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Building a Photo and Video Editing PC, Part 1: CPU and Motherboard
| The CPU and motherboard are the beating heart of your PC build, and picking the right combo is key to building an awesome photo and video editing PC Source: Pixabay, CC0 |
Building your own PC is the best way to get maximum photo- and video-editing performance for minimal spend, but the idea of putting together such a complex piece of tech scares most would-be builders away from even trying.
Fortunately, it’s not as scary as it seems, and to prove it, we’re going to teach you how to build your own creator PC while simultaneously building one ourselves! We’ve partnered with Intel, NVIDIA, MSI, Corsair and Seagate to get all of the parts we need to build a top-tier photo- and video-editing PC for the DPReview offices. And while we’re building ours, we’ll walk you though everything you need to know to plan out and build your own.
The series will be split into six parts:
- Part 1: CPU and motherboard
- Part 2: GPU, RAM and storage
- Part 3: PSU, case and cooler
- Part 4: Monitor and calibration
- Part 5: A step-by-step build guide
- Part 6: Benchmarking our build
Jump to:
Key Specs | AMD vs Intel | Overclocking
Form Factor | Socket and Chipset | Important Features
Today, we’ll tackle the beating heart of a PC build: the motherboard and CPU. With so many choices at such a vast variety of price points, selecting the right CPU and motherboard is probably the most complicated part of any build. It also dictates everything that comes after: the kind of RAM you can use, the number of storage drives you can connect, what sort of cooler you need to invest in, and on and on.
Today, we’ll tackle the beating heart of a PC build: the motherboard and CPU.
Thankfully, if you understand just a few basic details about these two components, it’s pretty easy to find the right parts for your build without spending an arm and a leg on features you don’t need or won’t use.
Choosing a CPU
The CPU, or central processing unit, is the literal brain of your computer. Every time you type a letter on your keyboard, open a photo editing application, or slide the contrast slider in Lightroom, the CPU has to interpret that input and decide how it’s going to fulfill the request.
How exactly it makes that decision is based on many different aspects of CPU architecture and design that we don’t have time to get into. So for our purposes, we’ll focus on the three most important questions you should ask yourself as a creator when shopping for a CPU:
- What are the most relevant specs?
- Should you go with Intel or AMD?
- What is overclocking and should you do it?
Classification, Clock Speed, and Cores
Knowing more is (almost) always better when making a buying decision, but you don’t need to have a degree in Computer Science to pick a CPU that will meet your needs. There are really three specs that you should focus on: where your CPU fits into the Intel or AMD product line, the maximum clock speeds that it can reach, and the number of cores that it contains.
Let’s take these one by one.
Classification: Generation, Family, and Tier
When building a PC, it’s important that you pick a processor that was designed for the kind of work you’re going to be doing, which means choosing a chip that is part of the right generation, family, and tier.
All of Intel and AMD’s consumer CPUs fall into one of three broad processor families:
| Family | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Target User | Amateur and Enthusiast | Enthusiast to Professional | Workstation and Server | Amateur to Enthusiast | Enthusiast to Professional | Workstation and Server |
Each processor family is aimed at a different target market, and the vast majority of photo and video editors will be perfectly happy with an Intel Core or AMD Ryzen CPU. If you’re a professional video editor working with super high-resolution source footage, then Intel Core X and AMD Threadripper are worth considering – since they contain more cores and PCIe lanes (more on these later), a PC with a Core X or Threadripper CPU is generally more expandable and better at tackling complex tasks like video encoding. Unless you’re a professional VFX artist or you’re working in 3D CAD design, you can ignore the Intel Xeon and AMD EPYC lineups entirely.
Each family is further split into different price and performance tiers. Intel’s Core series is split into Core i3, Core i5, Core i7 and Core i9, while AMD’s Ryzen series is split into Ryzen 3, Ryzen 5, Ryzen 7, and Ryzen 9. Similarly, Intel Core X can be had in Core i7 and Core i9 variations, while the Threadripper CPUs are split into three tiers that are embedded in the product number: 3960, 3970, and 3990.
