THE WORKFLOW
From thousands of frames
to your next edit.
Open a shoot folder and let Chimp check the focus, describe the action and build the tags. Then find your selects, add the context you know, and take the results into your editor. Your originals and your catalog stay on your computer.
1. Start with the folder you already have
Open Image Chimp on your Mac or Windows PC and add a shoot folder. There is no cloud library to build and no need to rearrange your cards or drives. Chimp keeps each photo tied to its original folder path, even when two cards have the same camera filenames.
Choose Standard or Turbo and check the photo count and credit total before starting. Standard uses one credit per photo; Turbo uses 2. The same focus checks, descriptions and tags are included in both. A paired RAW and JPEG with the same filename stem in the same folder use one review, with the RAW as the source.
2. Get focus checks and tags in the same pass
Chimp checks detail at the original pixel resolution, so a small preview does not get the final say on sharpness. It looks for a plausible main subject in focus and gives likely misses a closer second check. A sharp rider behind a blurred spectator can still belong with your keepers.
Each completed review also adds a description and tags for visible details such as the action, gear and setting. Results save to your local catalog as they return. That gives you two ways into the shoot: start with the sharp group or search for the frame you remember.
Review suggestions can be wrong. Change a label, rewrite a description or add a missing tag whenever your own judgment is better. Chimp does not identify people or name locations; you can add that context yourself.
3. Make your selects
Filter by sharp, slightly soft, missed focus or needs review. Open a frame to inspect the preview and compare nearby frames. Search descriptions, tags and review notes, then add athlete names, event details or the wording your client uses. Each search result explains what matched.
Need a set to show first? On Pro and Whole Roll, Perfect Shot suggests a shortlist of up to 5% or 10% using composition, light and the moment. It draws from different visual groups and holds back near-duplicates. You can see why a shot was picked and compare the alternatives. Your star ratings stay separate.
See how the focus labels work, what gets tagged and how Perfect Shot builds a shortlist.
4. Take the work into your editor
Export XMP sidecars with descriptions, keywords and focus labels. Choose the focus-to-color mapping when you export. Include your existing supported XMP sidecars to carry their star ratings and unrelated metadata forward. Start with a small export and check it in your editor before applying a large set. The Capture One guide explains that editor's profile.
CSV gives you a spreadsheet-friendly list of completed reviews. JSONL keeps the first and final assessments, local edits, source paths and hashes for your own tools. Sidecar XML files sit separately in the export's xmp/ folders, with a manifest that maps them to the originals.
5. Put the files where you want them
Copy your selects into a new set with the original subfolders preserved. For Copy, Move or Trash, Chimp first shows a file-by-file plan: what will change and where each file will go. Nothing moves until you confirm. Start with Copy when you want a separate set for editing or handoff.
The originals, catalog, corrections, exports and action history stay on your computer. Keep the catalog backed up with the rest of your photographic work. Your local results remain yours after you cancel.
What Chimp reads
Supported RAW files, JPEG, PNG, TIFF and WebP, up to 160 MB and 65 megapixels per file. RAW support depends on the camera and local decoder. Include existing XMP and ACR sidecars when you want their supported fields carried forward. Unreadable files and failed reviews return the amount reserved for them.
What leaves your computer
New reviews need an internet connection. The companion prepares a whole-frame overview and selected detail crops, removes embedded camera metadata from those prepared JPEGs, and sends them for cloud analysis. Your original camera files stay on your drive.
Image Chimp handles the review in memory and returns the result without keeping a hosted photo catalog. Account, credit and billing records are stored separately. Google's normal processing retention applies to the image content it receives. Read the full storage and processing details.