How to sort your motorsport event photos
A track event — trackday, open pitlane session, race — means 3,000 to 5,000 photos and often more than 80 different vehicles. Every participant wants one thing: to find THEIR photos, all of them, and only theirs. In between sits the sorting — the least creative part of the job. Here are the methods that exist, their limits, and how automatic sorting changes the equation.
The real cost of manual sorting
Sorting an event by hand means scrolling through thousands of photos trying to recognize each vehicle: same model, same color, sometimes even the same livery on two different participants. Count on roughly 8 hours for a typical event — usually spread over several evenings, while the enthusiasm of the participants quietly fades.
And that time is not merely lost: every day between the event and delivery drives sales down. A participant who gets their photos the same evening shares them, shows them around, buys them. Three days later, they have moved on.
The three classic methods (and where they break down)
Chronological sorting by session
You split the day by riding group and deliver folders named « Session 1, Session 2… ». It is fast, but participants still have to hunt for their own photos among those of their whole group — and you do not sell photos people cannot find.
Sorting by race number
Reading the number on each vehicle works when numbers are large, clean and mandatory. At many events, reality looks different: vehicles with no number at all, hidden plates, and depending on the shooting angle a number that is simply not visible. Every photo without a readable number falls back into manual sorting.
Visual sorting, photo by photo
The default method: look, recognize, file. It is the most reliable... and by far the slowest. This is the one that costs you your evenings.
Automatic sorting with AI
Our AI model is trained for a single task: grouping the images of one vehicle among thousands of images containing dozens of other vehicles. Every detected vehicle is filed automatically into its own folder, the way your eye would — but across thousands of photos at once.
The decisive advantage: it works even with no visible race number or license plate. A readable number helps, and it is read when present, but it is not required. Vehicles seen from behind, cropped by the framing or partly hidden behind another one are grouped too, whatever the angle and distance.
The result: instead of sorting photo by photo, you validate groups that are already formed. A typical event is validated in about one hour instead of eight.
The workflow, step by step
1. Prepare the sorting while you shoot
One folder per session created in-camera, a separate folder for portraits and podiums, clocks synchronized if several of you are shooting. Every detail is in our best practices.
2. Import into the application
RAW or JPEG, no conversion needed (RAW and video from the Premium plan up — the free Premium month you get when signing up includes them). Your originals never leave your computer: only lightweight previews are analyzed. You can upload over the lunch break: the photos from the morning get sorted while you shoot the afternoon. The getting-started guide covers every step.
3. Tell it what you already know
The entry list (riders or vehicles) and the expected number of vehicles per group refine the grouping — and your folders come out already named.
4. Validate the groups in the workspace
The interface shows you the groups it has formed, suggests photos of the same vehicle as you validate, and sets blurry photos aside automatically. Start with the big groups: it is the fastest route.
5. File, deliver, sell
The application files your original files into folders by vehicle, ready to deliver. You can also publish online galleries for your participants, during or after the event — see how to sell more photos at your events.
What if I want to check the result first?
The simplest way is to see it on real photos: our public demo shows a real track day at Le Mans sorted automatically, more than 4,000 photos, browsable by vehicle. And when you sign up, you get 3,000 credits and a free Premium month to try it on your own event, no credit card required.
See the result on a real event
More than 4,000 photos sorted automatically, browsable by vehicle.
See the demo Create a free account