Simple is fastest.
The market is full of AI tools that promise to give you your time back and end up burying you in features. FlashRAW does one thing well: it opens every RAW in a folder instantly, subfolders included, with nothing to import and no previews to wait for. You go through, mark and move on. And without an absurd price.
Try it hereclick a photo and use the keyboard: 1–5 stars · 6–9 P color labels · Space opens it · Esc back to the grid · ⇧⌘O eyes · ⇧⌘F focustap a photo and use the buttons below · tap it again to open the big photo
The interactive demo needs a bigger screen. Open this page on a computer to use FlashRAW right here.
Photos from Mariana and Arthur’s session.
Made in Brazil
How FlashRAW compares
For culling, side by side with the tools photographers use most.
| Feature | FlashRAW | Photo Mechanic | Lightroom Classic | Aftershoot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opens the folder instantly, no import | ✓ | ✓ | Imports into the catalog | Imports and analyzes first |
| All subfolders together, just by choosing the top folder | ✓ no browsing, no extra clicks | Right-click › Open Folder and Subfolders | Ticking Include Subfolders on import | Ticking the subfolders option on import |
| Double-click a RAW in Finder or Explorer: it opens and you can cull right away (stars and colors) | ✓ with the rest of the folder on the arrow keys | — | Opens the Import window | — |
| Flags closed eyes | ✓ only blinks, compared with the rest of the sequence | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shows where the camera focused | ✓ | — | Only with a plugin | — |
| Syncs camera clocks from a photo of your phone | ✓ | Typing the offset | Typing the offset | — |
| Who picks | You. No photo is hidden | You | You, with an optional AI first pass | The AI, then you review |
| Pay once | ✓ US$ 20, version 1 | ✓ US$ 299, one year of updates | — | — |
| Subscription | US$ 12 a year | US$ 149 a year | US$ 20 a month, Photography plan | From US$ 10 a month |
Prices and features from official pages, October 2026. “—” means we found no such feature in public documentation. FlashRAW does not replace Lightroom: it does the culling and hands the marks over for you to edit there.
You choose, not an algorithm.
AI tools promise to choose for you. But selection is where a photographer’s eye shows: the laugh with closed eyes, the slightly soft gesture that tells the story. FlashRAW decides nothing. It takes the waiting out of the way and points out what deserves a second look, like a clearly missed focus. No photo is hidden or thrown away. The choice stays yours.
★★★★★
★★★★★
Gustavo and Suzana’s wedding, with the marks as FlashRAW shows them.
How to cull RAW photos in three steps
The same order you already work in, without waiting on each photo.
Open the folder
Back up the card with FlashRAW itself (checked, to one or two drives) and open the job folder. FlashRAW finds the RAWs in every subfolder, whether there is one per camera, per card or per shooter, and shows them together. Thumbnails come from the previews already inside each RAW, so there is nothing to build or import.
Mark
Stars, color labels and 100% zoom, all from the keyboard. Marks go into XMP sidecars next to each RAW.
Deliver
Send the keepers to Lightroom Classic in one click, copy or move them with their marks to your editing folder, or export JPGs for a quick preview.
Built for weddings, events and photo sessions
Thousands of frames from several bodies, and one evening to get through them.
Eyes and focus on every face
Trained computer vision marks the eyes and sharpness under each face in focus. It compares the frame with the rest of the burst: only a blink is flagged, not a laugh, a kiss or a downward look. The faces panel shows them all enlarged, no zooming. It only flags. You decide.
Focus check
Shows where the camera focused and flags frames where the focus clearly missed, so you look again before deciding. It runs in the background and pauses while you browse.
Moments
See one frame of each moment to move faster, with none hidden by a guess, then open the moment to choose. Or filter closed eyes and bad focus.
Sync your cameras’ clocks
A second shooter with the camera clock running late? With each camera, take a photo of your phone showing the free Camera Sync Clock. When you open the job, FlashRAW finds each camera’s clock photo by itself, reads the code and tells you how many photos have the wrong time: one click fixes them all, to the hundredth of a second. Every photo falls into order on one timeline. No sync clock? A photo of any clock works, or type the time. The fix goes into the XMP and the RAW is never changed.
Card backup
Plug in a card and FlashRAW offers to back it up: everything (photos and videos) to one drive, or two at once, every file checked, and the card ejected at the end. Each card gets its own folder, and backing up the same card again copies only what is missing. Nothing is deleted or overwritten.
Works with your editor
Ratings and labels are standard XMP. Lightroom and Photo Mechanic read them, and FlashRAW keeps their fields intact. Send to Lightroom Classic opens its import with your picks already checked.
Your cameras
Canon (CR3 and CR2), Nikon (NEF), Sony (ARW), Fujifilm (RAF), Panasonic (RW2), Olympus and OM System (ORF), Leica (RWL), Pentax (PEF), Hasselblad (3FR), DNG and more, with each photo’s date, time and camera in view.
Your photos stay with you
Everything runs on your computer. FlashRAW never uploads photos.
Pricing
Prices appear in your currency. Paddle handles payment, taxes and invoices.
Free trial
$0 for 14 days
Every feature, with your own photos. No card, no sign-up.
DownloadVersion 1 license
$20 once
Pay once, no subscription. Version 1 is yours to keep, with all its updates. Version 2, when it comes, is a paid upgrade.
Yearly subscription
$12 a year
Always the latest version, major versions included, while subscribed. Cancel any time.
Frequently asked questions
What software should I use to cull the RAW photos of a wedding?
FlashRAW opens every RAW in the job folder instantly, subfolders included, with no import and no previews to build. You go through the photos from the keyboard, add ratings and color labels, and take the selection into Lightroom.
Is FlashRAW a Photo Mechanic alternative?
Yes, for culling: open fast, mark, and hand off to your editor. It is simpler, costs $20 once, and also flags closed eyes and missed focus.
Does it detect closed eyes?
Yes. Trained computer vision marks each face’s eyes as open or closed. It only flags: no photo is hidden or thrown away.
Do ratings and color labels reach Lightroom?
Yes, in standard XMP sidecars next to each RAW, with the label names Lightroom recognizes in English or Portuguese. Photo Mechanic reads them too.
Do I have to import my photos?
No. Open the folder: thumbnails come from the previews already embedded in each RAW, so nothing is built or copied. The RAW is never changed.
Which cameras and systems are supported?
Canon (CR3 and CR2), Nikon (NEF), Sony (ARW), Fujifilm (RAF), Panasonic (RW2), Olympus and OM System (ORF), Leica (RWL), Pentax (PEF), Hasselblad (3FR), DNG and more. On Mac, macOS 14 or later (Apple Silicon) and macOS 15 or later (Intel); on PC, Windows 10 and 11.
How much does it cost?
A version 1 license: $20, paid once, with every version 1 update. Yearly subscription: $12 a year, always the latest version. Prices appear in your currency at checkout.
Is the free trial limited?
14 days with every feature, no card and no sign-up.
Does it back up memory cards?
Yes. Plug in a card and FlashRAW offers to back it up to one or two drives at once, checks every file and ejects the card at the end. Backing up the same card again copies only what is missing.
Download FlashRAW
The full app, free for 14 days, no card and no sign-up. Enter your license key in Ajuda › Licença… (Help › License) when you buy. Each license covers 2 computers at a time.
First launch
Mac: open the .dmg and drag FlashRAW to Applications. The first time, macOS says it can’t verify the developer. Open System Settings › Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.
Windows: unzip and run FlashRAW.exe. If SmartScreen appears, click More info › Run anyway.
After that, new versions arrive inside the app: just click Atualizar agora (Update now) when it tells you.