The problem
Culling a wedding by hand takes an evening. If a photographer shoots 2 weddings a month in season and each culling pass takes 3.5 hours, that's 7 hours a month.
What the AI does
Aftershoot's AI Culling groups duplicates and picks selects, with an automated mode for a hands-off first pass and an assisted mode where you stay in control. Plans are flat-fee with unlimited images, and there is a 30-day free trial with no card needed. Use it for a first pass, then go through the selects yourself and rescue any frame it passed over. The page's claims of accuracy are marketing, so judge it on your own weddings in the trial.
A worked example
A wedding photographer in Norfolk shoots about 2 weddings a month between May and September, around 3,000 frames each.
Before
2 weddings at 3.5 hours (210 minutes) of culling each: 420 minutes, 7 hours a month in season
After
If the first pass takes minutes and your review takes about 60 minutes each: about 120 minutes, 2 hours a month in season
What it's worth
About 5 hours a month saved in season (300 minutes), worth about £175 at £35 an hour, if your review really takes about 60 minutes (an assumption to test in the trial). Cost: Select (AI culling) is $10 (about £8) a month billed annually, or $15 (about £11) a month billed monthly. Annual billing only wins if you use it for about 8 months or more; for a 5-month season, monthly costs about $75 (£56) against $120 (£90). Editing and retouching are separate plans.
How to set it up
- Start the 30-day free trial and run it on a past wedding you already culled by hand.
- Compare its selects with yours and note which kinds of frame it misses, such as blinks it keeps or good moments it drops.
- Decide automated or assisted culling, and set up a review pass you always do yourself.
- Choose monthly or annual billing based on how many months a year you shoot.
- Tell couples in your terms which software processes their images and check Aftershoot's privacy terms.
What goes wrong
- The software can cull out the one frame the couple wants. Keep all originals and always review the rejects.
- Check where Aftershoot processes images and what its privacy terms say before using it on clients' photos. Wedding images are personal data.
- The pricing page renders with JavaScript, so confirm the plan and billing price at checkout.
- Annual billing locks in 12 months of payment for a seasonal business.