Frequently Asked Questions
Defensible, factual answers about LuminaCull's privacy model, performance benchmarks, local file operations, and format support.
1. General & Pricing
Is LuminaCull free?
Yes, 100% free. There are no subscriptions, paywalls, premium tiers, trial limits, watermarks, or account requirements.
Does LuminaCull require an account or registration?
No. There is zero user registration, no email sign-up, no login screen, and no password. You open the application and immediately start working with your local photos.
Does LuminaCull require software installation?
No. It runs entirely within your web browser. You do not need to download or run any .exe, .dmg, or installer package.
Does LuminaCull work offline?
Yes. Once the web application is loaded into your browser cache, it operates without an active internet connection. Folder scanning, image viewing, EXIF parsing, and moving files all execute locally on your machine.
2. Privacy, Local Files & Safety
Does LuminaCull upload my photos to any cloud or remote server?
Never. Photos never leave your device. All file access, timestamp extraction, thumbnail generation, and file relocation happen entirely within your local browser sandbox via the native W3C File System Access API. Zero bytes of image data, filenames, or telemetry are transmitted over the network.
Does LuminaCull modify my original image files?
No. LuminaCull never alters the contents, pixels, compression, or EXIF metadata of your image files. It only changes file locations when you explicitly request a move or copy.
Can LuminaCull copy rather than move kept photos?
Yes. When completing a culling session, the Finish dialog provides two distinct actions:
• Move Kept Photos: Relocates marked photos into the /Keep subfolder.
• Copy Kept Photos: Copies selected photos into /Keep while preserving all original files untouched in their source directory.
Can LuminaCull accidentally delete my rejected photos?
No. By design, LuminaCull does not provide a destructive "Delete from Disk" operation for skipped photos. Rejected photos simply remain untouched in your source directory, preventing accidental data loss.
3. Performance, Formats & EXIF
How many photos can LuminaCull handle without crashing?
LuminaCull is specifically engineered and tested to handle 10,000+ photos in a single directory. It accomplishes this through:
1. A recycled DOM virtual filmstrip that only mounts visible thumbnails plus a strict 2-item buffer.
2. A sliding-window memory preloader that proactively revokes browser blob URLs to prevent memory accumulation.
How does EXIF chronological sorting work?
LuminaCull reads the first 64KB slice of each file to parse EXIF metadata headers directly. It prioritizes DateTimeOriginal (camera shutter time), falling back to DateTimeDigitized or DateTime. If a file lacks EXIF data, it uses the filesystem timestamp. All photos are sorted chronologically ascending.
Which image formats can be viewed?
LuminaCull natively displays all web formats supported by modern Chromium browsers: JPEG, JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, GIF, and BMP.
Does LuminaCull support camera RAW files (.CR2, .NEF, .ARW, .CR3, .DNG)?
Limited / In development. While LuminaCull's scanner detects RAW extensions and extracts EXIF capture timestamps, web browsers cannot natively decode raw sensor data in standard HTML image tags. Fast embedded JPEG extraction for RAW files is currently being developed.
4. Compatibility & Workflow Comparison
Which web browsers are supported?
LuminaCull requires a desktop browser supporting the W3C File System Access API:
• Fully Supported: Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Brave, Opera, Vivaldi.
• Unsupported: Safari and Firefox on desktop (they currently lack the directory picker API standard).
Does LuminaCull work on Windows, macOS, and Linux?
Yes. It runs smoothly on Windows 10/11, macOS, and Linux as long as you access it using Chrome, Edge, or Brave.
Is LuminaCull an alternative to Adobe Lightroom?
LuminaCull is an upstream triage filter for Lightroom. Instead of waiting 30 minutes for Lightroom Classic to import 4,000 photos just to delete 3,200 of them, you run LuminaCull first to separate your best 800 shots into /Keep in 10 minutes. Then, you import only the keepers into Lightroom for editing.
Is LuminaCull an alternative to Photo Mechanic?
For photographers shooting JPEG who want fast keyboard-first sorting without paying $149–$249, yes. Photo Mechanic remains the preferred tool for sports and news journalists requiring complex IPTC caption templates and immediate wire FTP transmission.
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