Photo management is a key aspect of photography. Whether you’re an amateur or professional, you need the best photo management software to keep all your photos in order. It’s amazing how much good photo organization software can improve your workflow.
Adobe Lightroom is our top choice for the best photo management software today. It combines photo organization and editing seamlessly. In second is Excire, a specialist photo management software. And the well-curated toolset takes the sweat out of photo management. It makes a photographer’s life a whole lot easier!
What Is the Best Photo Management Software?
We’ve compiled a list of the best photo management software today. We’ve included specialist tools for photo organization. And there are hybrid programs that also have enhancement and editing tools. There’s photo management software for every photographer.
- Enhanced organizational tools
- Seamlessly syncs across devices
- Professional-grade photo editing and presets
- Non-destructive editing that keeps original photo files
- Enhanced sharing capabilities
- Automatically organizes photos
- Cloud storage for unlimited photos
- Detects people and objects
- Quickly searches photo libraries
- AI-powered photo tagging
- Easily organize, edit, and share photos
- Advance RAW editing capabilities
- Improved AI-powered tools for fast image editing
- Streamlined layer management for more thorough edits
- Creative content and template packs
- Customizable workspace
- Advanced selection tools
- High-quality image editing and photo management
- Wide range of color profiles
- Support for over 500 cameras
- Accessible software for any skill level
- Smart Album feature
- Smart Organize gets rid of duplicates and more
- Good AI editing abilities
- Simple and easy interface
- Excellent value for an advanced photo manager
- Gives quick and easy management solutions
- Works with RAW files from all the major camera brands
- Removes blemishes with a few clicks
- Provides watermarks to protect your work
- Professional photo editing tools for stunning results
- Amazing results with AI tools
- AI style packs for unique looks
- 365-day access to all features
- Compatible with Windows and macOS
- Easy to navigate interface
- Displays photo information clearly
- Good editing tools
- Allows you to organize in app using Projects
- Text search function
- Revolutionary AI tools for photo managing and editing
- Fast and intuitive user-friendly interface
- Professional-level editing made easy with fast AI tools
- Variety of presets and filters to customize images
- Accurate and realistic sky replacements
- Intuitive interface that's easy to use
- Advanced editing tools for thorough enhancements
- Professional filters and effects for quick edits
- Easy-to-use correction tools
- High-quality sharing capabilities
- Powerful image editing software
- Intuitive and easy for anyone to use
- Includes AI-powered tools for editing and organizing photos
- Create designs, logos, and artwork
- Comprehensive selection of creative tools for editing and drawing
1. Adobe Lightroom
Brand |
Brand
Adobe
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Operating System |
Operating System
macOS and Windows
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Payment Type |
Payment Type
Subscription
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Free Trial Period |
Free Trial Period
7 days
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Key Features |
Key Features
Presets, star ratings, facial recognition, full-enhancement toolset, HDR merging, panorama stitching
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Best For |
Best For
Mac and Windows users, photographers of all levels who need photo organizing and editing
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Adobe Lightroom is an all-in-one photo management and editing solution. You can import images to a mobile device while on a shoot. And when you open Lightroom on your desktop back home, the files, folders, keywords, and edits will sync.
If you are importing images from an SD card, you can set the location, rename the files, and add keywords. The ability to create and manage folders lets you stay organized. And with the LrTag plugin (purchased separately), AI will look at your photos and keyword them for you.
You can flag your images in five different colors and rate them out of five stars. Aside from folders, you can add photos to Collections. A Collection can be made up of images from multiple folders. And creating a Smart Collection will automatically add images by attribute. For example, you can choose “all five-star photos” or pictures with the keyword “boat.”
On top of Lightroom’s organizing capabilities, it has powerful photo editing tools built-in. The latest update includes advanced masking tools. This includes Select Subject and Select Sky.
Adobe Lightroom is fantastic for beginners and pros alike. Both users will use Lightroom’s in-depth organizational tools, editing capabilities, and printing tools.
But it is only available with a monthly (with Photoshop) or yearly subscription. So if you want a one-time buy, it’s not for you.
