (⌘,) to reorder sections by dragging them, and to show or hide any section. Heavier sections like Clip Events are off by default; turn them on when you need the full per-event detail. Changes apply to the open report immediately.

Exporting, PDF, and printing

The report exports as a clean PDF you can send with the turnover. It also prints cleanly on US Letter and A4, with sensible page breaks.

• Export as PDF: ⌘E, or File → Export as PDF.
• Share: File → Share sends a PDF of the report through Mail, Messages, AirDrop, and the rest of the macOS share sheet.
• Print: ⌘P.

Trial and licensing

AAF Look runs as a full trial for 14 days. When the trial ends, opening a file asks you to activate. Quick Look previews keep working for free, always.

Your license arrives as a .aaflicense file by email after purchase. To activate, either:

• double-click the file,
• drag it onto the AAF Look window, or
• choose AAF Look → Enter License.

The license carries the registered name so you can confirm it is yours; that name is shown in Settings.

The license is a plain file: no internet check, no account, no phoning home. It works on an air-gapped machine and keeps working even if this site ever goes away. Keep a copy somewhere safe.

System requirements

• macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later, including macOS 15 (Sequoia) and macOS 26 (Tahoe).
• Apple silicon.

Getting help

Email hello@parkstreetpostsoftware.com. Include your macOS version and, if it is about a specific file, whatever you can tell us about how the AAF was exported (the app and version that created it).

FAQ