Pulahpilih vs Lightroom Classic for culling
Lightroom Classic is Adobe's subscription app for managing a catalog and editing photos, with pick and reject flags for culling. Pulahpilih is a free, open source Windows app that only handles culling: it narrows a folder down to an exact target count, with no catalog import. Many photographers cull in Pulahpilih first, then import the result into Lightroom for editing.
Comparison at a glance
| Pulahpilih | Lightroom Classic | |
|---|---|---|
| Price model | Free | Adobe Creative Cloud subscription |
| Platform | Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit) | Windows and macOS |
| Main focus | Culling to an exact count | Catalog, editing and export |
| Import needed | No, opens a folder directly | Yes, photos go into a catalog |
| RAW support | CR2, CR3, NEF, ARW, DNG, RAF, ORF, RW2, PEF, SRW | Broad camera RAW support |
| Rounds until the count is exact | Yes, automatic | No |
| Guests vote from a browser | Yes, via link and PIN | Not in this way |
| Photo editing | No | Yes, extensive |
| Open source | Yes, GPL-3.0 | No |
When Lightroom Classic is the better choice
If you need editing, Lightroom Classic is the right tool. Colour correction, presets, masking and batch export are not part of Pulahpilih. Lightroom also keeps every photo in a catalog, which suits long-term archives with keywords and collections.
In Lightroom, culling usually means pick flags (P) and reject flags (X), or star ratings, followed by a filter.
When Pulahpilih is the better choice
Pulahpilih fits when you need to trim hundreds or thousands of photos to a set number quickly, before editing starts.
- No import. Choose a folder, set the target and start. No waiting for catalog previews.
- Exact count, automatically. In Lightroom you count flagged photos and go back if you're over. Pulahpilih runs narrowing rounds when you have too many and brings back rejects when you have too few.
- Three-up comparison. The photo you're judging sits next to the next two, which helps with bursts.
- Clients can vote. Share a link and a 4-digit PIN. Clients cull in their browser with no account, then you approve the result. Guests only see copies of 800 KB at most.
- Free. No subscription.
Which one to choose
- Choose Lightroom Classic if you want one app to manage your archive, edit and export, and you're fine with a subscription.
- Choose Pulahpilih if your bottleneck is the culling stage: too many photos, a clear target count, and clients who want to weigh in.
- Use both if you want fast culling without loading thousands of unused frames into your Lightroom catalog.
Pulahpilih keeps no catalog or database, so there's nothing to migrate when you change computers. The result of a cull is simply the contents of the selected folder.
A combined workflow
- Open the shoot folder in Pulahpilih and set a target, for example 120 for an album.
- Cull with → to pick and ← to reject. Picks move into a
selectedsubfolder, and RAW+JPG pairs with the same name move together. - If needed, let the client vote through Share, then approve in Guest results.
- Import only the
selectedfolder into Lightroom Classic for editing.
Your Lightroom catalog stays lean because it only holds photos you actually use.
See also how to sort RAW photos on Windows, culling wedding photos with the couple, or other comparisons. Download Pulahpilih to try it.
FAQ
Can Pulahpilih replace Lightroom?
Not for editing. Pulahpilih only culls. Keep using Lightroom or another editor for colour work and export.
Can Lightroom read Pulahpilih's results?
Yes, as a folder. Picks live in the selected subfolder, so you import that folder.
Does Pulahpilih change the original files?
No. It only moves files between the original folder and the selected subfolder. File contents are untouched and nothing is deleted.
Do I need an Adobe account or any account?
No. Pulahpilih needs no account and doesn't track usage.