2. Excire Foto
Brand |
Brand
Excire
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Operating System |
Operating System
macOS and Windows
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Payment Type |
Payment Type
One-time payment
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Free Trial Period |
Free Trial Period
30 days
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Key Features |
Key Features
AI auto-keywording and face recognition, import file naming, Smart Albums, and star ratings
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Best For |
Best For
Mac or Windows users and professional photographers with extensive photo libraries
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Excire Foto is among the best photo management software we have ever tried. And with the 2024 release, they have improved it even further. When you add a folder of images, Excire uses artificial intelligence (AI) to keyword them for you. You can then search your catalog using terms you may never have thought of, like “atmospheric” or “bokeh.”
The software also takes things a step further. It recognizes people and their ages—individually, in pairs, or in groups. So you can search your library for “a couple of elderly women smiling.” The AI engine takes things a little further. So you can search for “a fun time” or “blue shading” to find just the right photo.
The keywords are batched into categories. They easily break down into acute searchable terms using the Keyword Hierarchy panel. This makes finding the picture you are looking for fast and easy.
You can, of course, add your own keywords and organize folders and galleries manually. But you might find you don’t have to.
There aren’t even basic editing tools. But you can send pictures from Excire to your image editing app of choice. You just have to right-click on the thumbnail. Excire Foto can also connect to Dropbox and Google Drive.
This photo management software is not for those who want built-in editing tools. But it’s fantastic for organizing, cataloging, and keywording huge libraries across multiple drives.
You can read our full review of Excire for more info.
3. ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate
Brand |
Brand
ACDSee
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Operating System |
Operating System
Windows
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Payment Type |
Payment Type
One-time payment
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Free Trial Period |
Free Trial Period
30 days
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Key Features |
Key Features
RAW editing, AI editing tools, GPS mapping, keywords, AI facial recognition
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Best For |
Best For
Windows users, enthusiast to professional photographers
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ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate is an all-in-one photo management software and editor. As a mid-priced subscription package, it has advanced workflow features. These help you rank and manage your files.
Auto Advance helps you update metadata and add keywords. It automatically goes to the next image. So you don’t need to move your hands from the keyboard!
People Mode uses AI to recognize and label faces in your catalog. You can apply preloaded sets of keywords to your photos. And there’s a duplicate file finder to help manage your disk space.
You can browse and use files straight from Dropbox or Onedrive. You can also batch rename, watermark, or auto-crop multiple images in seconds.
Editing in the Develop panel is advanced. You can use layers, tone curves, brushes, and gradients to finesse your image’s final look. You can also record the editing process into an Action and apply it to other images.
The Develop panel is also compatible with Photoshop plugins. This allows you to achieve results that rival Adobe’s heavyweight photo editing software.
ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate has AI-enhanced image management and Photoshop-style editing. So it’s the best photo management software for Windows users who want powerful, built-in editing.
4. Capture One
Brand |
Brand
Capture One
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Operating System |
Operating System
macOS and Windows
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Payment Type |
Payment Type
Subscription
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Free Trial Period |
Free Trial Period
30 days
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Key Features |
Key Features
Styles and presets, smart adjustments, enhanced importer, keyword lists, catalogs
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Best For |
Best For
Mac and Windows users, enthusiast to professional photographers
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Capture One was initially built as tethered capture software. It was specifically geared for Phase One medium format cameras.
It has since become one of the best photo organizing software packages available. It has powerful image editing and native Photoshop file format support. So it is the biggest competitor to Lightroom.
You can keyword images and organize them into folders inside Sessions and Catalogs. You can also make Smart Albums. And they update according to their search terms, ranging from keywords to lens types.
Keyword libraries also help tag multiple images simultaneously. And you can save keyword libraries for future imports.
Its image editing capabilities are like Lightroom. Capture One is designed for huge files and is lightning-fast in rendering changes. Color control and sharpening are the most comprehensive of all the software on our list.
