Studio Integrations & Export
Photo Mechanic
Fast contact sheet synchronization, color classes, and live directory updates with Camera Bits Photo Mechanic.
High-Speed Contact Sheet Workflows
Sports photojournalists and wedding studio teams frequently use Camera Bits Photo Mechanic for rapid initial card ingestion and file renaming before deeper curation.
BestShots integrates seamlessly into this pipeline:
The Hybrid Culling Pipeline
- Photo Mechanic Ingest: Ingest cards from memory readers into local storage, applying your studio's standard IPTC stationery pads and camera time synchronizations.
- BestShots AI Analysis: Drag the ingested folder into BestShots for automated burst grouping, eye-blink checking, and hero promotion.
- Export Sidecars: Download the generated XMP sidecar archive and extract it directly into the photo directory.
- Photo Mechanic Refresh: In Photo Mechanic, open the contact sheet and press F5 (Refresh).
Color Class & Star Tag Mappings
Photo Mechanic reads the XMP rating tags instantly:
- Photos marked as Keep display your preferred keeper color class (e.g. Class 1 / Winner).
- Star ratings (1–5) reflect in the bottom metadata strip.
- Any IPTC keywords and creator contact information assigned in Photo Mechanic are preserved without loss during sidecar generation.