Comparison · 6 min read · April 28, 2026
ShotSelect vs FastRawViewer.
FastRawViewer (FRV) is the technical photographer's culling tool: bare-bones, blazing fast, deeply respected. ShotSelect is the modern alternative — same speed principle, polished UI, free, native to Apple Silicon. When to pick which.
Both are fast for the same reason: they show camera-embedded JPEGs instead of decoding RAW. FastRawViewer wins for technical RAW analysis (true RAW histogram, focus peaking, RawDigger integration). ShotSelect wins for everyday culling: modern UI, keyboard-first, on-device AI search, free.
A quick FastRawViewer primer
FastRawViewer ships from LibRaw LLC (the team behind LibRaw, the open-source RAW decoder used by many tools). It's been around since 2015 and has a loyal following among technical / commercial photographers who want to inspect what the sensor actually captured before they invest editing time.
Its superpower: true RAW histogram and over/underexposure analysis. Most apps show histograms based on the embedded JPEG (already gamma-corrected and tone-mapped). FRV shows the linear sensor data — useful for evaluating exposure recovery before you commit to editing.
Price
| Tool | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ShotSelect | $0 | Free, no trial timer |
| FastRawViewer 2 | $30 one-time | Perpetual licence, paid major upgrades |
| FastRawViewer + RawDigger bundle | $60 one-time | Adds the technical RAW analyser |
FRV is one of the few culling apps still selling perpetual licences instead of subscriptions. That's worth supporting if you need its specific feature set.
Feature-by-feature
| Feature | ShotSelect | FastRawViewer |
|---|---|---|
| Speed (embedded JPEG previews) | Yes | Yes |
| Apple Silicon native | Yes | Yes |
| Keyboard-first culling | Yes | Yes |
| Star ratings & color labels | Yes | Yes |
| XMP sidecar sync | Auto-write | Yes |
| Modern UI (large thumbnails, fluid animations) | Yes | Power-user UI |
| True RAW histogram | No | Yes |
| Over/underexposure highlighting (RAW-based) | No | Yes |
| Focus peaking | No | Yes |
| RawDigger integration | No | Yes |
| On-device AI photo search (CLIP) | Yes | No |
| Session persistence (resume mid-cull) | Built-in | Folder-based |
| Windows support | In development | Yes |
| Cost | Free | $30 one-time |
When to pick which
Pick ShotSelect when…
- You want a modern, polished UI
- You're on macOS (Windows in development)
- You want on-device AI photo search built in
- You want $0 instead of $30
- You don't need RAW histogram analysis
Pick FastRawViewer when…
- You shoot commercial / studio / fine-art work
- You need true RAW exposure analysis before editing
- You want focus peaking on RAW
- You use RawDigger for clipping diagnostics
- You need Windows support today
Use both together
These apps aren't mutually exclusive. Both write standard XMP sidecars, so a sensible workflow:
- FRV for the technical first pass (sensor exposure check, focus peaking) on important shots
- ShotSelect for the fast keyboard cull pass on the bulk
- Lightroom Classic for editing and delivery
Ratings and labels flow between all three through XMP. Total subscription cost: $0 (ShotSelect) + $30 once (FRV) + Adobe (if you keep Lightroom).
Honest conclusion
FastRawViewer is built for photographers who think about exposure, focus, and sensor data the way developers think about logs. If that's you, $30 is a steal — there's no real substitute.
For the rest of us — the photographers who just want to cull 3,000 wedding frames quickly and ship them to Lightroom — ShotSelect covers the daily workflow without the $30 ask, with a friendlier UI, and adds the modern conveniences (session catalog, on-device AI search) FRV doesn't have.
Same speed. Modern UI. Free.
No trial timer. No subscription. Native Apple Silicon. XMP sidecars to Lightroom.
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