Regardless of processor family, as the number gets higher, the performance gets better and the price increases.
Finally, each year Intel and AMD unveil the latest generation of every processor family. Intel’s Core processors are up to 11th Gen (i.e. Intel Core i9-11900K), Core X is still on 10th gen (i.e. Intel Core i9-10900X) the AMD Ryzen family is up its fifth generation (i.e. Ryzen 9 5900X), and AMD’s Threadripper CPUs are now on their third generation (i.e. AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3990X).
If you’re doing run-of-the-mill photo and video editing, a mid- to top-tier Intel Core or AMD Ryzen CPU is more than powerful enough.
If you’re doing run-of-the-mill photo and video editing, a mid-to-top-tier Intel Core or AMD Ryzen processor is more than powerful enough, and you can probably get away with a slightly older generation if money is tight. Newer generations are pretty much always faster, even if the current gen CPU has the exact same clock speed and core count as last year, but the jump in performance between one generation and the next isn’t always huge.
For the sake of simplicity, we recommend purchasing a CPU that is one of the latest two or three generations at the most, and opting for no less than a Core i5 or Ryzen 5. For Intel, that means a 9th, 10th, and 11th Gen Core i5, Core i7, or Core i9 CPU. For AMD, that means going with a Ryzen 3000, Ryzen 4000 or Ryzen 5000 series CPU that’s Ryzen 5, Ryzen 7, or Ryzen 9.
If you need the extra processing power that comes with an Intel Core X or AMD Threadripper CPU, we’d recommend sticking with the latest generation: Core X 10th gen and Threadripper 3000.
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| Pretty much all modern-day CPUs contain multiple “cores” that can carry out tasks in parallel, allowing the processor to multi-task more efficiently. Source: Intel |
Core Count
Most modern CPUs are split into multiple physical “cores,” each of which can carry out a single operation at a time. The more cores you have the more operations you can carry out at once, making the CPU better at multitasking during heavy workloads.
Furthermore, both Intel and AMD can split each physical core into two “threads,” basically doubling the amount of work the CPU can do by allowing each core to do two things at the same time: one task per thread. On Intel processors, this is called “hyper-threading” while AMD calls this same trick “Simultaneous Multithreading” or SMT.
Whatever you call it, the oversimplified point is that: the more cores and threads a processor has, the more tasks it can carry out concurrently. But there are two catches that are very important.
- More cores generally means a lower clock speed per core, so while you can do more at the same time, each individual core is slightly slower
- Not every application is tuned to take advantage of multiple cores and/or threads
This is where it pays to do a little bit of research on the applications you use most. Pretty much all photo and video editing applications are now capable of taking advantage of multiple cores and threads, but video editors will generally see the biggest boost in performance as the core count exceeds 6 or 8 cores.
For creative work, we would suggest aiming for 6 cores and above.
Clock Speed
The main spec you’ll see plastered at the top of every CPU product page is the clock speed, which comes in two flavors: base clock and boost clock. Clock speed is listed as a frequency in GHz (literally: billions of cycles per second) which is directly correlated to how many “instructions” or tasks a CPU can perform every second.
The base clock speed is the guaranteed number of cycles per second that the CPU can maintain at all times, while the boost clock is a faster speed that can only be maintained for a limited amount of time given enough power and sufficient cooling to keep the CPU from overheating.
Generally speaking, the higher the “clock speed” the faster your CPU and the faster your computer. However, there are a few caveats.
As we mentioned above, more cores usually translates into a lower base clock, sacrificing raw single-core performance for multi-tasking capability. The other main caveat is that newer CPUs are able to carry out more “instructions per clock,” squeezing more performance from the same exact clock speed as older generations. That’s why we recommend only going back a few generations at the most when buying a CPU: any more than that and the gap in performance, even given the same basic clock speed and core count, may start to be noticeable.
Linus Tech Tips did a great explainer about this exact point recently, showing how two AMD Ryzen processors (an older Ryzen 3000 and a newer Ryzen 5000) with the exact same clock speed and core count nevertheless showed a significant difference in performance on various benchmarks.
