Sideline builds Photo Mechanic roster files in seconds, uses AI to write newsroom-ready captions for you, and delivers live galleries to clients while the game is still in progress. More time shooting. Less time at your laptop.
Create Photo Mechanic code replacement files in seconds from our database of 1.6 million athletes – from high school to the pros.
AI writes captions in AP, Getty, or Imagn formats to your images as they ingest — ready for your editor.
Go from camera to client in seconds with beautiful web galleries that update in real-time – no need to run your own server.
Trusted by world-class photographers from these leagues and organizations
Sports photography moves fast. Your workflow should, too.
Building roster files, writing captions under pressure, then scrambling to deliver. It's slow, tedious, and pulls you away from the action.
Until now.
Sideline handles all of it – roster files in seconds, AI captions in newsroom-standard formats, and live galleries that update in real time.
One platform, zero hassle. All for less than you're paying now.
A better sports photography workflow awaits.
Learn how Sideline's AI helps you caption sports photos faster—saving you time, stress, and late nights.
Point Sideline to a Photo Mechanic code replacement file so it understands players and teams. Don't have a roster file? Sideline's Roster Manager can create one for you.✨
Every caption matches the style your publication expects. Whether you need AP, Getty, or Imagn, Sideline delivers captions that are ready to publish instantly.
From player recognition to publish-ready metadata, Sideline includes everything you need to streamline your sports photography workflow.
Stop wasting time manually writing captions. Sideline watches your ingest folder and automatically generates professional captions in the background for every image as they're ingested.
Configure once, then let Sideline handle the rest. Captions are written directly to your images' metadata, so they're ready when you import into your image editing software.
When every minute counts, Sideline ensures you never miss a deadline. Images are captioned in seconds, giving you more time to shoot, edit, and upload.
Sideline is 12x faster than manual captioning – reducing captioning time from
30 seconds per image
to just
~2.5 seconds per image.
You'll save time every game and deliver results faster.
Sideline Captions
"Sideline cut my postgame workflow from two hours to 20 minutes. I used to dread captioning, but now I just have Sideline do it for me. My clients think I hired an assistant."
Michael K.
Freelance Sports Photographer
From player recognition to publish-ready metadata, Sideline includes everything you need to streamline your sports photography workflow.
Sideline keeps rosters organized for the teams you photograph most—so Photo Mechanic code replacement files are always just seconds away.
Caption Review gives you full control to check, edit, and approve every caption—without jumping back into Photo Mechanic.
Go from camera to client in seconds with fast, secure galleries—no FTP server configuration needed.
"I used to use PicPortal to send images to clients, but then I found Sideline. Code replacements, captioning, and live galleries all in one app? I just canceled my PicPortal account. The value Sideline offers is insane."
— Joshua Chayer, Freelance Sports Photographer
AI captioning, roster management, caption review, and automation—now native to Windows.
See why sports photographers of all levels are falling in love with Sideline.
Covering live events
Handling multiple sports
Who need to deliver on deadline
Who needs faster captioning
Start for free and choose the plan that works for you.
Save 17% with yearly billing
Get 500 AI-generated captions for free, plus a 2-week free trial of Sideline Live
Choose the plan that's right for you.
Save more when you pay yearly.
Perfect for covering a single event or testing before subscribing.
Explore frequently asked questions about Sideline.
Can't find what you're looking for? Reach out.
Sideline delivers newsroom-standard captions out of the box, including AP, Getty, and Imagn styles—so every frame is ready for the publications and wire services you work with most.
Sideline connects to your Photo Mechanic code replacements text file, so it already knows the rosters of the teams you're shooting. As soon as new images land in your watch folder, it matches images against those names, understands the play, and writes professional captions automatically.
Sideline runs quietly in the background, captioning every image as it hits your ingest folder. Since Sideline uses JPG previews ~0.25MB in size (even with RAW files), the average image takes ~2.5 seconds to caption.
Yes. Set Sideline to watch your ingest folder and it writes captions straight to every file’s metadata. Sideline writes captions to industry-standard IPTC metadata files, so it can be used with any editing software you already use.
Yes. Sideline's Roster Manager has more than 1.6M players from over 110,000 teams across 250+ leagues from high school to professional sports. Have multiple photographers? You can easily export rosters to to share with your team.
Absolutely. Sideline understands 13 popular sports out of the box, including tennis and horse racing, and you can feed it as many rosters as you need—perfect for athletic departments, freelancers, and wire shooters covering multiple teams.
Sideline’s FTP mode watches a remote FTP server. When new images are added, Sideline downloads and captions them automatically, so when you come in from halftime, your images are ready to edit and publish.
Of course. Captions are written directly to the IPTC metadata, so you can review or fine-tune them directly within Sideline, Photo Mechanic, Lightroom, or any editor you already use—Sideline simply does the heavy lifting for you.
Sideline's free trial gives you 500 AI-generated captions – no credit card required. It’s the fastest way to see Sideline in action on a real assignment before upgrading to lifetime access. For a full list of features available in a free trial, see the pricing section.
Yes, Sideline is subscription-based software. However, we do offer a lifetime license for $249 for those who prefer to buy the software once and own it forever.
Sideline Captions requires macOS 15.0+. While it can work independently, it is designed to be used in conjunction with Photo Mechanic software for the best experience.
Sideline is macOS only for now, but we are actively working on a version of Sideline for Windows. We hope to release it in early 2026.
Roster Files. AI Captions. Live Galleries.
Join the pros using Sideline to streamline their workflow and deliver professional results in minutes.