Free Trial

Macro Studio trials are currently invite-only. They’re offered through partner communities and courses rather than from the website, so you’ll have been given a link that looks like macrostudio.pro/trial/….

Why invite-only? Because we want to grow at a pace that allows us to continue offering the level of support we’re committed to.

Starting a trial

1. Open the trial link you were given.
2. Enter your email address. You’ll get a trial key on screen and by email.
3. Download Macro Studio and launch it.
4. Paste the key and the same email address into the activation dialog.

We use that address to send your key and to let the app check your licence. There’s an optional tick-box on the signup page if you’d also like occasional news and tips — it’s off unless you tick it, you’ll get your key either way, and you can unsubscribe at any time. See our privacy policy for the rest.

If the page tells you the link isn’t valid, the invite has expired, been withdrawn, or reached the number of places it was given. Ask whoever shared it for the current link.

The trial runs for 30 days with every feature unlocked — focus stacking, the full Editor, all of it. No card details, and nothing is charged when it ends.

Your trial works on up to 3 machines, and each machine can only run one trial. If you’ve already trialled Macro Studio on a computer, a second trial key won’t activate there.

When the trial ends

The app keeps working. It doesn’t lock you out, and it doesn’t touch the files you made during the trial — every stack you saved is still a normal image file on your disk, openable in Macro Studio or anything else.

What still works:

• The Library — browsing folders, previews, star ratings, filters and sorting, and Compare.
• Crop & Straighten.
• Save, including watermarks.
• EXIF metadata, with the Copy button.
• Draft Social Post.

What needs a license:

• Stacking — both the Stack button and Autostack.
• The rest of the Editor — the Look, Adjustments, Masks, Retouch, Spot Correct, Defringe and Edit History.
• Species Identification.

Locked controls stay visible but greyed out, so you can still see what a license adds. Switching the Editor to Advanced mode shows the full tool set the same way. The one exception is Edit History, which is hidden rather than greyed out.

Buying after a trial

Click Buy a license in the banner at the top of the window, or visit the pricing page.

If you buy through the banner, your existing trial key is carried through to checkout and becomes your full license. You don’t need to enter anything again — the key already in the app simply starts working. Switching back to Macro Studio after checkout usually unlocks it on the spot. If it doesn’t, the purchase may still be going through: give it a minute, then switch away and back again. Restarting the app also checks again, so if in doubt, quit and reopen it. Once the purchase has gone through, you can also open File → Enter License Key… and re-enter the key from your email.

If you buy some other way and get a new key, open File → Enter License Key… and type it in. That replaces the trial.

If your trial has expired and you’d rather not buy yet, nothing else needs doing. The app stays installed and keeps working in the free mode above.