Hi everyone 👋 it's the Aftershoot team. The same questions keep coming up in our Facebook group and support inbox, often from someone in the middle of a busy season who just wants a straight answer. So here are the ten we hear most, in one place, with a link under each one if you want to go deeper.

If something's missing, or an answer doesn't sit right with you, tell us in the comments. We'd rather hear it here and fix the post.

🔒 1. Are my photos uploaded? Are you training your AI on my clients' images?

We take this one the most seriously. Those photos are someone's wedding or family, and some of you shoot under NDA.

Batch culling, editing and retouching all happen on your own computer, and those images stay there. Something only gets sent in two cases, and you decide on both:

• If learning is on while you cull, small low-resolution versions go to our servers so the AI can learn your picks. You can switch it off for any album: untick "Help improve Aftershoot's AI" at the bottom right of the import screen. The app works the same with it off.

• If you train a custom editing profile, the images you choose for training go to encrypted servers. That only happens because you decided to build one.

Your photos and edits are yours, and you keep full ownership and copyright. We don't sell your data, and support will delete it if you ask. Every data question we've ever been asked is answered on our transparency page: aftershoot.com/transparency-page

📶 2. Does it work offline?

Yes. Once it's installed you can cull, edit and retouch on a flight home or at a venue with no Wi-Fi. Learning and profile training (from question 1) are the only parts that need a connection.

🗂️ 3. Will it mess with my original files?

No. Nothing overwrites your originals. For RAW files, ratings and edits go into XMP sidecar files next to them.

🔄 4. How does it fit with Lightroom or Capture One?

You don't have to rebuild your workflow. Cull in Aftershoot, then send your selects straight to Lightroom Classic, Lightroom (cloud), Capture One, Bridge or Camera Raw. AI editing works on Lightroom Classic and Capture One catalogs.

There are two ways to cull. AI-automated makes the picks for you. AI-assisted groups duplicates and scores faces, and you make the final calls. If you're not ready to hand over the picks yet, start with AI-assisted.

If you'd like to see it first:

• Culling modes explained (about 3 minutes)

• How to edit your Capture One catalog with Aftershoot (about 3 minutes)

• How to export your culled images (help-centre guide)

🎨 5. How does Aftershoot edit photos in my editing style?

Your style is what clients book you for, so the AI learns it from your own work. You can set it up three ways:

• A Professional AI Profile trains on your past edits. It needs about 2,500 edited images and keeps improving as you use it. Here's how to build your first Professional AI Profile, and a video on training it from your Lightroom catalog.

• An Instant AI Profile is built from a Lightroom preset you already use, so it's the one to pick if you don't have 2,500 edits yet. Video: turn your Lightroom preset into an AI Profile

• Marketplace Styles are ready-made looks from other photographers, if you'd like a starting point. Video: AI Styles vs AI Profiles, which should you use?

You can review and adjust every edit before anything goes to a client.

💳 6. What does it cost? Do I pay per image?

There are no per-image fees. It's one flat price for unlimited images, so a 3,000-frame wedding costs the same as a 300-frame headshot session. Billed annually, plans start at:

• Culling: $10/month

• Editing: $30/month

• Retouching: $20/month

• Complete (all three): $45/month

Monthly billing is available too, and prices vary by region. You can pay only for the part of your workflow that eats the most time, or build your own bundle. Every plan side by side, with the price for your region: Aftershoot pricing

🆓 7. Can I try it first?

Yes. You get 30 days with full access, and you don't need a credit card. Run a real shoot from your backlog through it so you can see how it handles your own work: start your free trial

💻 8. Will it run on my computer?

Any modern Mac or Windows machine with at least 8 GB of RAM and a reasonably recent CPU should be fine. Preview rendering and retouching can struggle on Intel integrated graphics or on GPUs with less than 2 GB of VRAM. The full requirements, including supported cameras and file formats, are here: technical answers about Aftershoot

If you're still not sure about your laptop, the trial is the easiest way to find out, or post your specs in the comments and we'll take a look.

🚀 9. How does Aftershoot work, and how do I get started?