AMD or Intel
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| There are some key differences between AMD and Intel processors that creators should keep in mind when shopping for a CPU. Photo by Olivier Collet, CC0 |
The second (and by far more contentious) question is: AMD or Intel? In recent years, AMD has pulled ahead in terms of performance-per-watt, releasing some exceptional Ryzen and Threadripper CPUs that are more efficient and offer noticeably better multi-core performance, while Intel has generally stayed ahead in terms of single-core performance, hitting super-high boost clocks in excess of 5.0GHz on their Core i7 and Core i9 CPUs.
As we said above, this is where it pays to do a little research and find out how well your favorite photo- and video-editing applications can take advantage of multiple cores, and how many cores it can realistically tap into. Once you have an answer to that question, you can compare the price-to-performance ratio of 10th and 11th Gen Intel against equivalent Ryzen 4000 and Ryzen 5000 CPUs, and choose the option that looks like the best deal to you.
In recent years, AMD has pulled ahead in terms of performance-per-watt […] while Intel has generally stayed ahead in terms of single-core performance.
Another major difference is expandability. Ryzen CPUs feature enough PCIe lanes to directly power a discrete Graphics Processing Unit, or GPU (16 lanes) and an M.2 SSD directly (4 lanes). Older Intel Core CPUs only featured enough PCIe lanes for the GPU, forcing users to route their NVMe SSD through the motherboard chipset, which means your SSD will compete with other peripherals for bandwidth, potentially slowing things down. The latest 11th gen Core i5, Core i7, and Core i9 addressed this by adding another four lanes to the CPU, essentially catching up to AMD.
| What are PCIe Lanes?PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) is the type of connection or “bus” used by all modern motherboards to link your CPU to other components in your PC. This connection is split into discrete “lanes” that can each carry a certain amount of data (1GB/s per lane for PCIe 3.0, and 2GB/s per lane for PCIe 4.0), and the more expansion cards and high-speed storage you put into your PC, the more “lanes” you’ll need if you want to get the full speed out of every single peripheral all the time.
Every CPU has a discrete number of PCIe lanes available – usually 16 lanes dedicated to the main x16 PCIe slot on your board and (sometimes) 4 lanes that are connected directly to one of the M.2 SSD slots. Once those 20 lanes are used up, any additional PCIe components have to be connected through the motherboard’s chipset, which communicates with the CPU through another 4 dedicated lanes. |
Finally, the last major consideration is Thunderbolt. If you want Thunderbolt 3 connectivity (which provides transfer speeds high enough to drive monitors and external GPUs in addition to just external storage, for example) you pretty much have to go with Intel. There are a couple of AMD-compatible motherboards with their own Thunderbolt controller built in (literally “a couple”, as in two), but unless you’re willing to seriously limit your options, Intel is the way to go for anyone who relies on Thunderbolt peripherals.
To overclock or not to overclock
Finally, there’s the question of overclocking. Overclocking is pushing more voltage to an “unlocked” CPU to try and push it past its rated clock speed, and it’s only possible if both your CPU and your motherboard support it. If you’re going to overclock, you’ll also need a beefier cooling solution, because pushing more voltage to your CPU means generating more heat.
Generally, we do not recommend overclocking your CPU, especially if you’re building your first PC. The process itself isn’t too difficult given a compatible CPU and motherboard, but it’s not without risks. You risk lowering your CPU’s lifespan or even bricking it if something goes horribly wrong, and even if you do everything right, you could lose the so-called “silicon lottery” and end up with a CPU that simply doesn’t overclock very well.
Our recommendation? Take the extra $100 you were going to spend on a more powerful cooler and overclocking-compatible motherboard, and spend it on a slightly more powerful processor instead. Buying a more powerful processor and running it at stock is usually the wiser (if less “sexy”) choice, especially given the guaranteed ‘turbo boost’ clock speeds that both AMD and Intel’s high-end CPUs are able to reach these days.
Choosing a motherboard
If the CPU is the brain, the motherboard is the rest of the nervous system: it connects your CPU to every other component in your PC, and it’s critical that you pick a motherboard that is a) compatible with your CPU, and b) includes all of the features you need to get the most out of the parts you’ve purchased.
