The Ultimate AI Photo Culling Face Off | Aftershoot vs. FilterPixel vs. Narrative Select

Britney, a former photographer and current user experience practitioner, introduces the topic of artificial intelligence in the photography industry. She discusses her background and her interest in exploring AI's impact on a photographer's workflow. Britney mentions three prominent AI photo editing software options: Aftershoot, Filter Pixel, and Narrative Select. She shares her personal experience with Aftershoot and her anticipation in comparing it with the other two systems. The criteria for evaluation include pricing, speed of image selection, user interface, and the quality of the AI's selections.

The video delves into the pricing structures of the three AI systems. Aftershoot offers a 30-day free trial and a monthly subscription at $10 when billed annually. Filter Pixel has a free tier for manual culling and a Pro tier with a 30-day free trial, costing $12 per month billed annually or $13 per month billed every six months. Narrative Select provides six project trials for free and a Select Pro tier at $15 per month billed annually. Britney appreciates the flexibility of Narrative Select's project-based trial and considers it a valuable approach for photographers.

Britney conducts a speed test using images from a wedding photographed in October 2023. She manually culls the same set of 399 images for comparison. Aftershoot takes 4 minutes and 48 seconds, while Britney manually culling takes 4 minutes and 26 seconds. Filter Pixel completes the task in 4 minutes and 4 seconds. Narrative Select astonishingly finishes in about 3 seconds. The video highlights that Narrative Select is exceptionally fast, marking images as recommended, undesirable, or for potential future use.

The video breaks down the user interface and experience into subcategories, including layout and design, onboarding tips, system communication about images, modifying image choices, and exporting options. Aftershoot's interface is well-organized with clear sections and helpful tooltips. Filter Pixel has a compact UI with a straightforward design, and a helpful tutorial video. Narrative Select's interface is feature-rich with a lighter theme and detailed subject views. Britney finds Aftershoot's interface most appealing due to its structured layout and quick tutorial.

Britney evaluates how each system communicates with the user and allows for corrections to AI selections. Aftershoot provides clear communication with email alerts, tooltips, and hover text. Filter Pixel offers simplicity with tooltips and hover information. Narrative Select provides extensive information with tooltips, hover text, and on-image assessments. The ease of correcting AI mistakes is also discussed, with Aftershoot's spray can tool and keyboard shortcuts highlighted for efficiency.

The final subcategory focuses on exporting capabilities. All three systems allow for drag-and-drop exporting, but Aftershoot's export menu is considered overly complex. Filter Pixel provides a straightforward export process, and Narrative Select, after a recent update, allows exporting to Lightroom. Britney emphasizes that finding a balance between AI and human effort is crucial for maximizing productivity. She concludes that Aftershoot and Narrative Select are the winners, but the choice depends on individual workflow preferences.

Britney wraps up the video by reflecting on her experience with the three AI systems. She emphasizes the importance of finding the right balance between AI and human validation to ensure productivity gains and time savings. She invites viewers to share their thoughts and experiences with AI culling software and encourages trying out the systems for oneself to form personal conclusions. She expresses excitement about the future of AI in photography and thanks viewers for watching.