SuperPicky
SuperPicky is a free, open-source AI tool for culling bird photographs on macOS and Windows.
What SuperPicky is
SuperPicky is a free, open-source AI tool for culling bird photographs on macOS and Windows. It detects birds, evaluates head sharpness and image aesthetics, assigns zero-to-three-star ratings, and places selected images in subfolders. Smart ratings combine sharpness with TOPIQ aesthetics scores, while RAW focus analysis labels focus as critical, good, soft, or out of focus. Bird identification covers more than 11,000 species and can write information to EXIF and IPTC metadata. Detection includes birds in flight and bird eyes, and burst sequences can be grouped into subdirectories. Its Global Rarity Index uses GBIF occurrence data and scores rarity from 0 to 100. Location filtering can use an offline Avonet database or online eBird data against photo GPS information. Metadata works with Lightroom, Adobe Bridge, and Photoshop; the plugin is for Lightroom Classic. Windows offers CPU-only and NVIDIA CUDA builds. CLI tools support batch culling and bird identification, and a Bird ID API supports the Lightroom plugin. Sidecar mode writes XMP files without modifying originals.
Good
- Free and open-source
- Identifies more than 11,000 bird species
- Combines sharpness and aesthetics scoring
- Supports RAW focus analysis
- Offers Lightroom Classic integration
Watch out
- Lightroom plugin is unavailable in Bridge and Photoshop
- CUDA build requires NVIDIA graphics
- Windows CPU and CUDA versions are separate options
Who it suits
It suits bird photographers who want local desktop culling, species identification, ratings, and metadata workflows. It also fits users working with Lightroom Classic or command-line batch processing.
Verdict
SuperPicky focuses on bird-photo selection, identification, rarity, and metadata rather than general photo management. Its desktop, CLI, and Lightroom-oriented tools provide several workflows, with plugin support limited to Lightroom Classic.
The facts
Each one read from SuperPicky's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Adobe compatibility
- The FAQ says ratings and metadata work with Lightroom, Bridge, and Photoshop; its plugin is for Lightroom Classic only.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Bird detection
- It includes bird-in-flight and bird-eye detection features.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Bird identification
- Its AI identifies more than 11,000 bird species and can write results to EXIF and IPTC metadata.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Burst grouping
- It detects burst sequences and organizes them into subdirectories.checked 7 Oct 2026
- CLI
- The project offers a command-line interface for core culling functions and bird identification.checked 7 Oct 2026
- CLI and API
- The product provides command-line tools for batch culling and standalone bird identification; its FAQ also documents a Bird ID API used by the Lightroom plugin.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Focus detection
- It analyzes RAW focus points to classify focus as critical, good, soft, or out of focus.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Geographic filtering
- Bird ID can use an offline Avonet database and online eBird data to filter species by photo GPS location.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- It supports a Lightroom Classic plugin and uses eBird data to filter out species unlikely at a photo’s GPS location.checked 7 Oct 2026
- License
- The homepage links to an AGPL-3.0 license.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Limits
- The Lightroom plugin works with Lightroom Classic and is not available in Bridge or Photoshop.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Local file handling
- Users can choose a sidecar metadata mode that writes XMP files without modifying original photo files.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Metadata compatibility
- Its metadata can be read or searched in Lightroom, Adobe Bridge, and Photoshop; Lightroom may require reading metadata from files to sync ratings and flags.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- SuperPicky is a free, open-source AI tool for culling bird photographs.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Rarity index
- The Global Rarity Index uses GBIF occurrence data and scores rarity from 0 to 100.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Rarity scoring
- Its Global Rarity Index uses GBIF occurrence data and scores rarity from 0 to 100.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Security
- The maker says the macOS app has passed Apple notarization.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Smart rating
- It combines sharpness and TOPIQ aesthetics scores to rate photos and mark picks.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Support
- The maker lists a contact email, [email protected], and links to a tutorial and FAQ.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Supported desktop systems
- The FAQ describes support for macOS on Apple Silicon and Intel, plus Windows CPU-only and CUDA GPU versions.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Workflow
- It detects birds, scores head sharpness and image aesthetics, assigns 0–3 stars, organizes photos into subfolders, and writes ratings and bird information to metadata.checked 7 Oct 2026
The company
- Founded
- 2024checked 28 Sep 2026
Where it runs
- Platforms
- The download archive lists macOS Apple Silicon, macOS Intel, and Windows CPU and CUDA builds.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Windows options
- The Windows CPU build supports core culling logic without a dedicated GPU; the CUDA build is for NVIDIA graphics cards.checked 7 Oct 2026
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