Use case
For photographers: find the frame.
Years of shoots across a stack of drives. Find the photo you remember without opening a catalog or digging through folders.
In short: Photographers can add finished shoots and archive drives to Sift, name the people who matter, and search in plain words. Sift reads RAW previews and common image files, finds duplicates and shares picks by link. It searches and organizes; it doesn’t edit photos.
No editor needed. Sift works on its own as a desktop app on Mac and Windows: search, preview, build Selects and share footage by link without opening an editor. The editor panels are optional.
The problem.
A photo you need is rarely in this week’s shoot. It’s three years back, on a drive you’d have to plug in, in a folder named by date. Keywords would find it, if anyone had time to add them to every frame.
When you don’t need it.
If everything you need is in one well-kept Lightroom catalog, its own search may be all you need. Sift earns its place when your work is spread across drives, old catalogs and folders.
A workflow that fits.
- Add your shoots
Choose a folder or drive. Start with one shoot to see how it does.
- Name your regulars
Name a client or family member once, then check the matches Sift suggests.
- Search in plain words
Try “bride laughing with her father”, or a name plus a description.
- Gather and send
Save picks to Selects, gather the original files into a folder, or send a link.
What helps most.
Sift keeps its index on your computer, so old shoots still show up. Plug the drive in to open the original.
RAW from Canon, Nikon and other cameras, next to your JPEGs and exports.
See the same file saved in several places, and move extras to the Trash.
They view photos in any browser and download one or all, with no account.
Questions
Does Sift replace Lightroom?
No. Sift doesn’t edit photos. It’s for finding them across every shoot and drive, including ones outside your catalog.
Are clients’ photos uploaded?
Not to search them. Sift works on your computer. Photos go online only when you share them by link, as sharp copies rather than the originals.
Which RAW files does it read?
Common formats including CR2, CR3, NEF, ARW, DNG, RAF, ORF and RW2. We’ve checked real Canon and Nikon files; other cameras should work, so try yours during the trial.
What does it cost?
$99 a year for one computer, Mac or Windows. Free for 3 days or 25 searches. No card.
Keep reading.
Try it on your own footage.
Free for 3 days or 25 searches. No card. Then $99 a year for one computer, Mac or Windows. Everything in Sift, including the optional editor panels and one free link to share footage.