Windows 10 & 11 · macOS 12+ (Apple Silicon)

A faster way to cull than Capture One.

Capture One is one of the best RAW editors ever made. We are not trying to replace it. PhotoTaken is the fast front end you cull in first, so only the shots you'll use ever reach it. Rip through the card here, then hand a clean set off to Capture One to finish.

Try it free for 14 days See the full PhotoTaken site

WHY PHOTOGRAPHERS CULL SOMEWHERE ELSE

Culling and editing are two different jobs

Editing software wants to render every frame beautifully. That is exactly what you do not need when you are staring at 2,000 frames deciding which ones live and which ones go.

PhotoTaken loads a folder as a plain contact sheet in seconds. No catalog, no import step, no session to build. You move with the arrow keys, rate and color the shots you'll use, and every rating and label is written to standard XMP. Because those tags live in XMP, they carry into Capture One and any other tool that reads them, so the picks you made while culling are waiting for you when you sit down to edit.

PhotoTaken vs Capture One

Side by side, honestly.

Where Capture One wins, we say so. It is the stronger editor and it is built to be the place you finish. PhotoTaken is built to be the place you start.

	PhotoTaken	Capture One
Rip through a full card fast (contact-sheet culling)	✓	~
Full RAW develop and editing	—	✓
High-end RAW rendering and color engine	—	✓
Ratings and color labels written to standard XMP	✓	~
Just browse folders, no catalog or session to set up	✓	~
One-time purchase, no subscription required	✓	~
Lower price to get started	✓	—
Runs on Windows and Mac	✓	✓

✓ Yes ~ Partial or with caveats (hover for detail) — No

The bottom line

Cull in PhotoTaken, finish in Capture One

Do the sorting where sorting is fast, then hand just the shots you'll use to the editor built for finishing. PhotoTaken is a one-time purchase, from $69 for Light or $189 for Pro, with no subscription, and it writes standard XMP, so your ratings and color labels travel with the files into Capture One. You spend less time waiting on a heavy editor to decide, and more time editing the shots that actually made the cut.

Questions

What people ask before they try it.

Mostly about using the two together, and about what happens to the work you have already tagged.

Can I cull in PhotoTaken and still edit in Capture One?

Yes, and that is the intended way to use it. Rip through the card here, choose your best images, then send that set to Capture One for the develop work. Nothing about your editing changes.

Do my ratings and color labels show up in Capture One?

They travel with the files. We write standard XMP, embedded for JPEG and TIFF and as a sidecar for RAW, so the stars and labels you set while culling are there when you open the shoot in Capture One.

Is this a replacement for Capture One?

No, and we would not pitch it as one. There is no RAW develop and no color engine here. PhotoTaken is the step before that, getting you from a full card to the photos you'll deliver.

Is there a free version?

There is a 14-day trial of the Pro edition, with no credit card. After that it is $69 for Light or $189 for Pro, bought once. No free tier, and no subscription either.

Do I need to set up a catalog or a session first?

No. Point it at a folder and the contact sheet fills. There is nothing to import and nothing to build before you can start choosing your best images.