Help Releases Support

Language

English Deutsch Français Русский
Buy Now

Culling and Review / Filter Presets

Culling and Review

Filter Presets

Filter Presets let you save named filter combinations and reuse them later.

They are useful when you keep returning to the same subset of photos, such as:

  • keepers rated 4 stars and up
  • rejected-only cleanup views
  • items marked with PhotoCuller’s heart Favorite state
  • client delivery subsets
  • Apple Photos edited versions only
  • review sets such as one specific camera/lens or a file-type subset

Where Filter Presets Are Used

Filter Presets show up in two main places:

  • Toolbar picker in Grid View for fast switching between saved subsets
  • Workflows through a Filter Items node, so a workflow can reuse the same saved rules

You can manage presets from:

  • Tools > Filter Presets…
  • the toolbar preset menu via Manage Presets…
  • Edit Preset… on a linked Filter Items node in the Workflows editor

The preset manager lists presets alphabetically by name.

Why Use a Preset Instead of Manual Filters

Manual toolbar filters are great for one-off browsing. Filter Presets are better when you want the same logic again later.

  • manual filters suit a one-off review
  • presets are named, reusable, and saved
  • workflows can reference presets directly

Filter Logic

PhotoCuller stores preset rules in groups.

  • Groups use AND logic - an item must pass every group to match the preset
  • Rules inside a group use OR logic - an item can match any rule inside that group

This lets you build more precise subsets without recreating the same logic by hand every time.

Info

Filter Presets can also store stack filtering and the Apple Photos photo-version choice, such as Original, Edited, or Both.

Common Filter Types

Depending on your source and metadata, presets can include combinations such as:

  • rating rules
  • color labels
  • flagged/unflagged, favorited/unfavorited, and rejected state
  • stack state
  • file type and RAW/Non-RAW pairing
  • camera make, camera model, and lens
  • GPS presence
  • keyword or text-search based matches

Create and Edit Presets

Open Tools > Filter Presets… to manage presets in a dedicated window.

Example: Four- and Five-Star Photos

  1. Open a source in the browser, then click + in the preset manager.
  2. Name the preset Keepers 4+ and click Create.
  3. Add a rating condition and choose ≥ and ★★★★ to include four and five stars.
  4. Check the match count and preview the results with Grid Preview. Rule changes save automatically.
  5. Close the manager and choose Keepers 4+ in the toolbar’s preset picker.

Grid Preview Modes

The Filter Presets window includes a Grid Preview control:

  • Off - no match highlighting
  • Dim Non-Matches - matching photos stay prominent while everything else fades back
  • Show Matches Only - only matching items stay visible in the grid

Use a Preset in the Toolbar

The toolbar preset button applies a saved preset to the current tab.

  • choose a preset from the menu to activate it
  • choose None to clear it
  • use Manage Presets… to jump into the editor window

When a preset is active, PhotoCuller disables the normal manual filter controls so the active result always reflects the preset exactly.

Use a Preset in Workflows

In the Workflows editor, add and connect Filter Items. Set Items to Filter Preset, then choose Preset. The rules are reevaluated on each run, but only for items reaching that node. See choosing workflow items.

This is useful for repeatable actions like:

  • export all current keepers
  • move rejected items out of a job folder
  • deliver only edited Apple Photos versions

While the node remains linked, later changes to the preset affect future runs. Use Make Custom to keep the current rules without following future preset changes, then save the workflow.

Deleting Presets Used by Workflows

If you delete a preset that is currently referenced by one or more workflows, PhotoCuller warns you first.

After deletion, those workflows are unavailable until the missing filter is repaired; they do not switch to Visible Items. Choose another preset or use Make Custom, review the retained rules, and save the workflow. If a live CullSync uses the preset, reassign or freeze that CullSync before deleting it.

Good Preset Ideas

  • Keepers 4+
  • Rejected Cleanup
  • Flagged to Review
  • JPEG Delivery Set
  • Edited Apple Photos Only
  • One Camera Body

See Also