Before you start
Why headshots come first.
MatchID is face recognition. It compares the faces in your photos against reference faces it already knows, and those come from the headshots you index. No index, nothing to compare against, so nothing gets named.
Indexing introduces the players to the app once: it reads the strongest face out of each headshot and stores a small fingerprint of it on your computer. The headshots and the fingerprints stay local.
Set up
Choose where names are written.
Decide which metadata fields MatchID embeds when it names a face. A one-time setup.
- Open Settings (⌘,) ▸ MatchID Metadata. Turn on the EXIF, IPTC, and XMP fields you want the name written to, and set the token templates that build each value. The app default applies to new jobs; per-organization and per-job overrides stack on top.
Names are embedded in the file itself (a sidecar for RAW), so they travel into Photo Mechanic, Lightroom, and Capture One. Nothing is locked in the app.
Step 1 · Index
Index your headshots.
Build the reference faces MatchID compares against. No index, no matches.
- In MatchID People, select + New org, name the organization, and Save.
- Add a category and subcategory (sport / team). Categories are the roster MatchID scopes a job to.
- Drag headshots into the drop zone, or select Pick files…, to add the people you want named.
- Check each Display Name and Person ID, then select Index. A progress bar shows status as each face is detected and stored as that person's reference.
- When indexing finishes, the headshots appear under the category — ready to match against.
The one thing new users miss
A roster with zero indexed headshots can’t match anyone.
Selecting a team gives you names and jersey numbers for hand-tagging, but face matching needs reference faces. Index that team’s headshots first. Headshots and their fingerprints stay on your computer.
Step 2 · Process
Process a gallery.
Run MatchID across a folder. One pass names the roster members it can see.
- Open the gallery folder in Browse (⌥⌘2), select the keepers (⌘A for everything visible), and open the MatchID panel with ⌘⇧M.
- Pick the organization, category, and team(s) to scope the roster, name the job, then select Process. Faces match your indexed headshots, and the jersey number fills in for helmeted or occluded players.
Processing runs in the background — the panel closes and progress shows in the tasks tray. If you’re still on the gallery when it finishes, Review opens automatically; if you’ve moved on, a notification with a Review link appears.
Tuning
Helmets, jersey numbers, and thresholds.
When a face isn’t visible, MatchID reads the jersey number and can use per-team color to break ties. Settings ▸ MatchID Settings sets a Low / Medium / High confidence for auto-embed; per-job overrides let a portrait event run High while a helmet game runs Medium.
Step 3 · Review
Confirm the matches.
Approve the borderline matches; skip what MatchID already nailed.
- When processing finishes, Review opens with face thumbnails grouped by status. Auto matched above your threshold; Review is a likely match to confirm.
- Hover a Review thumbnail and select the green ✓ to approve or the red ✗ to reject. No match? Tag the person by hand from the roster quick-tag list — the pick is written to the photo's metadata.
- A processed folder shows a teal dot in the folder list. Select MatchID review at the top of Browse to reopen its results anytime.
Step 3 · Use as reference
Strengthen the roster as you go.
Turn your best matches into new reference faces so later events match better.
- When a match is a clean, front-facing shot, the ★ Use as reference button appears. Star it to add that crop as another reference for the athlete. Helmeted sports benefit the most. The model never trains on your photos — references stay on your computer.
Step 4 · Edit
Edit metadata and captions.
Fine-tune captions, keywords, and IPTC/EXIF on individual photos.
- Select a photo and press Space, or right-click and choose Preview. The menu also has Edit metadata (⌘I) for the full editor.
- In the preview, the toolbar has Crop, IPTC, and Trash. Select IPTC to open the metadata panel.
- The panel shows IPTC and EXIF fields. Compact shows the basics; All + EXIF shows the full set.
Step 4 · Crop
Crop a photo.
A non-destructive crop right in the preview.
- In the preview, select the Crop button to start a crop.
- Pick an aspect ratio, then drag the edges or corners to frame the shot. Drag inside the box to reposition it, then select Save.
Step 5 · Deliver
Send the named files.
Hand off straight from Browse — the names ride along in the file.
- Select your photos in Browse, then Send to FTP (⌘U), Export to ZIP (⌘⇧U), or Rename Files (F2) for token-based naming. The names and fields MatchID wrote are already embedded, so they travel with each copy.
- Set up an FTP destination once: Settings ▸ Delivery → + New destination. Enter the host, port, login, and remote path; optional resize and watermark apply on send.
Ready to name a gallery?
GalleryID Desktop runs MatchID on your Mac or PC. Names in the file. Nothing in the cloud.
Download for Mac & Windows