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Efficient Photo Culling in Lightroom

3 min read

Phase 1: Organization & Setup

Before opening Lightroom, establish a consistent folder structure to keep assets organized.

  1. Create a Parent Folder: Name this after your project (e.g., 2023-10-05_Wedding).
  2. Create Sub-folders: Inside the parent folder, create three folders:
    • Photos: Store your RAW files here.
      • Tip: If using multiple cameras, create sub-folders here like Camera 01 and Camera 02 [00:01:26].
    • Lightroom: Store your Lightroom Catalog file (.lrcat) here.
    • Exports: Destination for final JPEGs.
  3. Import: Drag the parent folder into Lightroom or import normally.

Phase 2: Essential Shortcuts (The “Cheat Sheet”)

Memorizing these is crucial for speed.

ActionShortcutDescription
RejectXFlags photo as “Rejected” (Black flag). Use this for deletions.
PickPFlags photo as a “Pick” (White flag).
UnflagURemoves any flag.
Rating1-5Sets star rating (e.g., use 5 for portfolio/IG shots) [00:03:53].
Grid ViewGView thumbnails of all photos.
Loupe ViewEView a single photo full screen.
CompareCView two photos side-by-side to choose the best one.
NavigationArrowsMove left/right through photos.

The Reject Workflow

Instead of deleting photos immediately, use the Reject (X) flag. This hides them from view but keeps them recoverable in case you change your mind later [00:02:16].

Phase 3: The 3-Pass Culling Workflow

Pass 1: The “Quick & Dirty” (Grid View)

Goal: Remove obviously bad shots (blurry, misfires, bad expressions).

  1. Enter Grid View (G) and adjust thumbnails to see 2-3 rows at once [00:07:20].
  2. Keep your fingers on X (Reject) and Right Arrow.
  3. Move through quickly. If a photo is bad, hit X.
  4. Target: Aim to cut ~50% of the images in this pass [00:07:39].

Pass 2: Refinement (Loupe View)

Goal: Critical review of focus and composition.

  1. Switch to Loupe View (E) or a zoomed-in Grid view.
  2. Move slower. Check for critical sharpness.
  3. Mark rejects with X.
  4. Optional: Mark “superstars” (for social media) with a 5 key [00:04:35].

Pass 3: Comparison (Compare View)

Goal: Select the best image from a burst or similar sequence.

  1. Identify a series of duplicate/similar shots.
  2. Select the first image and press C to enter Compare View [00:10:45].
  3. The “Select” is on the left; the “Candidate” is on the right.
  4. Use arrow keys to cycle candidates on the right against your selection on the left.
  5. Flag the losers as Rejected (X) and keep the winner.

⚙️ Advanced Settings

Auto Advance

This setting automatically moves to the next photo immediately after you rate or flag it, saving you a keystroke.

  • Enable: Go to Photo > Auto Advance in the top menu [00:09:11].
  • Warning: Turn this off if you plan to apply multiple attributes (e.g., a Flag AND a Star rating) to a single photo, otherwise it will skip ahead too soon [00:10:02].

AI Culling

For massive catalogs (e.g., 6,000+ wedding photos), consider using AI software (like Aftershoot) before your manual passes. This can group duplicates and detect blurry images automatically to get you to a starting point of ~2,500 images [00:13:05].

Finalizing

  1. Go to the Library Filter bar (top of grid).
  2. Select Attribute.
  3. Click the Unflagged or Pick flag icons to hide all rejects.
  4. Optional: To delete rejects permanently, select “Rejected” filter > Ctrl/Cmd + A > Delete > “Delete from Disk”.

Linked Map of Contexts

Photography & Videography]

Graph View