Narrative helps you find your best photos faster, and you stay in creative control the whole way. It does the heavy lifting, like grouping similar photos into Scenes and ranking them, so you can spend your time on the moments that matter. You decide what to keep.
What does Narrative do automatically?
This table shows what Narrative does at each stage of culling, and what you decide:
Stage | What Narrative does | What you decide |
Analysis | Assesses faces, focus and each photo's First Pass category | Whether an assessment matters for that photo |
Grouping | Groups similar photos into Scenes | Which moments belong in your final selection |
Ranking | Ranks the photos in each Scene | Whether to keep the top-ranked photo, another one, several or none |
Review | Gives you filters and tools to compare photos | What to check and which ratings to apply |
Auto-rate (optional) | Applies the ratings you've chosen for each First Pass category, when you run it | Which rating goes with each category, and the final check |
Scene rank compares photos within each Scene. It isn't one ranking of your whole shoot.
Scenes, Scene rank and First Pass filters are part of Advanced AI Culling, on Standard, Premium and Ultra plans.
Can Narrative apply star ratings or color labels for me?
Narrative can apply ratings for you with Auto-rate, but only when you choose to run it.
Go to Photo → Auto-rate via First Pass….
Choose a star rating, color label, tag or reject for each First Pass category. For example, one star for every Best in scene photo.
Check your choices, then click Apply Ratings.
Narrative applies those ratings across your project.
Important: Auto-rate can overwrite ratings you've already applied. It never deletes photos.
You don't have to use Auto-rate. You can keep rating photos yourself.
Can Narrative pick exactly 100 photos for me?
Narrative doesn't cull to a set number of photos.
The Ruthless, Balanced and Cautious settings change how strict First Pass is, not how many photos it keeps. Use the assessments to find your strongest options, rate the ones you want, and check your selected count before you ship.
To get started, see Scenes, First Pass assessments and ratings.