Labelwell™
Caption ReaderEvery caption, kept with its photo.
Grandma's note on the white border, or the slip tucked beside a photo on an album page, is often the only record of who, where and when. Labelwell reads that writing into each photo's caption, so the story travels with the picture instead of staying in a box.
What Labelwell does
Labelwell reads the handwritten slip beside a print on an album page, the back of a print, and a caption written on a print's white border, and writes it into the photo's caption.
What it writes is a draft. Every photo it captions also gets a keyword, so you can find them all and check the spelling before you deliver. Everything is read on your computer, and nothing is sent anywhere unless you turn on online reading with your own API key.
It comes two ways, with one license for both: the Lightroom Classic plug-in, and a Windows & Mac app that needs no Lightroom and writes the caption into the photo files themselves.
Labelwell in 77 seconds
On screen
Features
Labels, backs and borders
Album label slips, the backs of prints and captions on a print's border. On a print, only writing on plain light paper counts, not a shop sign in the picture.
Made to follow Squarewell
Run Squarewell on album pages first: its “Photo 2 note” copy gets the label's writing, and so does the print beside it.
Fronts followed by their backs
Scan each front and then its back, and the writing on each back goes on its front. A caption the back already has is copied as it is.
Check before it's saved
Each caption is shown beside its photo, 20 at a time, for you to fix any typo before anything is saved. Captions from notes and backs come out in title case, as in Grandma's Birthday at the Lake, however they were written.
Copy to nearby photos
Several photos often share one label. Copy a caption to the photos it belongs on in one step.
Into the file itself
The app writes the caption where Lightroom, Bridge, Photos and Windows show it, and reads each file back to check. The picture itself is never re-saved.
Keys and Stream Deck
Every action has a key: press ? to see them. A Stream Deck or other macro pad can run them too, including Labelwell's Lightroom commands. Ready-made buttons come with Labelwell, one profile for the app and one for Lightroom: press ? and click Add Stream Deck buttons. In Lightroom you can give Labelwell's commands your own keys: click Keyboard shortcuts in Lightroom. The same window can give a key to another plug-in's menu item, such as Negative Lab Pro, by its name.
How it works
In Lightroom Classic
- For album pages, run Squarewell first so each print and label has its own copy. Crop single prints with their border.
- Select the photos and choose Library (or File) > Plug-in Extras > Labelwell: Read captions… (or Labelwell: Read captions from photo backs…).
- Check and correct each caption, then save. Filter on “Check caption” later to review the drafts.
In the app
- Choose a folder or some photos, or paste a folder's path.
- Say what they are: each photo on its own, or fronts followed by backs. Click Read the captions.
- Correct any caption, untick any photo to leave it as it is, and click Save captions.
Step by step for every job: the Labelwell User Guide.
Requirements
- Windows
- Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit). Nothing else to install: Python and the image libraries come with it.
- Mac
- A Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later) and macOS 13 or later. Intel Macs aren't supported.
- Lightroom Classic
- For the plug-in only. The app needs no Lightroom, just a current web browser (Edge, Chrome, Safari or Firefox).
- Files
- JPEG, TIFF, PNG, DNG, HEIC, WebP, PSD and camera raw files. Camera raw files get the caption in an .xmp sidecar beside them, as Lightroom makes.
Price and free trial
- Every feature works free for 21 days on each computer, with no watermark and no account. After that, Labelwell keeps working for 7 more days with a reminder; then it stops reading new captions. Captions already saved stay as they are.
- One license is for one person on up to 2 computers, covers both the app and the Lightroom Classic plug-in, and includes complimentary updates within the major version (a version 1 key works for every 1.x release).
- Your key arrives by email. It is checked on your computer: no account or internet connection is needed to use Labelwell.
- Moving to a new computer? Click “Remove license from this computer” on the old one and enter your key on the new one.
- Also in The Well Tools Bundle: Squarewell™, Spoolwell™, Pivotwell™, Datewell™ and Labelwell™ on one license key for $149.
Windows may show “Windows protected your PC” the first time: click More info, then Run anyway. The Mac download is signed and checked by Apple: open it and double-click the Install app.
Lost your key? · License terms · Refund policy · Questions: info@thepictureorg.com
Questions
My antivirus or Windows blocked the download. Is it safe, and what do I do?
Labelwell is signed by The Picture Org LLC and is safe. Some antivirus programs (Norton, for example) flag any new download that few people have run yet, even a signed one, and the block goes away as more people install it. Windows SmartScreen (“Windows protected your PC”): click More info, then Run anyway. Norton: open Norton, go to Security > History, choose the entry for the download, and click Restore & exclude this file, then run it again. Microsoft Defender: open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Protection history, choose the entry, and click Actions > Allow on device. Other antivirus programs have a similar Restore or Allow choice in their quarantine or history. If you would rather not change a setting, email info@thepictureorg.com and we will send you a zip you can install by hand. We report every false alarm to the antivirus maker so it is cleared for everyone.
How well does it read handwriting?
Handwriting is hard for any computer. On our test labels Labelwell got about three words in four right. Block capitals read best; joined-up writing and faded pencil read worst. That's why every caption is a draft you can check and correct.
Is my writing sent over the internet?
No. Everything is read on your computer. Online reading is optional, uses your own API key, and sends only label slips and photo backs, never a print or the front of a photo.
Do I need an API key?
No. If you want one for the hardest handwriting, the User Guide has step-by-step instructions for Claude, OpenAI and Google Gemini. A chat subscription such as ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro does not include an API key. The cost is on your own account, usually a few cents per thousand labels. A key you saved in Datewell or Sortwell works in Labelwell too.
Do I need Squarewell?
Only for album pages: Squarewell splits each page into one copy per print and per label, and Labelwell reads them. Single prints and photo backs need nothing else.
Will it overwrite captions I've written?
No. A photo that already has a caption keeps it unless you tick Replace captions already written. Edit > Undo takes back a run in Lightroom, and Undo this run in the app.
Is anything sent from my computer?
Only a check for a newer version when Labelwell opens, which fetches a small version list and sends nothing about your computer, your photos or your license key. You can turn it off. If something goes wrong, Create an error log can send a report to us, but only after you have seen exactly what it holds and clicked Send. Online reading, if you turn it on, sends only what is described above, with your own API key.
How do updates work?
Labelwell tells you when a new version is out. Install now downloads it, checks that it carries The Picture Org's signature, and installs it, putting everything back if anything goes wrong. Installing it in the app or in Lightroom updates both. Updates within the major version are complimentary.
Does it work with Lightroom (the cloud version)?
No. Adobe lets plug-ins run only in Lightroom Classic. If you use the Lightroom app, use the Labelwell app on your photo folders instead.
Does it run on an Intel Mac?
No. Labelwell needs a Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later).
More answers in the Labelwell User Guide, or email info@thepictureorg.com.
What's new
Version 1.6.19 7 November 2026
- New: choose your own keys for Labelwell’s Lightroom commands: click Keyboard shortcuts in Lightroom. They keep working however many plug-ins you add.
- The Keyboard shortcuts window can also give a key to another plug-in’s menu item, such as Negative Lab Pro, by its name.
- Lightroom’s Plug-in Manager shows Labelwell’s sections in the same order as our other apps, with Reading online after Check my setup and License last. The Updates message no longer runs off the edge.
- Reading and saving captions for many photos at once is quicker in Lightroom.