Auto-upload only the photos you rate in camera
CloudTether can send only the shots you star on the back of your camera. Switch on “Only shots I rate in camera” for a shoot and new frames wait on the card; give one a rating in playback and, within seconds, CloudTether copies the full-resolution file off the camera and delivers it to the shoot's destinations — a client gallery, a Dropbox folder, an editor's server. Unrated frames are never sent. It works with Canon and Nikon cameras.
- Unrated shots stay on the card
- Choose a minimum from ★1 to ★5
- Rated shots jump the upload queue
- Canon and Nikon, over USB or Wi-Fi
Why send only rated photos
A wedding or an event can run to a thousand frames, but the client gallery, the press desk or the social team only want the good ones. Sending everything means someone culls later and every near-duplicate costs upload time on mobile data. Rating on the camera is a habit many photographers already have between moments; rated send makes it the delivery rule, so what you star is what arrives. It suits same-day sneak peeks, live event galleries and picks for a client watching remotely.
How it works
Canon and Nikon write the star rating into the image file — the same XMP rating Lightroom reads — and CloudTether reads it over the tether. When a shot reaches your minimum, it's copied off the camera at full resolution and sent ahead of anything else waiting. A rated shot is usually on its way within a few seconds, or up to about half a minute if the camera has been idle. Changing or clearing a rating after a shot has gone does nothing, so nothing is sent twice.
If you shoot RAW to one card and JPEG to the other, rating either file counts for the pair. Combine it with JPEG only and only the JPEG of a rated shot travels. Shots already on the card when you connect are never sent automatically: if some are rated, CloudTether asks once — “Send them” or “Not now”.
Limits to know
Rated send isn't available for Sony or Fujifilm over the tether — in Sony's PC Remote mode the phone can't see the card, and Fujifilm's tether only reports new shots — so the switch is greyed out for them and their shots send as normal. In a mixed set-up, a note names the camera that sends everything. The star minimum is set per shoot; a destination can be set to rated shots only (any rating) under What gets sent › Fine-tune, but not to its own star level. The full detail, including how to put Rating on a button, is in send only your best shots.
How to send only rated shots from your camera
Open the shoot's settings
From Home, open the shoot the camera is sending to and go to its settings.
Switch on rated send
Under “Transfer from camera”, turn on “Only shots I rate in camera (★ or more)” and choose the minimum with “At least”.
Rate as you shoot
Rate a frame in playback (put Rating on a custom button for one press). It's sent within seconds; unrated frames stay on the card.
FAQ
Can I auto-upload only the photos I rate on my camera?
Yes, with Canon and Nikon cameras in CloudTether 1.1. Turn on “Only shots I rate in camera” in the shoot's settings; rated shots are sent within seconds and unrated ones stay on the card.
Does it work with Sony or Fujifilm?
No. Their tether modes don't expose the rating, so the switch is greyed out and every shot from them is sent as normal.
What happens if I change a rating after a shot was sent?
Nothing — a shot is sent once. Re-rating doesn't send it again or remove it.
Can the client get rated shots while my editor gets everything?
The star rule is per shoot. Run a rated-only shoot for the client and give the editor the card, or import the unrated frames later — they're still on it.
Send only rated shots is part of the one CloudTether plan
Every feature and every destination is included. Download CloudTether for iPhone, iPad or Android; the price for your country is shown in the app before you subscribe.