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    Canon launches “PHIL”, a photo culling app for iOS

    By Updated:35 Comments4 Mins Read Canon Business General
    canonphotocullingapp - Canon launches "PHIL", a photo culling app for iOS

    Canon USA has launched a new photo culling app for iOS. Sorry, there's no Android version at the moment. The app retails for $14.99 per year or $2.99 per month. Both options come with a free 3-day trial.

    The Photo Culling app will go through your library and find images that are similar or low-quality and will suggest which photos to keep and which photos to delete. Don't worry though, you still have total control if the “AI” doesn't agree with you.

    The app will also rate images based on sharpness, noise, emotion and whether or not your subjects have their eyes closed.

    This seems like a good idea if you happen to shoot 20fps at stationary objects.

    Press Release

    MELVILLE, NY, February 11, 2021– According to a recent report from Keypoint Intelligence, 1.4 trillion photos were taken worldwide in 2020 and 7.4 trillion images were stored1. With these staggering numbers, it could be overwhelming for the average consumer to decide what photos are best to keep and store. Delivering expert photo advice in the form of an app, Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announces its Photo Culling app. Compatible with iOS devices2, this brand-new app helps determine a user’s best photos based on scores against four models: sharpness, noise, emotions and closed eyes, using Canon’s Computer Vision Artificial Intelligence Engine known as “PHIL” (abbreviated for Photography Intelligence Learning) 3. Additionally, the app will suggest deleting duplicative photos, making it easy for the consumer to free up space on their smartphone.

    “In today's ever-changing and overwhelming world, where thousands of photos are captured and stored in a person’s smartphone, consumers need an expert, reliable and intuitive photo tool to help them decide the best photos based on years of trusted knowledge and technology,” said Tatsuro “Tony” Kano, executive vice president and general manager of the Imaging Technologies & Communications Group of Canon U.S.A., Inc. “Canon U.S.A.’s new Photo Culling App is the answer and we are proud to see how the company’s Computer Vision technology within this app can assist consumers with finding and keeping their best photos of their fondest moments.”

    The Photo Culling app features two culling options:

    • Whole Culling: Determines the best photos based on the absolute best scores against the four models: sharpness, noise, emotions and closed eyes. If the score is over the threshold the user sets, the photo is considered to be the best. The remaining images would be suggested as deletions.
    • Similar Culling: Determines the best photos based on score comparison among a similar group of photos. The highest-scoring photos within the group are considered the best photos. A second photo may also be selected as the second-best photo within the group. The remaining images would be suggested as deletions. The app is also able to find similar photos and group them together. For example, If a user selects 10 photos of a dog and 10 photos of a sunset, it will break the photos into two groups and find the best photo of each; one of the dog and one of the sunset.

    In addition to its culling options, the Photo Culling app also features:

    • Photo Counts and Storage: Shows the number of photos a user has as well as the amount of phone storage on the Home Screen
    • Event Album: Categorizing and placing photos in albums on the Home Screen. These are dynamic albums based on events/date throughout the year and the app will pull events that have a large number of photos and suggest the user review these photos to delete and save space
    • Features in the Setting Screens: Displaying the number of photos deleted, the current subscription plan (see details below), option for notifications, parameter setting for each score against sharpness, noise, emotion and closed eyes. Users also can adjust these settings, such as changing how much of an impact noise has on a photo versus closed eyes4
    • Dark and Light Mode Settings Screen Option: Displays screens either as a dark or light mode option

    Price & Availability*
    Available for download via the App Store, the Photo Culling app will be available under two subscription options: $2.99 per month or $14.99 for the year, each with a three-day trial5. For more information, please visit, usa.canon.com/photo-culling-app.

    Some of our articles may include affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you.

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    35 comments

    3. Phone only is dumb. At the very least a native iPad app, but a desktop version is the best option. I am doing a trial and on its first run, it actually did a good job. But I am not sure I want to go from camera to desktop, make a jpeg version, upload to an iOS device, cull the photos, download again to desktop, match the winning photos. I don't see the great time savings. I despise going through group photos looking for the "winners". I know some wise@$$ will say take fewer photos, but I shoot in burst with group photos because someone will blink, another does not smile in time, etc., etc., so burst is helpful when trying to satisfy clients. There is a place for software like this, just not in its current form.
    4. Burst is awesome. Only way to approach group photos. I tend to go for f8, focus on front row, zoom in on back row to confirm focus and get 100 shots at 7 fps or what ever my camera will do. and yeah it would be great if camera would identify the photos where everybody has eyes open and have their best smiles... DPP to the rescue???
    7. very cool. dont understand running it on a phone -- my photos arent on my phones cf-express type-a card. might be good to run on the camera.
      Yeah that was my reaction: 1) cool I want this, then 2) what the #! it runs on a phone?
      It'd be great to have this as LR/Bridge plugin
    8. why they dont have canon app store for their cameras by now, i dont know. they have the compute. they have a touch screen interface. mostly have wifi. only weak point i can see is lack of storage for cameras without dual card slots. i dont know how much room they have in the firmware storage for optional stuff.
    10. Yeah, that's right... the last thing we need is a subscription based culling software. Lately there is no limit for greed with pretty much all corporates.

      It would be greed if it was a required service. Since it's optional, I don't see how it would be considered greedy. It's just an option for people who want it. But yeah, I don't understand why it's phone only. This would probably be useful as a desktop application.
    11. I’m guessing the reason it is for phone only is because this app is targeted towards people who don’t want to spend time culling photos or shooting in raw and just want to upload some decent photos to social media. I couldn’t imagine a pro ever trusting this AI and I know I would personally feel compelled to go through all of the photos in my normal process.

      Honestly I just wish they would make DPP run as fast as the Adobe products. I’d rather pay $3 a month for that..
    13. What a great way to train an IA while being paid! They already use your pictures for this if you go through their Canon.image service.
      Always keep in mind that Canon is trying hard on CCTV, IP cam and all the surveillance software that goes with it (IA for facial recognition, among other creepy things).
      For the foreseeable future, i'm sad to say that there is more growth expected there than in photography industry.
    14. What a great way to train an IA while being paid! They already use your pictures for this if you go through their Canon.image service.
      Always keep in mind that Canon is trying hard on CCTV, IP cam and all the surveillance software that goes with it (IA for facial recognition, among other creepy things).
      For the foreseeable future, i'm sad to say that there is more growth expected there than in photography industry.
      Watch out people. Forget about artificial intelligence, now even intelligent artificial is coming for you! o_O
    15. Watch out people. Forget about artificial intelligence, now even intelligent artificial is coming for you! o_O
      It's the French version, adjective after the noun.

      Excuse me, the "version Français."
    16. It's the French version, adjective after the noun.

      Excuse me, the "version Fraçais."
      Sure, fair enough. I usually avoid commenting on people's language, apologies if it comes across as an insult. I just felt like goofing around a bit, since I don't perceive Canon to be a noteworthy thread compared to many other players in the field of face detection aided surveillance.
    17. Sure, fair enough. I usually avoid commenting on people's language, apologies if it comes across as an insult. I just felt like goofing around a bit, since I don't perceive Canon to be a noteworthy thread compared to many other players in the field of face detection aided surveillance.
      No, it didn't come across to me as an insult, but then I didn't post the comment.

      Languages, though, are a casual hobby of mine and differences in grammar (like head first or head last) are always interesting.

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