Compare several photos in Survey

Survey fits a small set of photos onto the screen at once, as large as the window allows. Use it to choose between frames of the same scene. For a close look at two photos, see Compare.

Open Survey

Select two or more photos in the grid and press N (by default), or click the Survey button. Survey shows exactly those photos, in grid order.

With fewer than two selected, Survey opens with the set it already had. That set starts empty, and the view says “Survey view — drag images here or use the context menu”.

Add and remove photos

• Drag photos from the grid or the filmstrip onto Survey.
• Right-click a photo in the filmstrip and choose Add to Survey.
• Right-click a photo in Survey and choose Remove from Survey. The catalog keeps it.

Survey tiles the photos to fill the space, so a small set reads best.

Pick the winner

Click a photo to select it. The rating keys (0 to 5), B for the Quick Collection, and the Image menu act on the selected tile. Its stars and color label show under it. Double-click a tile to open it in Edit. Right-click for the grid’s menu, which includes Create Virtual Copy, Add to Collection… and Export….

The surround is a fixed 25% gray so you judge the photos against a neutral ground.

Note

Survey ignores stacks: every photo you add shows on its own.

Technical details: what Survey draws

Survey shows the cached 2048-pixel preview of each photo (the size is Preview cache size under Edit in Preferences), not a fresh render, so it opens quickly. A photo with no preview yet falls back to its thumbnail.