Multi-Photo Inspector & Batch Actions

Evaluate aggregate camera telemetry, review common subjects across frames, and execute rapid batch culling actions across multi-photo selections.

Managing Multi-Photo Selections

High-volume shoots often contain long sequences of test shots, lighting bracket tests, or continuous high-speed bursts. Selecting and reviewing photos one at a time slows down your culling momentum when dealing with hundreds of similar frames.

When you select multiple photos using Shift + Click for continuous ranges or Ctrl/⌘ + Click for individual picks, BestShots automatically transforms the side inspector into a comprehensive batch curation panel.

Aggregate Exposure & Selection Telemetry

The batch inspector provides an instant high-level overview of all highlighted frames:

Curation Breakdown Bar: Displays a visual progress breakdown showing the proportion of Keepers, Discards, and Unreviewed photos within your current selection.
Combined Exposure Range: Summarizes the optical parameters across all selected images, including aperture spreads (such as f/1.4 to f/2.8), shutter speed boundaries (1/250s to 1/2000s), and ISO ranges (100 to 6400).
Common Subjects: Identifies people who appear across every selected frame, helping you verify whether a specific family member or commercial model is consistently present in the sequence.
Total Selection Size: Displays total photo count and combined storage footprint, giving you clear visibility before exporting or organizing files.

One-Click Batch Culling Actions

The multi-photo action bar enables instantaneous decisions across dozens or hundreds of frames at once:

Action Button	Shortcut	Studio Culling Behavior
Mark All Kept	`Shift` + `K`	Marks all selected photos as Keepers and assigns a 5-star rating to every frame.
Mark All Discarded	`Shift` + `D`	Flags all selected photos as Discard and queues them for rejection.
Reset Decisions	`Shift` + `U`	Clears previous keeper or discard choices, returning selected photos to unrated status.
Group into Stack	`G`	Combines highlighted photos into a custom burst stack, designating the highest-scoring frame as the Hero.
Dissolve Stacks	`Shift` + `G`	Unpacks any burst stacks inside the selection back into individual standalone photos.
Batch Export	`E`	Opens the Export Dialog configured strictly for the selected subset of images.

Practical Studio Workflows

Bulk Rejecting Test Shots and Mis-Fires

During studio lighting setups or ceremony entrances, photographers often fire preliminary test shots to verify strobe sync and white balance. You can select the entire block of test frames with Shift + Click, check their exposure settings in the aggregate inspector, and press Shift + D to discard them in a single action.

Curating Group Sequences

When culling bridal party formals or corporate board lineups, select the full sequence of shots, inspect the common subjects listed in the batch inspector, and either promote the best frame as a Hero or mark the entire group as keepers for client proofing.

Tip

Use Ctrl + A (or ⌘ + A on macOS) in combination with active filters to perform batch actions across an entire filtered category, such as marking all 4-star photos as approved keepers.