Rating photos
Rating and label data is written in XMP format. For JPEG files, XMP is embedded directly in the file by default. For RAW files, a sidecar file (.xmp) is always used. JPEG files can be switched to sidecar mode in Settings. Ratings are fully compatible with Lightroom, Capture One, and Adobe Bridge.
Star ratings
Star ratings can be applied via keyboard shortcut or right-click menu. Ratings are stored in the xmp:Rating field of the XMP metadata — a standard field supported by Lightroom, Capture One, Adobe Bridge, FastRawViewer, and most other photo software.
Keyboard shortcuts
The shortcut can be changed under Rating / Label Key in Settings:
| Option | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Number key | 0–9 |
| ⌘ + number | ⌘0–⌘9 |
| ^ + number | ^0–^9 |
| Key | Rating |
|---|---|
0 | No rating |
1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
2 | ★★☆☆☆ |
3 | ★★★☆☆ |
4 | ★★★★☆ |
5 | ★★★★★ |
Right-click menu
Right-click a thumbnail → Rating to apply the same ratings without leaving the mouse. Useful when working keyboard-free.
Rating grouped photos
When you rate a grouped photo (e.g. a burst sequence), the rating propagates to every shot in the group by default. To adjust the rating for individual shots, use the metadata bar.
See Rating propagation for full details on how this works and how to adjust individual shots.
Color labels
Label data is written to xmp:Label and photoshop:LabelColor (Adobe Bridge compatible). Color labels can be set via keyboard shortcut or right-click menu.
| Key | Label |
|---|---|
6 | Red |
7 | Yellow |
8 | Green |
9 | Blue |
| — | Purple (no shortcut assigned) |
Purple can be applied from the right-click menu or the metadata bar.
Where XMP is saved
| File type | Default | Option |
|---|---|---|
| JPEG | Embedded directly in the file | Sidecar (.xmp) — changeable in Settings |
RAW (.arw, .cr3, etc.) | Sidecar .xmp file with the same stem name | — |
Carrying ratings into Lightroom
After rating in bridge-lite, open the same folder in Lightroom. Ratings appear automatically when XMP auto-read is enabled.