A little help finding
your keepers.

Open a folder. Start choosing.

Get the current Mac beta from Downloads & updates, open the disk image, then drag Culltivar into Applications. The same installer works on Apple silicon and Intel. See that page for current availability and compatibility notes.

Choose Open folder and select a photo folder. Click a thumbnail to view it. You can start reviewing loaded photos while the rest of a large folder loads.

P picks, R rejects, and Shift+C clears a pick or reject. Use 1–5 for stars and 0 to clear them. Color labels use 6 (red), 7 (yellow), 8 (green), 9 (blue), and V (purple). Turn off Auto-advance if you want to stay on a photo after marking it.

These are the default shortcuts; letters do not require Shift unless shown. Find or change your bindings under Help → Keyboard Shortcuts. Appearance settings let you follow your Mac or choose Light or Dark.

Camera Preview uses the camera’s embedded image when available. RAW Detail renders the RAW data; its brightness and color can differ from the camera preview. The app may load a higher-resolution preview or RAW render when zooming. Culltivar does not reproduce Lightroom develop edits.

Compare the moments in a burst

Turn on Stack bursts in the contact sheet to group photos taken close together. Double-click a stack to compare it, or select 2–10 photos and choose Compare selected…. Larger bursts can be reviewed in pages.

Click a photo to make it active, then pick, reject, rate or color-label it. Face previews run locally on your Mac for the burst you’re reviewing. Use Link zoom & pan with 100% to inspect the same area across photos, and Fit all to return to the full images.

In burst comparison, D is Done, U is Undo, and Shift+U is Redo. R remains Reject. Custom culling shortcuts take precedence if they use those keys. A picked-photo indicator on the stack helps you see which bursts already have a keeper.

Face detection is a viewing aid, not an automatic selection. It can miss faces or fail on an unsupported preview; you can still compare and mark the photos yourself.

Review while a card imports

Choose Import, select the source and destination, and add a backup destination if needed. When files already exist, choose whether to replace, skip, or keep both. Conflicts are handled for each destination, so an empty backup folder still receives the photos.

The progress dialog can open the import contact sheet. Choose Hide progress to browse and edit the photos that have arrived; reopen progress from the sidebar. Use Stop import… if you need to stop. Keep the source connected until copying finishes.

Each copy is verified. Import leaves the originals on the card. Before erasing or reusing a card, check the import result and your backup.

Export JPEGs framed for Instagram

Select one or more photos, then choose Export for Instagram…. Choose a preset size, add an optional white border, and use Crop to fill or Fit whole photo.

Drag the photo to position it within the frame; the dimmed area shows what will be cropped out. Double-click inside the frame to center it again. Each photo keeps its own size, border and framing. An untouched next photo starts with the previous photo’s size; an already edited photo keeps its settings.

For multiple photos, review each frame and choose Looks good. The app warns before exporting photos you haven’t reviewed. A single-photo export does not need that extra review step.

Choose Export JPEG… (or the multiple-photo export button), select a destination folder, then choose Export here. Culltivar saves sRGB JPEGs at quality 100 and the preset’s pixel dimensions, leaving your source photos untouched. It does not publish to Instagram. A smaller pixel size can make exports much smaller than the originals, and Instagram may still process uploaded files.

Trial, activation and billing

See trial and activation instructions for current signup availability. Browsing works without activation; editing and export require an active trial or license.

If you already purchased, open the license window under Settings and enter the key from your purchase email. A license covers two computers. Use Deactivate this computer… before moving a license, or Lost access to another computer? if the old device is unavailable. Recovery sends a code to the email address used for the purchase.

Manage your subscription using the customer-portal link in your Lemon Squeezy receipt. Canceling renewal keeps access through the paid period. License terms and the refund policy explain the details.

Something not working?

• Update first: choose Help → Check for Updates… and save your work in every open folder before installing. You can also get the current installer from Downloads & updates.
• A photo won’t preview: try Camera Preview and RAW Detail. Note the camera model, file format and exact error. Support varies by camera and encoding; not every RAW variant is supported.
• Editing is locked: check the license window and your internet connection. Use Refresh license if you already activated. If a trial is expired, or new enrollment is closed, reinstalling does not restart it.
• Labels won’t save: check that the folder is connected and writable, and read the app’s save error before closing. Include that error in your support request.