Cyme, the developer behind the AI-powered macOS photo cataloging app Peakto, has announced a new plugin for Adobe Lightroom that enables photographers to search for specific images and videos in their catalog, no matter how big or disorganized.
Peakto Search for macOS works using descriptive search terms. For example, if a photographer searches “boat on a lake with mountains,” Peakto Search will use AI recognition to locate relevant images within the user’s library. Users can tweak their search query and adjust the “tolerance,” or how strictly the plugin sticks to the entire query, to fine-tune the results. It is also possible to narrow the search to specific sections of a Lightroom catalog.
Beyond text searches, users can also search by image. If they want to locate similar photos, they can drag and drop a file into the plugin and it will locate similar files.
Once Peakto Search is installed and a photographer’s photo library has been indexed, Peakto Search can be used entirely offline. Peakto Search can also scour disconnected catalogs, ensuring continued access to all existing photos. Real-time previews are delivered within the plugin’s interface, and users can see retrieved pictures and videos, even if the files aren’t in the currently open catalog.
Users don’t need to open Lightroom once Peakto Search is initialized. Searching through Lightroom content can be achieved directly from the macOS Finder. “It’s possible to define a global keyboard shortcut to initiate search at any time,” Cyme explains.
Whenever artificial intelligence is involved, security is a concern for some users. In Peakto Search’s case, photos and videos are always analyzed locally on the user’s device, not in the cloud.
Like Cyme’s other macOS photo software, Peakto, its new plugin sports a very macOS-esque user interface, including familiar features and animations. Speaking of macOS, Peakto Search requires macOS 12 (Monterrey), although it’s optimized for macOS Ventura, the latest version of Apple’s operating system. The plugin works natively with Apple Silicon, including M1, M2, and M3 chips, and is compatible with Adobe Lightroom Classic from version 5 — Lightroom Classic is currently on version 13.2.
Peakto Search is available to preorder now for a promotional price of $99, discounted from $129. If users prefer to purchase the plugin via subscription, that’s also an option. Monthly subscriptions are $9 per month. An annual subscription is $59, which works out to $4.91 per month. The discounted two-year option is just $65, or $2.71 a month. The complete purchasing details are available on Cyme’s website.
Image credits: Cyme