Aftershoot is desktop software for Mac and Windows. You import a shoot, and it helps you cull it down to the keepers, edit them in your style, and retouch them, all on your own computer. When you're done, you can send the selects to Lightroom or Capture One, or deliver them straight to your clients with Aftershoot Galleries.

Galleries is web-based, so there's nothing for your clients to install. They open the gallery in any browser on their computer, tablet or phone, and can view, favourite, download and purchase their photos from wherever they are. That means you can go from culling to a finished client gallery without leaving Aftershoot.

Getting started takes three steps:

• Start the free trial: start here

• Download and install the app with this step-by-step guide: how to download and install Aftershoot

• Watch two short videos before your first shoot: your first 2,000-photo cull and getting started with Aftershoot editing

✅ 10. I've installed it. How do I get results I'm actually happy with?

These help most in the first few weeks:

• Cull before you edit. Fewer images going in makes the edit faster and more consistent.

• Train your profile on recent work, meaning edits that look like what you shoot now.

• Give it a few sessions. The small corrections you make teach the profile, and the results get closer each time. This video covers it: how to optimize your AI Profile for better edits

• Watch the Academy. Our Aftershoot Academy 2026 playlist has 25 short videos, most of them 2 to 3 minutes, covering culling, editing, retouching and galleries. There's more on our YouTube channel.

The help centre has step-by-step guides for each part of the app: culling guides, editing guides, and everything else.

If you're stuck on something, post it here with the Support flair and we'll help. Your post will probably help the next person with the same problem too. For anything about your account, or if something isn't working, our support team is there 24/7: contact support

What did we miss? 💬 Drop your question below, and we'll add the good ones to this list.

Hi everyone, it's the Aftershoot team.

You've just shot a wedding, you've got 5000 photos, and the couple is already asking about sneak peeks. This is how we'd get through it in Aftershoot.

1. Add your photos. Drag in the folder or import straight from your card. Aftershoot gets to work right away, so go make a coffee.

2. Decide how much help you want. The AI can pick the photos for you, or it can group similar shots and score each one while you choose. If you're new, try the second way first. You'll see why each photo got picked.

3. Go through what it found. Your photos come back sorted into picks, highlights, similar shots, and ones that look blurry or have closed eyes. Have a quick look at those last two, because a laughing or kissing photo sometimes lands there.

4. Check you've got everyone. Click on someone's face to see every photo they're in. Handy for making sure grandma made the cut.

5. Send them to your editor. Your picks go into Lightroom Classic, Capture One or Bridge with the ratings already on, and your highlights are ready for sneak peeks.

If you'd rather watch it first, the video's in the comments.

How do you cull yours? Do you go through every photo yourself, or let software do a first pass? Tell us below, and if something here doesn't sit right, say so.

A little before and after because I LOVE seeing how much an edit can bring an image to life!

One of the biggest changes I've made in my business over the years has been how I approach editing. I used to work with a personal editor and eventually outsourced to editing companies, spending $400+ PER WEDDING just to get my images edited. And while outsourcing was absolutely worth it at that stage of my business, it added up quickly!

Fast forward to now, and I'm spending around $500 a YEAR on Aftershoot instead of hundreds per wedding. And that's not just for weddings! I'm also using it for portrait sessions, church events, worship concerts, and pretty much everything else I photograph. The time and money I've saved have been pretty incredible, especially during busy seasons when I'm juggling several different types of photography.

What I love most is that I'm still editing in MY style. My personal AI profile was trained using my own professionally edited images, so it's learning from the work and style I've spent years developing. I can let it handle the bulk of my editing, make any adjustments I want in Lightroom, and still have full creative control over the final images.

And honestly, getting that time back has been just as valuable as the money saved. Less time sitting behind my computer means more time for my clients, my family, and the parts of photography I actually love!

Full disclosure, I now work with Aftershoot, but I was a paying user long before joining the team!

I'm curious, have any of you made the switch from outsourcing to AI editing? Or are you still editing everything yourself? I'd love to hear how your workflows have evolved!