Whether you’re looking for a way to replace Adobe Lightroom this year or not, the results of a recent survey from our friends at Shotkit could be an eye-opener.

When Shotkit asked 657 photographers (63% amateur, 37% professional) the question: What editing software do you use to edit your photos? the assumption was that Lightroom would take the number one spot.

However, the names and order of the software apps that came after it were more of a surprise.

Here’s a summary of the key findings:

1. 58% of photographers use Adobe Lightroom to edit photos
2. The main reason why photographers choose Lightroom is that it offers all the editing features they need.
3. The second most common reason is due to ease of use.
4. The most common reason why photographers choose an alternative to Lightroom is that they don’t want to pay for a subscription.
5. The second most common reason is that Lightroom lacks editing features that some photographers need. 
6. Adobe Photoshop (24%), Skylum Luminar (17%), and Capture One (12%) are the three most popular photo editing software choices for photographers who don’t use Lightroom.
7. If the photographers who use Lightroom had to choose an alternative software, the majority would choose Capture One. 

Among the most popular photo editing software in use by amateur and professional photographers surveyed by Shotkit, not one provides a particularly effective method to cull through thousands of images.

For wedding, family, event, sports and other genres of photographers frequently shooting large volumes of images, culling in Lightroom still appears to be commonplace.

In terms of auxiliary software that can aid with culling, Narrative Select would be the obvious alternative to Lightroom, by harnessing the power of AI to assist in the process.

At the time of writing, Adobe Lightroom features a small handful of AI-powered tools, which, while undoubtedly useful for editing images, do not help with the photo culling process.

Narrative Select, on the other hand, provides photographers with a simple and stress-free way to select their best photos in record time. Not only is the software incredibly fast, but it uses AI to let you know how in focus your subject is, and whether their eyes are open or closed. Their close-ups panel is a game-changer for group shots and their scenes view breaks up your shoot into sections of similar images. The best part? Photographers still have full control of the process and final image selection.

When used in conjunction with Lightroom’s excellent image editing and management features, Select is the perfect complement for photographers who want to speed up the culling process while also choosing the best photos to deliver to clients.

(Complete Shotkit survey results available here)