Before we dive in, here’s a helpful graphic that highlights some of the most important components and connections you’ll find on a modern-day motherboard:
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| The layout of the standard motherboard, with common components labeled. Source: Intel |
We won’t dive into every component, nor are they all listed above, but the most important parts are:
- The CPU socket – where the CPU plugs into the motherboard and is locked into place
- The M.2 Connector – where modern, high-speed M.2 NVMe solid-state storage is attached.
- The PCIe slots – where you will connect expansion cards that need to communicate a lot of data with the CPU. This includes your GPU, high-speed network cards, video capture cards, and more. Full-width slots are known as x16 slots, but there are also x1 slots and (more rare) x4 slots that can be used with cards that don’t have to send and receive as much data.
- The RAM slots – where you will place your RAM sticks, or DIMMs. Most standard motherboards come with four slots, which are split into two channels. Smaller motherboards might only include two slots, each with its own channel.
You don’t need to understand how all of the above works in order to find a motherboard that suits your creative workflow. If we boil it down to the basics, there are really three main questions you need to ask yourself:
- What size/form factor works best for you?
- Are the “socket” and “chipset” compatible with your CPU?
- What specs and features should you prioritize?
Choose your form factor
Three standard sizes of motherboard make up the vast majority of your options: ATX, micro-ATX, and mini-ITX. ATX is the largest at 305 x 244mm (12 x 9.6 in), micro-ATX is a little bit smaller at 244 x 244 mm (9.6 x 9.6 in), and mini-ITX is an even smaller form factor at 170 x 170mm (6.7 x 6.7 in):
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| The three main sizes of motherboard are ATX, Micro-ATX, and Mini-ITX. Larger boards come with more PCIe slots, a larger port selection, and other features, but they make for a bulkier build. Source: Intel |
Mini-ITX builds are all the rage these days because they’re so incredibly compact, allowing you to build a powerful PC inside a very small case that can comfortably sit on top of your desk. The trade-off is that you’re going to give up some expandability, it’s harder to build and cable-manage inside of a compact case, and you’re probably going to pay a bit more for fewer features.
You don’t need to understand how all of the above works in order to find a motherboard that suits your creative workflow.
Most Mini-ITX cases come with only two RAM slots and a single x16 PCIe slot, which will probably be taken up by your graphics card. Further expansion is out of the question.
For most creatives, and especially first-time PC builders, we would recommend going with either an ATX or Micro-ATX motherboard for your rig. The improved expandability is really nice if you want to add a high-speed network card or more RAM later on, and though it requires using a larger case, it will be easier to build in, and larger motherboards are usually better suited for high-performance workflows.
Match the socket and chipset to the CPU
Once you’ve picked a form factor, the next thing you have to get right is picking the socket and chipset that fits your CPU. Intel and AMD CPUs use different sockets (the physical platform that your CPU plugs into on the motherboard) and each generation of CPU will only work with certain “chipsets” (the “silicon backbone” that connects your CPU to every other component in your PC).
Both of these parts are critical. There’s no way to work around it if you buy a motherboard with the wrong socket or an incompatible chipset: you’ll just have to buy a new one and hope that someone on eBay wants yours (or that you bought from somewhere with a great return policy).
We’ve created the table below to guide you in choosing a motherboard with the right socket:
| CPU | Generation | Compatible Socket |
|---|---|---|
| Intel Core | 8th and 9th | LGA1151 |
| 10th and 11th | LGA1200 | |
| Intel Core X | All Generations | LGA2066 |
| AMD Ryzen | All Generations | AM4 |
| AMD Ryzen Threadripper | 1000 and 2000 | TR4 |
| 3000 | sTRX4 |
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| The “socket” is where the plugs into the motherboard. If you don’t pick a compatible socket, your CPU literally won’t “fit” in your PC. Source: Intel |
Picking the right chipset is a bit more complicated. Every CPU is compatible with only one socket, but most CPUs are compatible with multiple chipsets that vary in terms of both features and price. For example, the latest Intel processors are compatible with motherboards that use the Z590, H570, B560, or H510 chipsets, while the latest AMD Ryzen CPUs are compatible with motherboards that use the X570, B550, or A520 chipsets.
