Don’t know how to choose the best photo? Use Batch Selection! 

The digital age allows us to snap as many photos as we want. We often take several shots one right after another with the hope that one of the photos in the series will be perfect. But then comes the difficult task – choosing the best photo among many, very similar photos. Batch Selection along with the compare photos function makes this all a piece of cake.

You can use Batch Selection in Zoner Photo Studio X in the Manager and Develop modules. All you need to do is have Preview mode selected. This gives you two options for selecting photos. 

  1. Press and hold Ctrl and click the images you want to compare in the filmstrip below. 
  2. If the photographs follow one after another, choose them using the Shift key. All you need to do is click the first image you wish to work with, press Shift, and then click the last image you want. The program will automatically select all the photographs in the selected range. This will help you choose the best photograph from the series. In the Manager module, you can also press Ctrl + A to select all the photos in the folder. 

Up to nine images will appear in the center panel. In the righthand panel, instead of the histogram, you see a summary of the number of selected images and their total size. 

Don’t know how to choose the best photo? Use Batch Selection!
Select multiple photos in Preview mode.

Use 1:1 display to check over details 

Now, choose the best photo from the images you’ve selected. In order to be able to compare all the details, just click one of the photos and they will all be automatically viewed at 100% zoom. Now you can easily see which photo is the sharpest or which has the best facial expression. You can return to the previous view in the same way – by clicking one of the photos. 

Use the magnifying glass and arrows icon in the upper panel to turn off synchronize zoom. This works well when checking individual images separately. For even faster workflow, we recommend using the Shift key and scrolling with the mouse wheel. While holding Shift only the size of those photos over which you have the cursor while scrolling will change size. 

Don’t know how to choose the best photo? Use Batch Selection!
Adjust the zoom level to compare details.

The Shift key works to not only isolate the zoom level, but also panning. For example, if you need to see if the eyes are sharp, but they are located in different areas of each photo, press Shift and move around in each photo individually to see the eyes. Without the use of the Shift key, you will pan around all photos simultaneously. 

Don’t know how to choose the best photo? Use Batch Selection!
Click and drag to pan around in all photos; using Shift, in only one photo.

After, if you zoom out and click back to the face for 1:1 display, the program remembers how the photos were moved and the eyes from all the images will again be visible. This memory is reset when the selection of photos is canceled.

When batch selecting photos, you can easily rotate, rate using stars, add colored labels, or straightway delete the blurry shots.

Don’t know how to choose the best photo? Use Batch Selection!
Rotate and organize photos using Batch Selection.

Choose the layout that suits you

When selecting photos, they are arranged to best fill the space according to their number and orientation. Maybe this layout doesn’t suit you for one reason or another. For instance, if you want your vertically-oriented photos all in a row, select Side by Side. On the other hand, if your monitor is vertical, you can use the Stacked layout. However, in most cases, you’ll find the automatic option to be the most convenient.

Don’t know how to choose the best photo? Use Batch Selection!
Try stacked or side-by-side layout.

Pin photos to make your series seamless 

Another advantage is the option to pin photos. This will make the process of comparing images side by side easier. 

Click the pinning icon in the upper left part of the selected picture and the photo will automatically be pinned to the screen. Then, click on the other images and compare them with the pinned photo. You can now clearly see and choose which photographs you are most happy with. Pinning can also be useful for checking if the colors in your photo match with a sample photo.

Whether you want to compare the photos one by one or select multiple images to compare with the pinned picture, it’s up to you.

Don’t know how to choose the best photo? Use Batch Selection!
Pin a sample photo and click to compare it side by side with the other photos.

A place for everything and everything in its place 

Using Batch Selection will save you lengthy decision-making about which picture is the right one. And, as if this isn’t enough, you can also use batch selection of your photos to batch edit in the Develop module.

Try working with Batch Selection on your own photographs. All you need to do is download the updated version of Zoner Photo Studio X. And don’t forget, your first 7 days are free!

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AuthorMatej Liska

I most love taking pictures of people. Weddings, portraits, graduation photos, balls... I am always in search of backlight, but I enjoy various types of lighting and mostly like to use shorter lenses. I love my Nikon, my guitar, and a kebab. You’ll find my photography on my website or on Facebook.

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