CurAtorReview and sort photos fast
Free program for Windows. With CurAtor, you go through a folder of photos with your keyboard: 1 for good, 2 for bad. CurAtor spots blurry shots and series by itself. At the end, the good pictures go into their own folder with clean names, the bad ones into another. Nothing is deleted.
From 240 holiday photos to the best ones, cleanly named.
You open a picture folder and mark each picture as good or bad. Only when you click “Apply” does CurAtor move the files: good ones into the subfolder _Selected, bad ones into _Rejected. Unmarked pictures stay where they are.
Example. The date is the day the photo was taken; the number counts from 001 for each day.
What CurAtor does
- Review with the keyboardPress 1 for good, 2 for bad, Space to skip. By default you see the previous, current and next picture side by side.
- Spot blurry picturesCurAtor measures the sharpness of each picture and flags those that are clearly blurrier than the rest of the folder. It is a hint; you decide.
- Find seriesSimilar shots taken one after another, and identical copies, are grouped as a series. Press K to keep the best one; the rest of the series is rejected.
- Compare and zoomC shows two pictures side by side, with zoom and position linked. Click or press Z to zoom to 100%.
- Rotate without quality lossR and Shift+R rotate in 90° steps. JPG pictures are rotated losslessly.
- Clean names for good picturesWhen you apply, good pictures are renamed date_folder_number, for example 2026-10-29_Holiday-Ticino_001.jpg.
- Nothing is deletedBad pictures go to _Rejected. You can move them back in Explorer at any time.
- Pick up where you left offYour marks are saved as you go. Next time, you continue at the first unmarked picture.
- English and German, light and darkThe language follows Windows and can be switched in the menu. Two colour schemes, as in RenAImer.
Getting started
- Install. Run the setup and choose English. Or unzip the portable version and start CurAtor.exe.
- Open a folder. Press Ctrl+O and choose a picture folder. Sharpness and series are analysed in the background.
- Review. Mark with 1 and 2, browse with the arrow keys. F switches filters such as “Blurry” or “Series”.
- Apply. Ctrl+Enter shows a summary. Once you confirm, pictures are rotated and moved, and the good ones are renamed.
Key shortcuts
- 1 / ↑
- good, go to next picture
- 2 / ↓
- bad, go to next picture
- Space
- skip
- ← / →
- previous / next picture
- Ctrl+Z
- undo
- Z
- zoom to 100% on/off
- C
- compare two pictures
- K
- series: keep this picture, reject the other unmarked ones
- R
- rotate
- F
- next filter
- Ctrl+Enter
- apply
- F1
- full manual
The manual in the app (F1) explains every key and feature.
Supported formats
JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, WebP, HEIC (iPhone)
CurAtor works entirely on your computer: no internet, no account, no AI and no running costs. Your pictures never leave your PC. CurAtor caches previews and analysis results in %LOCALAPPDATA%\CurAtor so a folder opens instantly the second time. You can delete this folder at any time.
Download CurAtor
Free. No registration. Works without an internet connection.
Setup for Windows
Recommended. Installs CurAtor with a Start menu entry and asks for your language. 54.7 MB.
CurAtor-Setup-3.5.exePortable
No installation: unzip and start CurAtor.exe. Ideal for a USB stick. 52.8 MB.
CurAtor-3.5-Portable.zip- Version
- 3.5
- Released
- October 2026
- System
- Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit · administrator rights only for setup and MSI
- Language
- English and German
- SHA-256 Setup
9258c72d3f65a64ed2e58433e45f0e80974fcfb6c61f124ea3470fb6d7f72ff7- SHA-256 Portable
4b87e882444e440fca35f23dfd553a1915d4d5a1f86a5bf5044f6970336c1c6a- SHA-256 MSI
c33c69049f4375f2aee677b55cfa4f5b5e9b1fe2b903b9df2f540e0ca14bd17f- Publisher
- mhaase software
All three files are also available on GitHub, with the same checksums.
Windows shows a SmartScreen warning on first start because the program is not digitally signed. Click “More info”, then “Run anyway”.
Frequently asked questions
How can I sort through lots of photos quickly?
With CurAtor. Open the folder, mark each picture with 1 (good) or 2 (bad) and browse with the arrow keys. CurAtor points out blurry pictures and series by itself. Press Ctrl+Enter to apply: good pictures go to _Selected, bad ones to _Rejected.
How much does CurAtor cost?
Nothing. CurAtor is free, with no account and no subscription. There are no usage costs either, because CurAtor does not use any online services.
Does CurAtor need the internet or AI?
No. CurAtor works entirely on your computer and measures sharpness and series itself. Your pictures are never uploaded.
Are pictures deleted?
No. CurAtor never deletes anything. Bad pictures are moved to the subfolder _Rejected. If a file with the same name already exists there, CurAtor adds “ (1)”, “ (2)” and so on.
What are good pictures called after applying?
date_folder_number, for example 2026-10-29_Holiday-Ticino_001.jpg. The date is the day the photo was taken, or the file's modification date if that is missing. The folder is the name of the picture folder; the number counts from 001 for each day. Bad pictures keep their names.
How does CurAtor detect blurry pictures?
CurAtor measures how sharp the edges in a picture are and compares it with the other pictures in the folder. Pictures that are clearly blurrier get a yellow dot. A portrait with a blurred background counts as sharp as long as the face is sharp. You make the final call.
What is a series?
Several very similar shots taken one after another, for example of the same scene, or identical copies. Browse through the series, compare with C and press K on the best one: it is marked good, and the other unmarked pictures in the series are marked bad.
Can I change my mind?
Yes. Before applying, undo any mark with Ctrl+Z or simply mark again. Marks are saved as you go, so you can stop at any time. After applying, drag a picture from _Rejected back into the picture folder in Explorer. Next time it will be unmarked again.
Which picture formats are supported?
JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, WebP and HEIC (iPhone).
Can I review subfolders together?
Yes, via Menu → “Include subfolders”. Folders starting with _ or . are skipped. When you apply, each picture goes to the _Selected or _Rejected folder inside its own folder.
Can I copy good pictures instead of moving them?
Yes. Ctrl+E copies all pictures marked as good to a folder of your choice, for example a USB stick. The originals stay where they are. This works before you apply.
Can I use CurAtor without installing it?
Yes, with the portable version. Unzip it, for example onto a USB stick, and start CurAtor.exe. To remove it, just delete the folder.
Is CurAtor available in German?
Yes. CurAtor starts in your Windows language. You can switch under Menu → “Sprache / Language”. In German, the folders are called _Auswahl and _Aussortiert.
Why does Windows warn me during installation?
CurAtor is not digitally signed, so Windows SmartScreen shows a warning the first time you run it. Click “More info”, then “Run anyway”. You can use the SHA-256 checksums in the download section to check that the file has not been altered.
Does CurAtor run on a Mac?
No. CurAtor runs on Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit).
What changed
- 3.531 Oct 2026
New “♥ Support CurAtor …” in the menu and a “♥ Support” button in the About window. Voluntary, CurAtor stays free.
- 3.429 Oct 2026
First public release. Available as Setup.exe, MSI package and portable version. English and German, light and dark.