Generally speaking, lower letter chipsets like A- B- and H- are more affordable, with fewer features, while the Z- and X-series chipsets are aimed at power users who want the latest features, better components, and overclocking control. This is a wild oversimplification, but it should get you started as you do your research.
If you buy a motherboard with the wrong socket or an incompatible chipset, there’s no way to work around it. You’ll just have to buy a new one.
Start by exploring the various options on AMD and Intel‘s websites, pick two compatible chipsets that seem like a good fit for your needs, and then read a few reviews and comparisons online before you pull the trigger. If you want to double-check that compatibility isn’t an issue, use a tool like PC Part Picker that will check the compatibility for you. Even if you don’t buy from them, it’s a good double-check to ensure everything is compatible before you drop $100-300 on a fancy paperweight.
PCIe 4.0, Thunderbolt, and high-speed networking
Once you’ve narrowed down your choices by finding a compatible socket and chipset, you’ll want to take a close look at the specs to make sure that the actual branded motherboard you’ve landed on includes all of the features you’ll need, or enough expandability to support them. This includes everything from Thunderbolt support, to high-speed networking, to sufficient I/O.
Each chipset includes a maximum number of USB ports, SATA connections, etc. that it can support, but that doesn’t mean every motherboard that uses a particular chipset will include every single option. For example, the latest-and-greatest Intel Z590 chipset supports up to 37 USB ports of various types, but there isn’t a single motherboard that includes all 37. That would be … interesting.
The most important features for creatives to consider are: PCIe 4.0 support, Thunderbolt support, and high-speed networking.
If you go with an AMD Ryzen 3000 or newer or an Intel 11th generation CPU, your processor supports PCIe 4.0, which is twice as fast as the previous PCIe 3.0 standard, but you need a motherboard/chipset that supports it as well. You probably won’t see a huge benefit right now, but it acts as a buffer, giving you more options in the future as more and more high-speed devices take advantage of this new standard.
Next up is Thunderbolt support. Many high-end photo and video editing peripherals are Thunderbolt only, making this a must-have for many creative pros. For now, Thunderbolt support is still limited to more expensive, high-end boards. It’s also limited (almost) exclusively to Intel boards. But we’re keeping our fingers crossed that the merging of Thunderbolt 4 into the USB 4.0 spec means TB4 support for a wider variety of motherboards at a wider variety of price points in the very near future.
The most important features for creatives to consider are: PCIe 4.0 support, Thunderbolt support, and high-speed networking.
Finally, high-speed networking isn’t super important for the everyday user, but 2.5Gbps, 5Gbps, or even 10Gbps networking can be a huge benefit if you’re a photo or video professional who wants to work directly off of network attached storage. The more common 1Gbps ports built into many modern motherboards are great if you’re just backing up your work, but if you’re merging massive panoramas, putting together time-lapse films, or editing high-resolution video, you’ll very quickly run into a bottleneck.
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| If you choose the right combination of CPU and motherboard, you’ll end up with a PC that’s blazing fast, highly expandable and future proof. Photo by Rafael Pol, CC0 |
Final thoughts
Of all the components inside your PC, the CPU and motherboard are probably the most important and the most complicated. Believe it or not, we’ve only covered the bare bones minimum in this article: offering just enough information so that the first-time builder who wants a PC for photo and video editing can purchase their first CPU and motherboard with confidence.
That said, there’s always more to know and learn. If you like geeking out about this stuff and want to dive deeper before you start building, check out some popular YouTube channels like Linus Tech Tips, Gamer’s Nexus, and JayZTwoCents, or visit some of the great PC hardware sites out there like Tom’s Hardware and PC World.
Finally, if you enjoyed this simple guide to picking a CPU and motherboard for your creator PC build, stay tuned! In part 2, we’ll talk about navigating the confusing world of GPUs, RAM, and storage solutions, and how to pick a good combination of the above for creative work.
