Fair questions, straight answers
These keep coming up in the beta. Quite a few answers are "not yet" or "we don't know yet", because that is honestly where CullTone is on 25 Oct 2026.
Cameras and computers
Which RAW files does it read?
Sony ARW is the only format we have tested, on files from a Sony A7 III. Canon CR3 and CR2, Nikon NEF, Fujifilm RAF and DNG files should open the same way, but we haven't tested them, so we can't promise how they look or how fast they go. JPEG files work too. Shoot something else? Tell us which camera through the contact form.
Is there a Windows version?
Not yet. Until a Windows build has run on a real PC, we'd rather say no than hand you something that falls over on your first wedding.
Which Mac do I need?
A Mac with Apple silicon. Every one runs the same cull and the same edits; more cores and memory get through a big shoot sooner. Intel Macs aren't supported.
Will it change or delete my originals?
No. CullTone never writes to your original files. Archive only moves a photo out of the way; you can bring it back, and nothing is deleted unless you choose to delete it.
Can I cull on my phone?
Yes, in the web app, which you can add to your home screen. Swipe through the cull on the train home, check the edits in the Review step and share a gallery. The RAW files themselves stay with the Mac.
Money
What does it cost?
Plans are monthly in US dollars, the same price everywhere: Free trial $0, Solo $9, Pro $19, Team $49, Studio $89. You pay for seats and storage, not for photos, so a 4,000-frame wedding costs the same as a short portrait session. Billing isn't live yet; every workspace runs on the free trial. The pricing page has the storage and seat limits.
Is anything charged on top?
Only two optional steps, and only after you say yes to the price on screen. The tie-break for bursts CullTone can't separate on its own shows its price per job. A prompt change to one photo costs about $0.10 to $0.14 at 2K. Culling, everyday editing and removing a small spot cost nothing extra. Every plan includes AI credit for these steps, and each project starts with a $1 allowance that the owner can change. A step that doesn't fit what's left doesn't run.
Quality
How accurate is the cull?
We haven't published accuracy figures yet. Every photo gets Keep, Review or Archive with the reason written next to it, the same files always give the same answer, and anything you move stays where you put it. Run a shoot you've already delivered through the trial and compare.
What about portraits, sports or newborns?
There are 18 genre presets. At launch we offer weddings and events only, because the others haven't been checked on real shoots.
Can I keep editing in Lightroom?
Yes. CullTone writes an XMP sidecar for each photo with the rating, colour label, the reason and the develop settings, and CullTone Desktop can put your keeps' stars next to your RAWs in one step. Every sidecar passes exiftool -validate, but we haven't yet imported them into Lightroom Classic and compared the result side by side, so check a few before you rely on them.
I already culled in Photo Mechanic. Do I start again?
No. CullTone reads the stars, pick and reject flags and colour labels that Photo Mechanic, Lightroom, Bridge or Capture One left in the files or their XMP sidecars, and asks once whether to use them as your picks. Lightroom Classic keeps its pick flags in its catalog, not in the files, so only the stars and labels you saved to the files come across.
Can I finish some photos in Photoshop?
Yes. In CullTone Desktop, Edit in another app opens a photo in Photoshop or another app you choose, and each save comes back to CullTone as a version. From anywhere else, bring the finished JPEG, PNG or TIFF files in: CullTone finds which photo each one is and shows what changed. A PSD isn't read, so save a TIFF or JPEG copy. We haven't tried the round trip with Photoshop itself yet.
My photos are already edited. Can I just deliver them?
Yes. Make a project of finished photos, upload the JPEG, PNG or TIFF files, and use the galleries, albums, slideshow and downloads with no cull and no edit. HEIC files aren't taken in a project of finished photos; export them as JPEG first.
Privacy
Do my photos go online?
The originals don't. We receive previews, the decisions and the final JPEGs you deliver. The security page has the full list, including what we haven't secured yet.
Does CullTone recognise faces?
It groups faces within one project, so you can see whether Grandma made it into enough frames. It never compares faces across projects or studios. People is on by default and you can switch it off for any project, which deletes that project's face fingerprints.
Will my photos be used for training?
No. Your photos and your clients' faces are not used for training and are not sold. A photo goes to an outside AI service (named in our privacy policy) only for a paid step you approved.
Everything else
Can I take my work with me?
Yes. Project settings, Export this project, gives you one ZIP per project: the finals, every version and what made it, the XMP files for Lightroom, the albums, your gallery links with your clients' favourites and comments, and the project's settings. Face data is never in it. A desktop project's RAWs stay on your computer, so the export lists them instead of including them. The size shows before the download starts.
Does my name go into the photos?
Yes, once you type it in Settings, Gallery branding. Your name, copyright notice and, if you want, your website, email and phone are written into every photo CullTone delivers, next to the camera's own details. Each gallery can leave the contact details out.
Does it email me or my clients?
Not yet. There is no email of any kind today: you copy and send invites and gallery links yourself.
Can it make an album?
Yes, a first draft. CullTone lays out your keeps in shooting order, one moment per spread, and you rearrange from there. The print export has lab sizes, a 3 mm bleed, safe zone and gutter guides, a warning when a face falls in the fold, and a PDF or JPEGs with an sRGB profile. No lab has printed one of our files yet, so check your lab's spec sheet and order a proof first.
Tethering?
No, and it isn't planned yet. CullTone Desktop copies from a card, a folder, or a camera or phone on a cable after the shoot. The roadmap lists what is planned.