JFCoupe Loc: Kent, Washington

I have always imported everything from the SD card into LR. From there I usually add key words, at least a generally category for the batch. Typically I will then review image by image and put one star on the ones I intend to delete. Then I select the one stars items and delete all at once.

The exception is when editing trips, for example, I may temporarily move the One Star images to a separate folder for further review. I have found that sometimes, I will go back and edit a one star image and like the results.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

When culling in LR, I usually just place a red color label on the shots I want to process. Unlabeled shots are deleted from the catalog at the end of the culling process. The one exception is that real junk (OOF, photos of my foot, accidental shots) are given the "x" treatment, that marks them as rejects. Those shots are deleted from both the catalog and the disk. The other shots are deleted from the catalog but are still on the disk just in case.

cbtsam Loc: Monkton, MD

I have so often found old raw files whose potential I didn't appreciate at the time, and that turned out to be great images, that I don't cull. Storage is remarkably cheap.

sandiegosteve Loc: San Diego, CA

I use the Adobe suite. Generally, I cull in Bridge and then drag the keepers into LR for further processing.

In bridge, you can flag images with ctrl+6 (or just "6" if you update program preferences), then filter to all selected, select all, drag to LR Grid view. That will trigger the import dialog with just the ones you flagged.

Why? Bridge only uses the embedded jpeg and it is very fast. Instantly I can not select the ones that are out of focus or have other fatal flaws.

Photo Mechanic is another similar option, but the value there is if you are adding specific tags for your editor quickly.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

You can do that in LR as well. P for pick, X for mark to delete, filter selected, etc, You can delete all the X's or review before deleting. So LR has a very similar workflow as bridge. However the shortcut keys are different. 😡



Hmmm. This is a good reason. LR performance has become atrocious for me when I am using my 2nd monitor. There are literally multiple seconds of delay when moving between images. I will give Bridge a try and see if it makes any difference.

jldodge

I use iMatch. It is a cataloguing software. I import, add star ratings and keywords. After all photos are imported and rated, I select those that I want to import into Capture One for post processing. iMatch has an amazing array of cataloguing capabilities. I cannot compare them with Lightroom but, then again, I am not going to be a Lightroom/Photoshop user given their subscription business model.

jmunny Loc: Buena Park, CA

I use Photo Mechanic. Not cheap but you get what you pay for.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

iMatch? I did not know about that one! Ok checking.. . .. . It's WINDOWS only. That's why I didn't know. I am a Mac only user.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Culling vs keeping depends on your shooting profile. I haven't been particularly active in 2020, with LR showing RAW captures on only 26 days in 2020. My two digital bodies are set for continuous counting. If the start and end counts are correct, I show total 11,525 images so far this year. Total keepers are 634 or about 6%, a number that feels about right. I don't need a single image beyond that 634.

CamB Loc: Juneau, Alaska

It is interesting what things have come out in this discussion. All my culling is done in LR, but I can see that if you are shooting 2000, 3000 or 5000 shots at a time, you probably want something faster, and there have been some good recommendations here. I have sensed that some bird shooters are doing BIF at 8 and 10 frames a second. I wonder (not being a bird shooter) if this is common. I wonder this because...I am a whale watch guide. Many guests do what I call "spray and pray", shooting ten frames a second every time a whale dives, often with the camera still clicking away after the whale is gone. I've realized that 3 or 4 well timed shots as the flukes come up and the whale goes down are all you really need. So my guests get forty shots and I get six, but in those six I've got the zinger. Are BIF photographers spraying and praying, is this why the number of shots is so up there, or do most slow down and learn how to get the zingers with knowledge and patients? I hope this doesn't sound snippy because really I'm just curious.
...Cam

PierreD

I use FastRawViewer.... Mostly to eliminate images that are out of focus and similar relatively simple tasks. Very fast and works well - a huge time saver when you get back home with a big load of shots and intend to process only the best of the lot.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

Also deleting in camera is tedious. Much easier to just scroll through and “X” the stuff you’re not gonna work with.

photoman43

Cam, you asked a great question. If you understand the habits of the specie you are photographing you can anticipate when you have to start clicking and when to stop. That usually means fewer shots. Whale behavior differs greatly from birds. My guess is that for whales lower fps might work, but since I do not knoww that specie that well, I am not going to rely on chance. My images are free so just take them. Better to delete extra ones than complain about the ones you missed. .

I know when to anticipate a bird taking off from a perch, as it usually poops first. To get the take off, you start clicking when it poops. If you wait until you see it about to leave, you are always late and miss the best part of the takeoff shots. The same for getting a water droplet in an image as a bird is drinking. You shoot when his head goes into the water, not when it comes out. For birds there is a huge difference between 5 fps, 8 fps and 10 fps even with large raptors like red tailed hawks and crested caracaras.

Also how the AF system in your camera operates may affect how many pictures you take. And small fast movers like warblers require different fps than larger slower moving birds like brown pelicans.

So it all depends.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

So would not 12 or even 20 fps be far superior to 10 fps?

photoman43

Some say yes and that is why they own a mirriorless camera as hese often allow higher fps. But then you will also need an AF system that works just as well as one on an expensive DSLR.