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Canon EOS 20D and 17-40mm F4 L lens | ISO 100 | 3.2 sec | F4
Photo: Dale Baskin |
The December edition of the Editors’ Photo Challenge is open for submissions! Our theme this month is ‘Happy Holidays’.
Whatever holiday tradition inspires you – Christmas, Hanukkah, Boxing Day, Kwanzaa, Festivus, or something else – show us what the holiday season looks like through your lens. Whether it’s colorful lights, dazzling decorations, festive gatherings, or just a cozy moment, we want to see your best holiday season photos.
This challenge is open to photos taken at any time. Photos must be submitted by Saturday, December 7 (GMT).
Visit the challenge page to read the full rules and to submit your photos for consideration.
Also, don’t forget to check out some of the other open and upcoming photo challenges hosted by members of the DPReview community. Or, see some of the great photos from recently completed photo challenges.
Open challenges:
- The Triumph (closes Dec. 4)
- Close-up/Macro – Bugs (2024 Shots Only) (closes Dec. 5))
Upcoming challenges:
- A Big Year 2024 (opens Dec. 2)
It’s 21 years since we reviewed the Olympus E-1, arguably the only successful attempt to develop a digital SLR from first principles, rather than trying to adapt what had come before. As part of our 25th Anniversary celebrations, we look back at the E-1 as one of the most significant cameras of the past 25 years.
In the early days of digital photography the large number of photographers already heavily invested in film lenses put pressure on companies to continue their existing systems, even though ‘full-frame’ sensors that matched the film format they were designed around were prohibitively expensive for most photographers.
The Four Thirds system was an attempt at a clean slate design, with the intention of developing a new set of lenses designed to suit digital sensors, and built around a sensor chosen because it had a good performance-to-price ratio, not to match the arbitrary dimensions of cinema film stock adapted for photography in the early 1900s. It was a decision that would also allow smaller lenses, particularly at longer focal lengths.
The first open system: the Four Thirds timeline
- Feb 2001: Kodak and Olympus enter patent sharing agreement
- May 2001: Olympus confirms DSLR concept with Type 4/3 sensor
- Sep 2001: Kodak and Olympus announce “Four Thirds” system with Fujifilm participation
- Jun 2003: Olympus reveals E-1 5MP Four Thirds DSLR
- Nov 2003: DPReview reviews the first Four Thirds camera
- Feb 2004: Panasonic, Sanyo and Sigma join Four Thirds
The Four Thirds initiative was started by Kodak and Olympus, with the two companies settling on a 5MP Type 4/3 (17.3 x 13mm) CCD sensor. This sensor size and the use of the 4:3 aspect ratio common in most early digital sensors give the system its name.
They also announced it would be an open standard, with other companies welcome to join, a decision that prompted Fujifilm to announce its interest, followed by Sanyo, Sigma and Panasonic, some seventeen months later. For a while it looked like a critical mass might coalesce, finally bringing about the long dreamt-of common mount, allowing complete interoperability between multiple brands.
In the meantime, although later than the initially suggested Feb 2002 launch date, Olympus developed the E-1, a high-end magnesium alloy DSLR with a 100% viewfinder and that 5MP Four Thirds CCD at its heart. Announced alongside five lenses in mid 2003, the original press release highlights the ‘Supersonic Wave Filter’ sensor shake system that shook dust off the sensor as solving “a problem that has long been an Achilles heel of … digital SLRs.”
Unfortunately, in his review, Phil highlighted that the Olympus couldn’t offer either the speed or the resolution that were typically expected of a camera with the E-1’s stated professional ambitions. This was made more stark by its $2199 original price tag (albeit with a ‘street price’ well below that), at a time when Canon’s 6MP EOS 10D would set you back nearer $1500.
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| It took the more affordable E-300 model for the Four Thirds to really find its audience. By the time the E-330 arrived, two years later, Kodak was out of the picture. |
It took 2004’s 8MP E-300, with its much more attainable price point (around $1000 with kit lens) for Four Thirds to really find its audience.