5. ON1 Photo RAW
Brand |
Brand
ON1
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Operating System |
Operating System
macOS and Windows
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Payment Type |
Payment Type
Subscription
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Free Trial Period |
Free Trial Period
14 days
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Key Features |
Key Features
Smart albums, cloud sync, map view, smart search and organize
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Best For |
Best For
Mac and Windows users, photographers who would benefit from AI sorting abilities
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ON1 Photo RAW is an approachable photo management software for photographers at any skill level. The software uses AI to give users an accessible way to create advanced edits.
When it comes to its photo management features, ON1 Photo RAW provides a number of ways to help us organize our photos. It has a standard file-browsing approach, similar to what we find in other software.
The application has a great Smart Album feature. It lets you input a range of rules and then gather photos in your library according to them. These rules can range from camera and metadata settings to seasons and locations. You are even able to gather all images with water.
The searching and sorting tools are also great. ON1 has a Smart Organize that can group your images that are duplicates or from the same place. Keeping your library as clean as possible by deleting duplicates and keeping shoots together is very helpful.
ON1 Photo RAW is also a great photo management software thanks to its simplicity and easy-to-navigate interface.
6. Corel Aftershot Pro 3
Brand |
Brand
Corel
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Operating System |
Operating System
macOS, Windows, and Linux
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Payment Type |
Payment Type
One-time payment
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Free Trial Period |
Free Trial Period
30 days
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Key Features |
Key Features
Image preset library, watermarking, modular camera profiles, highlight recovery
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Best For |
Best For
Photographers of all levels
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Corel Aftershot Pro 3 makes your life easier. It’s a simple, easy-to-use software for organizing, managing, and editing your photographs. It doesn’t have advanced editing tools. But it does give you quick solutions for enhancing your images.
You can work with RAW files from all the major camera manufacturers. Those include Nikon, Canon, and Sony. And you get modular camera profiles. This means you get specific options for each camera brand.
A positive of using Aftershot Pro as your go-to photo management software is its speed. Aftershot Pro is able to open and sort through big batches of images in a short amount of time. This could be helpful for event or wedding photographers who shoot thousands of photos in a single shoot.
The editing tools help you add watermarks to protect your work. And there are tools for recovering lost highlights and removing blemishes. The software is fast, accurate, and reliable. And you don’t need a degree in computer science to use it. So it’s well worth the price!
7. Cyber Link PhotoDirector
Brand |
Brand
Cyber Link
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Operating System |
Operating System
macOS and Windows
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Payment Type |
Payment Type
One-time payment
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Free Trial Period |
Free Trial Period
30 days
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Key Features |
Key Features
AI photo management, HDR, animation tools, multi-exposure, lens correction, stickers, and overlays
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Best For |
Best For
Beginners and enthusiast photographers who want to experiment with photography
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Cyber Link PhotoDirector is another good photo management software for photographers. It has sophisticated AI tools that streamline photo management. And you also get a wide range of tools for enhancing and editing your images.
The AI tools include face tagging. So you can tag a face in one image, and the AI engine will recognize the same face in other images. You can also create Smart Collections. And there are plenty of tag and keyword features to help you search your library.
The editing tools are just as impressive. You can create high dynamic range (HDR) images with just a few clicks. The same goes for multi-exposure shots. And you can create stunning panoramas without much fuss.
There’s also a catalog of frames, filters, and stickers for fun photo edits. They’re ideal for livening up your social media.
8. DxO PhotoLab
Brand |
Brand
DxO
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Operating System |
Operating System
macOS and Windows
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Payment Type |
Payment Type
Subscription
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Free Trial Period |
Free Trial Period
30 days
|
Key Features |
Key Features
Project groups, text search, color correction, printing proof
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Best For |
Best For
Beginners and hobbyist photographers
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DxO PhotoLab is another photo management software you can consider. It has a simple and clear workspace, so finding and sorting through your images is a breeze.
The program uses a ‘Project’ system to allow you to group your images without disrupting the folders on your computer. There are now ‘Project Groups’ which allow further customization. This allows you to group your different projects for better project management.
