Compare photos in the Library module
Lightroom lets you view large previews of one or more photos for tasks like picking out the best photo in a series. You can view side-by-side previews of two photos at a time in the Compare view, or view tiled previews of two or more photos in the Survey view.
In the Compare view, one photo is select (active) and the other is the candidate. Using controls in the toolbar, you can swap the select and candidate designations, zoom in and out of one or both views simultaneously, and specify when you’re done comparing.
In the Survey view, the selected (active) photo
has a Selected Photo icon 
in
the lower-right corner. All other photos have a Deselect Photo icon 
in
the lower-right corner for removing the photos from the Survey view.
You can designate the active photo by clicking any photo (not the
icon in the lower-right corner).
Both views provide access to rating stars, color labels, and Pick or Rejected flags for each photo. Both views also let you deselect photos to narrow down the images under consideration. See Filtering and rating photos.
You can always switch between the Compare and Survey views while comparing photos to focus on only two images or to get an overview of the photos you’re comparing.
Compare photos in the Compare view
-
In the Grid view or the Filmstrip, select two
photos and then do one of the following:
-
Click the Compare View icon
in
the toolbar. -
Choose View > Compare.
Note: If you only select one photo and then switch to Compare view, Lightroom uses the currently-selected photo and either the last previously-selected photo or an adjacent photo in the Grid view or the Filmstrip. -
-
Do any of the following to adjust the photo previews:
-
To zoom in or out of both photos simultaneously, make sure the Link Focus icon
is
displayed in the toolbar and then drag the Zoom slider. -
To zoom in or out of one photo, select the photo, make sure the Unlink Focus icon
is
displayed in the toolbar and then drag the Zoom slider.Note: Clicking the toolbar icon toggles between Link Focus and Unlink Focus. -
To synchronize the scaling of the candidate and the select photos, click Sync in the toolbar.
-
-
Do any of the following to specify different selected
and candidate photos:
-
Click Swap in the toolbar to reverse the selected and candidate photos.
-
Click the Select Next Photo icon in the toolbar (or press the right arrow key) to compare subsequent photos with the first selection. Select Previous Photo to compare previous photos with the first selection. Press the up arrow to replace the selected photo with the current selection and replace the candidate selection with the next image.
-
Click the Deselect Photo icon
in
the lower-right corner below the photo. -
Select the Candidate photo and then click Make Select in the toolbar.
-
Compare photos in the Survey view
-
In the Grid view or the Filmstrip, select two
or more photos and then do one of the following:
-
Click the Survey View icon
in
the toolbar. -
Choose View > Survey.
Note: You can always add more photos to your comparison at any time by selecting them in the Filmstrip. Keep in mind that the previews in the Survey view are smaller when more photos are selected. See Select photos in the Grid view and the Filmstrip. -
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In the Survey view, do any of the following:
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To specify the select photo, click a photo in the work area or in the Filmstrip, or click the Select Previous Photo or Select Next Photo icon in the toolbar.
Note: Navigate must be chosen in the Survey view toolbar pop-up menu for the icons to appear. -
To delete photos, click the Deselect Photo icon
in
the lower-right corner of a photo. -
To rate, label, or flag photos, click the rating stars, color labels, and Pick or Rejected flags beneath the photos.
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