Image Assessments Overview
AI First Pass is your AI-powered culling assistant. It gives every image an Image Assessment (the coloured hexagon in the bottom-right corner of the thumbnail) based on how that image compares to the others in the same scene, so you can see at a glance which photos are worth a closer look and which ones you can safely skip.
In the filmstrip, a colored bar runs along the left edge of each thumbnail to mark which scene it belongs to, so it's easy to see at a glance where one scene ends and the next begins.
These assessments are relative, not an objective rating of a single image on its own. A photo marked Below Average or Undesirable isn't necessarily a bad shot; it just means we think there's a stronger version of that moment elsewhere in the scene.
Hover over the colored bar next to the image, or the hexagon in the bottom right to see its category, its rank within the scene (for example, "Ranked 1 of 4 in scene"), and a short explanation of the assessment.
Assessment Categories
Best in scene (dark blue hexagon) Likely the best image from the scene. Your strongest candidate for selection.
Above average (light blue hexagon) No major issues detected. A good option to pick from this scene.
Average (grey hexagon) No major issues detected, but there are probably better options in the scene.
Below average (pink hexagon) Some issues detected. Better options are very likely available.
Undesirable (red hexagon) Significant issues detected. Almost certainly not the one to pick.
Some photographers work purely from the top two categories for a fast pick. Others prefer more control, filtering out Undesirables first and then working through the rest at their own pace.
How to Filter by Assessment
Use the AI First Pass dropdown in the toolbar to filter your images by category. Check the categories you want to show and uncheck the ones you want to hide. A count next to each category shows how many images have that assessment in your current view.
AI First Pass Settings
You can control how strict or relaxed the AI is when assessing your images via Preferences > AI First Pass settings. Changing this setting shifts how images are distributed across the five categories. It never deletes photos or makes selections for you.
Ruthless — The AI is highly critical and pushes more images into the lower categories. Best for a quick cull where you want the AI to do the heavy lifting. Worth double-checking key moments yourself.
Balanced (default) — A mix of speed and caution, giving you an even spread of assessments.
Cautious — Gives more photos the benefit of the doubt, keeping more images in the grey and blue categories. Best if you prefer to review more images yourself.
Image Assessment Sort Order
Scene rank is the default sort order, and you can use the dropdown in the top left of the toolbar to change the viewing order:
Scene rank — groups images by scene, ordered by their First Pass assessment (Best in Scene first).
Capture time — orders images by the time they were taken.
Capture time (reverse) — the same, newest first.
Filename — orders images alphabetically by filename.
First Pass hexagons show up under all four sort options.
