AI photo grading and organizing: Canon announces new AI-powered Photo Culling app for iOS

 

 

Canon has announced its first-ever photo culling app. The application utilizes Canon's computer-vision artificial intelligence engine, which is also making its public debut. Canon wants the app, aptly named Photo Culling, to help users deal with the huge amounts of images many photographers capture and keep on their smartphones. 

According to a recent Keypoint Intelligence report, 1.4 trillion images were captured worldwide in 2020, and 7.4 trillion images were stored. That's a lot of photos! For some photographers, it can be overwhelming to deal with hundreds or even thousands of images. Canon's new Photo Culling app delivers 'expert photo advice' to help people figure out which images are worth saving. The app uses Canon's Computer Vision Artificial Intelligence Engine, known as PHIL (abbreviated for Photography Intelligence Learning), to evaluate images based on four criteria: sharpness, noise, emotions and closed eyes. Images are scored and ranked based on these criteria, and the app also helps identify duplicate images.

 

'PHIL is Canon U.S.A.'s unique computer vision AI engine. PHIL is used to detect the photo score using AI technology to show the quality of your photos. PHIL has several models to score photos, with five of those models being used in the Photo Culling app; grouping with similar photos, sharpness, noise, emotion and closed eyes. Powered by PHIL, Photo Culling finds your best photos, allows you to get individual photo scores and set your threshold level. With our AI Technology, you can quickly and easily cull through a high volume of photos to find the best.' Caption credit: Canon

'In today's ever-changing and overwhelming world, where thousands of photos are captured and stored in a person's smartphone, consumers need an expert, reliable and intuitive photo tool to help them decide the best photos based on years of trusted knowledge and technology,' said Tatsuro 'Tony' Kano, executive vice president and general manager of the Imaging Technologies & Communications Group of Canon U.S.A., Inc. 'Canon U.S.A.'s new Photo Culling App is the answer and we are proud to see how the company's Computer Vision technology within this app can assist consumers with finding and keeping their best photos of their fondest moments.'

 

 

In terms of culling options, the app includes a pair of options: whole culling and similar culling. Whole culling determines the best images based on absolute scores against the four models of sharpness, noise, emotion and closed eyes. The user can set a threshold score, and any images that don't meet that threshold will be recommended for deletion. Similar culling determines the best score among a similar group of photos. The first- and second-highest scoring images are noted, and the rest are recommended to be deleted. The app can automatically group similar images, and the user won't need to group them manually.

Beyond culling features, the Photo Culling app includes photo counts and storage on the app's home screen, creates dynamic event albums based on events and dates and includes dark and light mode settings.

 

 

Canon's Photo Culling app will be available in two subscription options. You can either pay $2.99 per month or $14.99 per year, which is a savings of over $20 compared to subscribing monthly for a year. The app is also available with a three-day trial. For additional information, visit Canon. To download the app, click here. As of now, the app is only available for iOS. The app only works with .JPG images or photos captured with your phone's native camera, as well, which may be a limitation for some photographers.