Photo critique tool for Claude and OpenAI
Does your photograph say what you meant it to say?
The Curated Lens is a critique tool I built for my students. Tell it what you were going for, upload the photo, and get a specific, evidence-based critique you can act on before your next shoot.
Get The Curated Lens$20 one-time. Both editions and the guide, in one download.
A finished critique. Each numbered pin points to something visible in the photo.
You shot the frame. You think it works. You aren't sure.
Friends say it's great. Strangers online say whatever strangers say. A good mentor would tell you the truth, but you can't phone one every time you finish a card.
I've shot for 55 years and taught for more than 20, and the first thing I ask any photographer is what they were going for. A critique that ignores your intent is an opinion about somebody else's picture. The Curated Lens starts with your intent.
How it works
- Paste your own API key from Anthropic or OpenAI and load the model list.
- Write what you intended. What should the viewer feel, notice or understand? Add the audience and any constraints, like "available light only."
- Upload the photo, click Analyse, and give it a minute or more.
Upload on the left. Photographic intent, genre and context on the right.
What comes back
- Scores and written notes on composition, lighting, color and tone, technical execution, and emotional impact.
- An intent score from 1 to 10 for how clearly the photograph delivers the goal you wrote, with the visible evidence behind it. Leave the goal blank and you get a craft-only critique.
- Numbered pins on your photo. Each one points to a specific observation and carries a confidence label, so you know when the critic is guessing.
- A suggested crop, drawn on the image, when the critic thinks a crop would help.
- A reshoot plan and an editing plan. Every action says what to change and how you'll know it worked, ranked by impact and effort.
- A list of strengths to keep, so your fixes don't wreck what's already working.
The assessment and the five scored categories.
Reshoot and editing plans, with impact and effort on every action.
Reshoot, then check
Shoot again and upload the new frame. Pick the earlier critique from your archive and the tool tells you what improved, what's still unresolved, what you traded away, and what to try next.
Blind A/B mode hides the old critique from the critic and makes it judge both photos fresh. If numbers distract you, switch to score-free critique.
Your last 10 critiques are saved in your browser, with review-size copies of the photos. Download a JSON backup whenever you want one.
What's in the download
- The Curated Lens, Claude edition (one HTML file)
- The Curated Lens, OpenAI edition (one HTML file)
- A setup and user guide (HTML) with links to where you get both API keys, a field-by-field walkthrough, and a troubleshooting table
The two editions look and work the same. Only the API key differs. Use the company you already have an account with, or run one photo through both and compare. Backups load in either edition.
The creative brief. This is where your intent goes.
What it costs to run
You pay me $20 once. After that, each critique is a request to Anthropic or OpenAI, billed to your account at their rates.
A Claude or ChatGPT subscription doesn't cover API use, so you'll set up API billing with whichever company you pick. Both let you set a monthly spending cap, and the guide tells you to do that first. Rates differ by model, so check their pricing pages before you choose a top-tier one.
Where your photos go
Nothing passes through my servers. Your photo, brief and notes travel from your browser straight to the AI company you chose. Your key stays in the open tab and isn't saved anywhere; close the tab and it's gone. Your archive lives in your browser.
If you shoot under NDA, read the company's data policy before you upload client work.
What it can't do
It's an AI critic, and it can be wrong. It looks at a resized copy of your photo, so its calls on sharpness and noise are hints. Check them at 100% in your editor. Scores are rough guides, and a different model can rate the same frame a point apart.
Use the notes, keep what's true, and ignore what isn't. The tool has a spot to rate each critique as useful, mixed or inaccurate, so over time you see where it earns its place.
It won't replace a person who knows your work. If you want one, that's what my mentorship programs are for.
Who it's for
Photographers who want a second set of eyes between shoots. Students working through a series. Anyone building a portfolio who is tired of asking the same three friends.
If you want a score to post online, skip it. If you want to know what to change on the next frame, buy it.
What you need
- A current desktop browser and an internet connection. Chrome is what it was tested in.
- An API account with Anthropic or OpenAI, with billing set up.
- Photos as JPEG, PNG or WebP, up to 30MB. Convert RAW and HEIC files first.
Questions
Do I need a Claude or ChatGPT subscription?
No, and having one doesn't help. The tool uses the API, which bills separately. You need an API key and billing from Anthropic or OpenAI.
Which edition should I use?
Whichever company you already have an account with. You get both.
Is my API key safe?
The tool never saves it. It lives in the open tab, goes only to the AI company, and disappears when you close the tab. Don't share it with anyone. If it leaks, delete it and make a new one. The guide shows you where.
Does it work offline?
No. It needs the internet to reach the AI company and to load its fonts and icons.
Can I use it on client work?
Your photos go to the AI company you pick. If a contract or NDA restricts that, check before you upload.
What if something breaks?
The guide has a troubleshooting table for the common errors. For anything else, write to don.giannatti@gmail.com.
Do I get updates?
If the tool is updated, I will post the new version on Gumroad and you can download it at no charge.
What about refunds?
This is a digital product, so all sales are final.
About me
Don Giannatti
I'm Don Giannatti, a commercial and editorial photographer in Phoenix, Arizona. I've been shooting for 55 years, I've taught photography for more than 20, and I run mentorship programs for photographers who want to build real commercial practices. I built The Curated Lens for my students.
Get The Curated Lens
$20
One-time. Both editions and the guide, in one download.