diff --git a/web/src/lib/components/preview/PreviewCarousel.svelte b/web/src/lib/components/preview/PreviewCarousel.svelte
index 6893173..457fe47 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/components/preview/PreviewCarousel.svelte
+++ b/web/src/lib/components/preview/PreviewCarousel.svelte
@@ -155,6 +155,7 @@
 					alt=""
 					loading="lazy"
 					decoding="async"
+					fetchpriority="low"
 					class="h-full w-full object-cover"
 				/>
 			{/if}
diff --git a/web/src/lib/components/preview/PreviewModal.svelte b/web/src/lib/components/preview/PreviewModal.svelte
index 78869a9..ca0ee52 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/components/preview/PreviewModal.svelte
+++ b/web/src/lib/components/preview/PreviewModal.svelte
@@ -133,7 +133,11 @@
 				Full-screen preview of the focused photo with metadata and a thumbnail carousel.
 			</Dialog.Description>
 
-			<!-- Top row: preview pane (fills) + sidebar (fixed width). -->
+			<!-- Top row: preview pane (fills) + sidebar (fixed width).
+			     BulkActionBar lives inside the main column — same shape as the
+			     timeline (+page.svelte) so the bar stays bounded by the
+			     column's width and doesn't stretch under the metadata
+			     sidebar. -->
 			<div class="flex min-h-0 flex-1">
 				<div class="relative flex min-w-0 flex-1 flex-col">
 					<button
@@ -148,6 +152,8 @@
 					<div class="flex min-h-0 flex-1">
 						<PreviewPane uid={focusedUid} order={selection.order} />
 					</div>
+					<!-- Action toolbar (acts on selection.ids; falls back to focused). -->
+					<BulkActionBar />
 				</div>
 				{#if focusedPhotoQuery.data}
 					<aside
@@ -158,9 +164,6 @@
 				{/if}
 			</div>
 
-			<!-- Action toolbar (acts on selection.ids; falls back to focused). -->
-			<BulkActionBar />
-
 			<!-- Bottom filmstrip across selection.order. -->
 			<PreviewCarousel />
 		</Dialog.Content>
diff --git a/web/src/lib/components/preview/PreviewPane.svelte b/web/src/lib/components/preview/PreviewPane.svelte
index 6b3473f..0787c5e 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/components/preview/PreviewPane.svelte
+++ b/web/src/lib/components/preview/PreviewPane.svelte
@@ -9,10 +9,11 @@
 	throw away. Until the timer fires, the poster image stands in.
 -->
 <script lang="ts">
-	import { createQuery } from '@tanstack/svelte-query';
+	import { createQuery, useQueryClient } from '@tanstack/svelte-query';
 	import { getPhoto } from '$lib/services/photoprism';
-	import { thumbUrl, videoUrl } from '$lib/stores/session.svelte';
+	import { thumbSrc, thumbSrcSet, thumbUrl, videoUrl } from '$lib/stores/session.svelte';
 	import { setAnchor, setFocused } from '$lib/stores/selection.svelte';
+	import { view } from '$lib/stores/view.svelte';
 	import VideoPlayer from '$lib/components/preview/VideoPlayer.svelte';
 	import { isVideo, primaryFile, videoFile, type PpPhoto } from '$lib/types/photoprism';
 	import { EmptyState, InlineLoader } from '$lib/components/feedback';
@@ -27,6 +28,8 @@
 	}
 	let { uid, order, showChevrons = true }: Props = $props();
 
+	const qc = useQueryClient();
+
 	const photoQuery = createQuery<PpPhoto>(() => ({
 		queryKey: ['photo', uid ?? ''],
 		queryFn: () => getPhoto(uid as string),
@@ -35,6 +38,48 @@
 
 	const currentIndex = $derived(uid ? order.indexOf(uid) : -1);
 
+	/** Mirrors PreviewCarousel.lookup — pulls a PpPhoto out of TanStack's
+	 *  cache without firing a fetch, so we can resolve adjacent hashes for
+	 *  prefetching without making the prefetch itself trigger more work. */
+	function lookupCached(target: string): PpPhoto | null {
+		const direct = qc.getQueryData<PpPhoto>(['photo', target]);
+		if (direct) return direct;
+		const lists = qc.getQueriesData({ queryKey: ['photos'] });
+		for (const [, data] of lists) {
+			if (!data) continue;
+			if (Array.isArray(data)) {
+				const hit = (data as PpPhoto[]).find((p) => p.UID === target);
+				if (hit) return hit;
+				continue;
+			}
+			const pages = (data as { pages?: PpPhoto[][] }).pages;
+			if (!Array.isArray(pages)) continue;
+			for (const page of pages) {
+				const hit = page?.find?.((p) => p.UID === target);
+				if (hit) return hit;
+			}
+		}
+		return null;
+	}
+
+	// Prefetch fit_1280 for the ±2 neighbours of the focused photo so
+	// arrow-skim feels instant. We `new Image()` rather than `<link
+	// rel=preload>` because the URLs are runtime-derived and a throwaway
+	// Image() reuses the browser's HTTP cache the same way.
+	$effect(() => {
+		if (!uid || currentIndex < 0) return;
+		for (const offset of [-1, 1, -2, 2]) {
+			const idx = currentIndex + offset;
+			if (idx < 0 || idx >= order.length) continue;
+			const photo = lookupCached(order[idx]);
+			if (!photo) continue;
+			const hash = primaryFile(photo).Hash;
+			if (!hash) continue;
+			const img = new Image();
+			img.src = thumbUrl(hash, 'fit_1280');
+		}
+	});
+
 	const VIDEO_LOAD_DELAY_MS = 250;
 	let armedUid = $state<string | null>(null);
 
