Aftershoot Culling Review: My Honest Take After 1 Year of Using It
Is Aftershoot Legit for Culling?
Here's My Honest Review
As photographers, we all know that culling is one of the most time-consuming and, kind of annoying, parts of our workflow.
You’ve just shot a wedding or portrait session, buzzing with excitement to edit a few sneak peaks, and the next day comes, and now you’re facing thousands of images to sift through.
Well, I’ve got some good news: Aftershoot’s AI-powered culling feature has been a total game-changer for me, and in this Aftershoot culling review, I’m going to break down why it's worth your time. In this review, I’m going to dive into how Aftershoot works for culling, what makes it unlike any other software (ahem, Photomechanic), and why it’s so effective. Plus, I’ve been using Aftershoot for over a year before ever recommending it, so you know I’m speaking from experience!
Pstttt, prefer video to reading? You can watch my review over on my YouTube by clicking here, I’ve even got a step-by-step tutorial on how I cull at the 7:30 minute mark!
What is Aftershoot?
The AI-Powered Culling Tool You Didn’t Know You Needed
Aftershoot is an AI-powered software that automates the culling process for photographers. Instead of manually going through thousands of images, Aftershoot’s AI analyzes your photos based on sharpness, expressions, duplicates, and more to select the best ones for you. Dozens of advanced algorithms ensure you’re presented with top-quality images, assessing everything from lighting to composition to closed eyes. You don’t have to wait for previews for each image to load, either. You're going to save hours upon hours, no longer waiting for images to load while toggling through Lightroom.
This means you can spend less time clicking through images with decision fatigue and more time focusing on what you do best—capturing beautiful photos, spending time with friends & family, and my favorite hobby: shopping for a new handbag. Whatever you spend with that free time, you’ll have a LOT of it, thanks to Aftershoot.
Aftershoot Culling: How It Transforms Your Workflow
Speed Up Your Culling and Get Back to Photographing
Culling is no doubt one of the most tedious parts of being a photographer.
Whether you’ve shot a wedding with 5,000 images or a portrait session with 200 similar shots, going through each one manually is exhausting, especially if you struggle with decision-making and staying focused. Aftershoot helps speed this process up by using AI to automatically group and rank your images, allowing you to select the best ones.
You can either let Aftershoot’s AI do all the heavy lifting (automated culling) or you can assist the AI by reviewing its selections (AI-assisted culling). Aftershoot groups images for you based on criteria like sharpness and expressions, so you don’t have to spend your time manually sorting duplicates or guessing which shots to keep.
Is Aftershoot Legit for Culling?
Why Aftershoot’s Culling AI Is a Game-Changer
I get it—AI can be intimidating, and you might wonder if Aftershoot is legit? Can an AI really handle something as important as culling? After using it for over a year, I can say with confidence that Aftershoot’s AI is legit. It’s intuitive, accurate, and gets better the more you use it.
Aftershoot doesn’t just make previews for your images like outdated software like Photomechanic—it helps you find the best shots by analyzing things like facial expressions, sharpness, and even identifying duplicates. It’s like having a super-efficient intern who handles the boring parts while you focus on being creative. The AI learns from your feedback, so the more you use it, the more it understands your preferences and delivers even better results.
How Aftershoot Culling Works
Let’s Break Down the Simple Culling Process with Aftershoot
Aftershoot makes culling as easy as clicking a button. Here’s how it works:
Step 1: Import Your Images
You can easily import your images directly into Aftershoot, whether they’re RAW files or JPEGs. Raw files or jpegs. You can even ingest the files from a memory card and have them backed up to an additional location. You can cull your images before or after they are imported to Lightroom or Capture One. As the stars and colors are saved to the metadata. No complicated setups here.
Step 2: Automated or AI-Assisted Culling
Once your images are imported, you can choose how much control you want over the process:
Automated Culling: Aftershoot’s AI does the work for you. It analyzes your photos and selects the best ones based on sharpness, expression, and other factors.
AI-Assisted Culling: If you prefer more control, you can let Aftershoot group the images and then make the final decision on what stays and what goes.
Step 3: Review and Select
After Aftershoot’s AI groups your images, you can review them and quickly select the best ones. With features like Spray Can Mode, you can fine-tune your selections by brushing over images you want to keep or reject, making the entire culling process faster and more efficient.
But let’s watch this in action. You can watch my workflow of exactly how I cull my images by popping over here to the 7:30 minute mark
Aftershoot vs. Other Culling Tools: Why It’s the Best Choice
Aftershoot vs. Photo Mechanic, Narrative, and More
A lot of you are probably familiar with other culling tools like Photo Mechanic or Narrative Select. So, how does Aftershoot compare?
Photo Mechanic: To me, it’s outdated software. But I get it, it’s kind of all us photographers had for years. Photo Mechanic is nothing more than a photo review software. It’s still a manual process. You have to sift through every image and make the selections yourself. Aftershoot, on the other hand, automates this process, saving you hours of work.
Narrative Select: Narrative Select is a good tool for grouping images, but Aftershoot goes a step further by analyzing the images for you and making intelligent selections using AI.
Aftershoot: With Aftershoot, you’re getting the best of both worlds—AI-powered culling and full control over the final selections. It’s faster, smarter, and more efficient than other tools, and the more you use it, the better it gets.
Why Aftershoot Works for Every Photographer
Whether You Shoot Weddings, Portraits, or Commercial Work, Aftershoot Is Built for You
Aftershoot isn’t just for one type of photographer—it’s designed to help all photographers, no matter what you specialize in. Here’s how it works for different types of shoots:
Wedding Photographers: Culling through thousands of wedding images can be overwhelming, but Aftershoot helps you quickly identify the best group shots, first kisses, or candid moments, making your workflow smoother.
Portrait Photographers: For portrait sessions, Aftershoot groups similar expressions and poses together, choosing the best poses and faces and making it easy to review quickly and make any changes necessary!
Commercial Photographers: With its customizable settings, Aftershoot ensures that you maintain full control over your selections, even when dealing with high-volume commercial shoots.
Why I Trust Aftershoot After 1 Year of Use
My Honest Experience with Aftershoot Culling
I’ve been using Aftershoot for over a year now, and it has drastically changed the way I approach culling. The AI is smart, efficient, and easy to use. I was hesitant at first, I even procrastinated on my own free trial but once I gave it a shot, I realized how much time I was wasting on culling before.
Aftershoot isn’t just another culling tool—it’s a time-saving asset that allows me to spend less time in front of my computer and more time behind the lens, doing what I love.
Final Thoughts: Is Aftershoot Worth It?
Aftershoot has completely transformed the way I work, and if you’re tired of the long hours spent culling images, it’s definitely worth trying. The AI-powered culling features are incredibly effective and save you hours of time. Plus, with an exclusive 90-day free trial, you can see for yourself how much time you can save. I’ve been using Aftershoot for over a year before recommending it, and I’m confident it will make your workflow easier and faster, too.