Client Selection and Tools

This page covers Mac procedures for turning outside pick lists into selections, saving your own pick lists, and sharing selected files with AirDrop.

These tools are currently documented for the macOS app.

Client Selection

Use Tools > Client Selection… when a client sends a list of filenames or visible image numbers and you want PhotoCuller to match them for you.

Two input modes

Filenames - paste one filename per line, a comma-separated list, or drag image files into the text area; extensions are ignored
Visible Numbers - paste the image numbers currently shown in the grid when you are sharing numbered proofs with a client

Useful options

Show image numbers in grid - turns the numbered overlay on so you can verify visible-number matching
Filter to matches - temporarily narrows the grid to only the matched photos

Click Select Matches to select the matched items in the current source.

Save Selection / Load Selection

Selection files are plain-text pick lists for filesystem sources. They save the current selection, with optional culling metadata; they do not copy photos or automatically gather every rated, labeled, or flagged item. Apple Photos, connected-camera, and FTP sources do not support these commands.

Save Selection

Open the filesystem source and select the items you want to save. To save all keepers, first filter to that set, then select all visible items with Cmd + A.
Choose whether to include metadata using Settings > General > Metadata Writing > Include workflow state when saving selections.
Choose File > Save Selection… or press Cmd + Shift + S and save the text file.

Selected items are included even if they have no rating, label, flag, or favorite. Unselected items are not included merely because they have culling metadata. Saving requires a non-empty selection.

The workflow-state setting is enabled by default:

On: saves filenames together with ratings, rejections, color labels, flags, and favorites. Wait for metadata to finish loading before exporting these values.
Off: each row contains only a filename, for a Photo Mechanic-style selection list. Loading this format changes the selection without changing culling metadata.

Neither format includes IPTC, EXIF corrections, crops, stack membership, or the media files themselves. The saved list is a snapshot, not a live filter or a synchronized collection.

Load Selection

Open the destination filesystem source and make its tab active.
Choose File > Load Selection… or press Cmd + Shift + O, then choose the text file.
Review the matched/missing entry counts. Loading replaces the current selection with the matches; clear browser filters if matching items are hidden.

PhotoCuller detects the file format. A filename-only file selects matches without changing metadata. A file containing workflow state also queues changes to the saved rating, label, flag, and favorite values. Fields omitted from a row are left unchanged. The export setting does not disable metadata restoration when loading an existing file.

Loading workflow state can overwrite current culling decisions, including clearing a rating or label or turning off a flag or favorite when the file stores that state. The load summary reports matched entries and items queued for metadata updates, not confirmation that every write succeeded. Check Activity Log for failures before relying on the result.

Matching and Duplicate Filenames

Matching uses the base filename without its extension and ignores case. For example, DSCF1234.JPG can match DSCF1234.RAF.
Load Selection searches the whole loaded source, not just selected items or the current filtered view. Filters do not protect hidden matches from metadata changes.
Folder paths are not used to distinguish matches. If separate items share a base filename, all of them can match and receive the saved state. Open a narrower source before loading a list if different shoots reuse the same names.
If the text file repeats a matching name, its last matching row supplies the workflow state. Missing names are reported; no photos are imported or created.

Use Client Selection for pasted client filenames or proof numbers. Use Save Selection / Load Selection for a portable pick list with optional culling state. Use CullSync when you need IPTC, crop or stack metadata, tracked membership, or iCloud handoff. Unlike selection files, CullSync skips ambiguous filename matches rather than applying them to every matching item.

Select items in a filesystem or connected-camera tab, then choose Tools > Share via AirDrop to send their available RAW, Non-RAW, or video files to another Apple device.

Filesystem: shares the available local media files.
Connected camera: downloads the selected media to temporary local storage before opening AirDrop. Keep the camera connected, allow time and space for preparation, and check any reported errors.

The Tools action can share multiple media files for a RAW+JPEG item; it is not a guaranteed one-file-per-photo export. Full View’s context menu also offers RAW/Non-RAW choices when available; Non-RAW can include video.

Apple Photos and FTP sources are not supported by this tool. XMP sidecars are not included, and sharing camera files does not add PhotoCuller’s locally stored camera metadata. Use CullSync to transfer decisions or Ingest to create files carrying that metadata.

When to Use These Tools

Use Client Selection when someone sends back filenames or proof numbers
Use Save Selection / Load Selection when you want a reusable pick-list file with optional culling metadata
Use Share via AirDrop to send available media files from folders or connected cameras to another Apple device

Client Selection and Tools