You will also find a text search feature in PhotoLab. The text search isn’t a super advanced feature; it doesn’t use AI to identify elements in the photo. But, it does sort through file types, camera types, and even lens types.
DxO PhotoLab also does a great job of displaying camera data. The metadata and histogram for each image appear on the right-hand side of the interface when selected. This information can be useful for photographers when looking for specific images.
9. Skylum Luminar Neo
Brand |
Brand
Luminar
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Operating System |
Operating System
macOS and Windows
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Payment Type |
Payment Type
12-month subscription / One-time payment
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Free Trial Period |
Free Trial Period
30-day money-back guarantee
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Key Features |
Key Features
AI enhancement and editing tools, powerline removal AI, sky replacement AI, layers, filters
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Best For |
Best For
Mac and Windows users, photographers of all levels, social media content creators
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Luminar Neo is Skylum’s most advanced and complete editing and photo management software. It uses the power of AI to streamline the photo management process. Once-complicated processes now have one-click solutions.
The AI technology makes Luminar Neo one of the top photo management software. Neo evaluates your images during the import process. It recognizes different types of images and adds appropriate tags. The auto-tagging is consistently accurate. And that makes it easier to find and organize your images.
Neo also recommends presets that suit your images. It recognizes a portrait and suggests specialist portrait presets. The same goes for landscapes and other types of photography. You can also create your own presets for faster editing.
Luminar Neo is also packed with incredible AI editing tools. There’s a powerful and accurate Powerline Removal tool. So you can remove complex networks of powerlines with just one click. And the Sky Replacement AI tool is just as impressive.
Skylum has also incorporated AI into the masking features. And there’s a Background Removal tool for portraits.
You can read our full Luminar Neo review for more info.
10. Movavi Photo Editor
Brand |
Brand
Movavi
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Operating System |
Operating System
macOS and Windows
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Payment Type |
Payment Type
One-time Payment
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Free Trial Period |
Free Trial Period
30 days
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Key Features |
Key Features
Keywords, catalogs, AI auto-enhance, retouching tools, Background Removal tool
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Best For |
Best For
Mac and Windows users, photographers of all levels
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Movavi photo management software automatically sorts your images by date and GPS coordinates. You can then put your pictures into albums and add tags. This enables you to view all photos with a particular tag regardless of where the file is stored.
Facial recognition makes viewing your photos in person easy. It has a browser function like Apple Photos.
Using the Places tab, you can sort your images by location. It uses the geolocation information stored in your pictures. And the Find Duplicates and Find Similar commands are great. They help thin out your library and save disk space.
You can do basic edits like cropping and resizing in this photo organizer software. And the Movavi Photo Editor also has further enhancing options for your images.
11. Corel PaintShop Pro
Brand |
Brand
Corel
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Operating System |
Operating System
macOS and Windows
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Payment Type |
Payment Type
One-time payment
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Free Trial Period |
Free Trial Period
30 days
|
Key Features |
Key Features
Selection and correction tools, digital drawing tools, RAW, HDR, and 360-degree camera support
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Best For |
Best For
Photographers and graphic designers
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Corel PaintShop Pro is more graphic design software than photo management software. But it’s still a great option if you need help getting your photo collection in order. Plus, you get excellent editing features if you want to get creative.
The management features include catalogs, galleries, and tags. And you get a full set of creative features for more advanced editing. You can even draw images from scratch using its art tools. And, of course, you have all the basic tools for cropping and resizing.
The editing scripts are one of the key features of PaintShop Pro. It records your edits into scripts that you can apply to other photos. This speeds up the editing process considerably, saving you time and money.
Conclusion: The Best Photo Management Software
Adobe Lightroom is the best photo management software, thanks to its great features and brilliant editing tools. Excire Foto is another powerful and user-friendly program with many features to help you manage your photos. With its advanced search functions, you can quickly find your desired photos.
Between the top two choices, you must decide whether you want good editing abilities or a more dedicated look at photo organization. Adobe Lightroom provides in-depth photo management, but Excire can give you that extra edge if you want specialist attention.