Lightroom Classic plug-in, Excire Search 2026, brings AI culling, a search panel and intelligent focus detection to Adobe’s industry-standard batch-editing software. The culling tool can group photos via a range of criteria, including scene, people, and content, with the option to delve into more specific options such as eye, face, and global sharpness, aesthetics, and facial characteristics. You can also apply selection and rejection flags automatically using adjustable selection criteria.
The Excire Search panel is an all-new feature that provides quick access to the software’s most powerful tools. Excire says the “panel integrates seamlessly into Lightroom Classic”, whether being displayed as a quick-access
toolbar or a full-sized window with image-preview capabilities. The search panel will also automatically indicate whether photographs of faces are sharp or blurry, and if you don’t want to rely on the AI entirely, the software allows you to preview those faces close-up, so you can check critical sharpness manually.
Excire Search 2026 also allows content creators to manage their stills and video collections. The software analyzes video by selecting a representative frame, while automatically applying keywords in the process.
Excire is calling its image search “Unparalleled” and “unbeatable”, touting its ability to help users find the photos they want from their collection, instantly. And with automatic keywording and duplicate searches, Excire says that the 2026 software will “do the heavy lifting,” a boon for weddings and events photographers, or anybody else dealing with thousands of images per shoot.
Excire is also avoiding controversy by supporting “100% local AI analysis”, that means the software runs locally on the computer in question, data isn’t accessed by a third party, and files are not exported to the cloud for analysis. As Excire puts it: “privacy is maintained and the user remains in complete control of their data."
And if you’re an existing Excire Search user, you don’t have to worry about any of your favorite functions going missing. The 2026 program features all the AI search and organization tools present in previous versions.
Excire Search 2026 is available now as a one-time licensing fee for $199, with a limited-time launch price of $179. Would-be users can enjoy a 14-day free trial, while existing Excire Search 2022 and 2024 users can purchase a discounted upgrade of $99 and $69, respectively.
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