In the age of smartphones, it’s pretty easy to have an overwhelming number of images sitting on your device. Currently, I’ve got over 2500 on mine (mostly sorted and used for work and a sort of mobile portfolio), and even categorized, it can get pretty insane on there trying to find the right shot. Thankfully over the last few years, several companies have been leveraging AI to help better organize, identify (think facial recognition and more), and even cull your shots. Here’s where Canon enters the picture with their new Photo Culling app for iOS devices.
The companies new software is built on a proprietary Artificial Intelligence that’s meant to be a digital assistant to help you choose your best images based on 4 parameters;
- Sharpness
- Noise
- Emotions
- Closed Eye Status
On top of this, the new Photo Culling App has to cull modes;
- Whole Culling
- This mode figures out the best photos by scoring against the four parameters mentioned above: sharpness, noise, emotions, and closed eyes. The user can then set a score threshold, and the app will recommend that any images below that threshold be deleted.
- Similar Culling
- This mode organizes similar images into groups and identifies the groups first and second-best images. The rest of the images from that group are then marked for culling.
- Canon’s official “example” of this says if you have 20 photos, (10 photos of a dog, and 10 sunset photos), the app will automatically sort them into two separate groups and identify the best dog photo and best sunset photo of the bunch.
- This mode organizes similar images into groups and identifies the groups first and second-best images. The rest of the images from that group are then marked for culling.
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On top of these key features, the app can also show the total number of images has on their phone, as well as the amount of storage that’s being used/available right on the app’s home screen. It can also automatically categorize and put your images into folders/albums that will be based on events and dates dynamically throughout the year. If you have an excessive amount of images in a particular album, the app will also suggest you review & delete the excess shots.
Read the App Info from Canon Below;
- Easily Find Your Best Photos
- Photo Culling will help you organize your photo library and find your best photos in minutes. With two culling options, Similar Culling and Whole Culling, you can find your best photo out of a group of photos or group similar photos. Simply select the photos you wish to cull and let Photo Culling take care of the rest!
- Delete Duplicate or Unwanted Photos
- Photo Culling thoroughly analyzes your library, finds similar or low-quality photos, and suggests which photos to keep and which to delete; helping to save you time and space on your device. Our advanced technology makes it easy to find your best photos and delete any duplicate or unwanted ones in minutes – while still allowing you to be in total control!
- AI Technology
- PHIL is Canon U.S.A.’s unique computer vision AI engine. PHIL is used to detect the photo score using AI technology, to show how good or bad the quality of your photos are. PHIL has several models to score photos, with five of those models being used in the Photo Culling app; grouping with similar photos, sharpness, noise, emotion, and closed eyes. Powered by PHIL, Photo Culling finds your best photos, allows you to get individual photo scores, and set your threshold level. With our AI technology, you can quickly and easily cull through a high volume of photos to find the best!
I’ve not tested out this app myself yet, but I’ll be giving it a shot this week. In the meantime, if you have used, or are planning to, please let us know how it worked out for you in the comments below. We’d love to hear your thoughts.
The Canon Photo Culling app is available from the Apple app store. After a 3 day trial, you can use the app on a subscription basis with the options of $2.99 per month or $14.99 for the year.
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