Compare Several Scan Candidates with Lightroom Survey View
By ImgHeal · Updated
Survey View helps compare several selected photographs at once. It is useful when choosing among alternate scans or restoration candidates, but a small side-by-side view cannot establish fine-detail quality. Use it to narrow the choice, then inspect the remaining files closely.
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Select candidates with known relationships
Gather only versions that belong in the same decision, such as three scans of one print or several edits of the same capture. Record their source IDs and filenames before comparing. Different crops or missing borders can make one candidate look cleaner while hiding useful information. Keep the original versions available rather than allowing a selection exercise to become an irreversible deletion pass.
Use Survey for the first reduction
Adobe documents Survey View in Lightroom Classic's browsing tools. Display the selected candidates together and compare framing, major glare, clipped edges, and broad tonal differences. Temporarily removing an image from the survey changes what you are comparing; it should not be treated as a decision to remove that image from the archive. Check which command you are using before acting on source files.
Inspect the finalists individually
Open each promising candidate at a useful detail view and compare a face, inscription, and damaged region. A small survey tile can conceal compression artifacts or a newly invented line. Keep the viewing scale consistent when comparing apparent sharpness. If one version wins overall but another retains unique edge information, record both roles rather than pretending the second file is redundant.
Make the final choice retrievable
Write the selected filename and the reason it was chosen in the project notes. Use a temporary collection or rating to support review, then export the precise candidate intended for sharing or ImgHeal processing. Preserve unedited source material even when a generated version looks more attractive. Survey View is an organizational aid, not a quality certificate or a historical authentication tool.
Check this workflow before using the result
- Compare versions of the same source task.
- Use Survey for broad differences.
- Inspect finalists at detail scale.
Sources and further reading
- Adobe: Official application guidanceDescribes Survey View and comparison workflows.
Questions about this restoration task
Does removing a candidate from Survey delete its file?
The Survey removal control changes the comparison set. File deletion is a separate operation; read the command and confirmation carefully before changing the archive.
Continue with a related guide
Try a restoration on a copy of your photo
Keep the original scan. Upload a separate digital copy, review ImgHeal’s generated result, and decide whether it suits your needs.
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