Compare photos

A burst gives you ten versions of one moment, and only one of them is worth keeping. A stack treats those frames as a single photo in the grid, so the folder shows each moment once. The photo on top is the representative; the rest sit behind it, marked by offset cards and a count on the thumbnail.

Making stacks

• By hand. Select the frames and choose Group into Stack from the right-click menu. Unstack splits them apart again and keeps every photo.
• By capture time. Auto Stack by Capture Time, in the grid's Actions menu, groups shots taken within a second of each other — which is what a burst is. It runs only when you ask.
• Stacks live with the folder. Like ratings and edits, each stack is a small file in the .lightphotos folder, so it travels with the photos.

Choosing the best frame

Open a stacked photo and click Compare Photos on the right-hand rail, or press C. The representative stays large on the left; every frame in the stack appears as a tile beside it.

Compare also works without a stack. Select 2 to 6 photos in the grid, then press C or choose Compare Photos from the right-click menu. A selection has no representative, so Set as Representative applies only to stacks.

• Every tile shows the same spot. Frames in a burst differ in the details — an eye half-closed, focus a few centimetres off — so the tiles all zoom into one shared focus area. Click or drag on the large photo, or drag any tile, to move it to the part that matters.
• Promote the winner. Hover a tile and click Set as Representative. That frame becomes the one the grid shows, and the one you edit and export.
• Rate or reject the rest in place. Each tile has its own stars, flags and a trash button, so you can clear out the misses without leaving the comparison.

Click the rail icon again, or go back to the grid, to leave the comparison. The stack stays as you left it, with the winner on top and ready to adjust.