@@ -86,28 +131,43 @@
 			</button>
 		{/if}
 
-		{#if isVideo(photoQuery.data)}
+		{#if isVideo(photoQuery.data) && armedUid === uid}
 			{@const vf = videoFile(photoQuery.data)}
-			{#if armedUid === uid}
-				{#key vf.Hash}
-					<VideoPlayer
-						src={videoUrl(vf.Hash)}
-						poster={thumbUrl(pf.Hash, 'fit_1280')}
-						title={photoQuery.data.OriginalName ?? pf.Name ?? ''}
-					/>
-				{/key}
-			{:else}
+			{#key vf.Hash}
+				<VideoPlayer
+					src={videoUrl(vf.Hash)}
+					poster={thumbUrl(pf.Hash, 'fit_1280')}
+					title={photoQuery.data.OriginalName ?? pf.Name ?? ''}
+				/>
+			{/key}
+		{:else}
+			{@const altText =
+				photoQuery.data.OriginalName ??
+				pf.Name ??
+				(isVideo(photoQuery.data) ? 'Video' : 'Photo')}
+			{#if pf.Width && pf.Height}
+				<!-- LQIP layer: the same URL the grid loaded, blurred to mask
+				     the tile_*'s square center-crop against the sharp image's
+				     true aspect. Sized via aspect-ratio + max-* + m-auto so it
+				     lands in the exact same bounding box as the sharp <img>
+				     beside it (object-contain semantics, but expressible on a
+				     positioned element). Paints from the HTTP cache the moment
+				     the modal opens. -->
 				<img
-					src={thumbUrl(pf.Hash, 'fit_1280')}
-					alt={photoQuery.data.OriginalName ?? pf.Name ?? 'Video'}
-					class="max-h-full max-w-full rounded-md object-contain shadow-2xl"
+					src={thumbSrc(pf.Hash, view.thumbnailSize)}
+					srcset={thumbSrcSet(pf.Hash, view.thumbnailSize)}
+					alt=""
+					aria-hidden="true"
+					class="pointer-events-none absolute inset-0 m-auto max-h-full max-w-full rounded-md object-cover blur-2xl"
+					style="aspect-ratio: {pf.Width} / {pf.Height};"
 				/>
 			{/if}
-		{:else}
 			<img
 				src={thumbUrl(pf.Hash, 'fit_1280')}
-				alt={photoQuery.data.OriginalName ?? pf.Name ?? 'Photo'}
-				class="max-h-full max-w-full rounded-md object-contain shadow-2xl"
+				alt={altText}
+				fetchpriority="high"
+				decoding="async"
+				class="relative max-h-full max-w-full rounded-md object-contain shadow-2xl"
 			/>
 		{/if}
 	{/if}
diff --git a/web/src/lib/components/timeline/SkeletonGrid.svelte b/web/src/lib/components/timeline/SkeletonGrid.svelte
index 297a59e..9b744bb 100644
--- a/web/src/lib/components/timeline/SkeletonGrid.svelte
+++ b/web/src/lib/components/timeline/SkeletonGrid.svelte
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 
 <div
 	aria-hidden="true"
-	class="grid gap-2"
+	class="mt-2 grid gap-2"
 	style="grid-template-columns: {tracks};"
 >
 	{#each Array.from({ length: count }) as _, i (i)}
diff --git a/web/src/routes/tags/[category]/[[value]]/+page.svelte b/web/src/routes/tags/[category]/[[value]]/+page.svelte
index 7cb2117..184892b 100644
--- a/web/src/routes/tags/[category]/[[value]]/+page.svelte
+++ b/web/src/routes/tags/[category]/[[value]]/+page.svelte
@@ -226,6 +226,7 @@
 					<PhotoGrid photos={drillPhotos} />
 				{/if}
 			</main>
+			<BulkActionBar />
 		</div>
 
 		{#if !view.rightSidebarCollapsed}
@@ -270,5 +271,3 @@
 		{/if}
 	</div>
 {/if}
-
-<BulkActionBar />