By 2006 Panasonic and Leica were alongside Olympus spearheading the system, with each brand releasing variations of technologies co-developed by the two Japanese companies, including “Live MOS” sensors from Panasonic, rather than Kodak. The Olympus E-330 and Panasonic L-1/Leica Digilux 3 were some of the first DSLRs to offer live view, with the E-330 including a more sophisticated/complex implementation. You don’t have to squint very hard to see the beginnings of the first mirrorless camera, which Panasonic would introduce just two years later.
Despite a broadly sound initial concept, one challenge of the use of a smaller-than-film sensor in a DSLR was that the viewfinders were often quite small and dark (because the sensor size defines the size of the camera’s mirror, which in turn puts a limit on how large or bright you can make an optical viewfinder).
This was resolved with the move to a mirrorless design and the creation of the Micro Four Thirds system, built around the same Type 4/3 sensor format and a lot of technology developed during the Four Thirds era. Perhaps fittingly, the final Four Thirds camera was a direct continuation of the original E-1 line, with the system being officially discontinued 18 months later.
With this in mind, it might seem odd to call a system with a span of just over seven years between the launch of its first camera and its last a success, but I’d focus more on the groundwork it laid. Twenty-one years after the launch of the E-1, the Four Thirds sensor format is still very much with us, and you can trace a direct line from the first all-digital DSLR project to the mirrorless cameras that dominate the ILC market today, even if both Kodak and Olympus have now exited the photography market.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award
A few weeks ago, The Natural History Museum, London, announced the winners of its 2024 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards for 2024. Now, it needs your help to select the winner of its 2024 Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award.
The 25 finalists for the People’s Choice Award were selected from 59,228 entries from 117 countries and territories. Members of the public can cast their vote for the award until January 29, and the winning image, along with four runners-up, will be announced in February. Here, we present the 25 finalists for this year’s award.
If you’re a wildlife photographer and want to enter your own images in the 2025 competition, you can find information on the competition’s website. However, act quickly: you have until December 5th to submit your images.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London.
Wolf Pack
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Wolf Pack by Arvind Ramamurthy, India
Members of an Indian wolf pack pause briefly as they play in fields in Bhigwan, India.
Indian wolves were once found all across India. Now, their number has dwindled to as few as 3,000. Living so close to humans poses many risks. Farming has fragmented their rolling grassland habitat, and feeding on cattle carcasses puts them at risk of disease. But Indian wolves are hardy animals. With better grassland management and protection, they could make a strong comeback. Arvind was photographing this pack playing in the grassy fields. One of them came and sat down at the edge of the agricultural crop, and one by one, four others joined it. They paused for a few seconds before they ran off again, playing and chasing one another.
Copyright Arvind Ramamurthy / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Icy Repose
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Icy Repose by Sue Flood, UK
A dramatic blue-grey sky highlights the soft greys of a Weddell seal as it rests on an ice floe.
Sue watched this Weddell seal from aboard a rigid inflatable boat in Neko Harbour of the Antarctic Peninsula. So as not to disturb its peaceful slumber, Sue used a long lens to record this serene portrait. Weddell seals’ large bodies are covered in a thick layer of blubber. This keeps them warm above and below the icy waters of the Southern Ocean.
Copyright Sue Flood / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A Good Scratch
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A Good Scratch by Mark Williams, UK/Canada
A beluga whale rubs its underside on a shallow river bottom to exfoliate its skin.
Mark took this image in a remote inlet along the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic. Hundreds of beluga whales come here to socialize and exfoliate in the shallow water. The passage is also a safe haven, away from the predatory orcas. Belugas are extremely sociable mammals. They live, hunt and migrate together in pods that can range from quite small into the hundreds. Nicknamed ‘the canaries of the sea’, they produce a series of chirps, clicks, whistles and squeals that Mark found otherworldly.
Copyright Mark Williams / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Scanning the Realm
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Scanning the Realm by Aaron Baggenstos, USA
A puma stands on a windswept outcrop in the rugged mountain terrain of Torres del Paine National Park, Chile.
It is a symbol of hope. A successful conservation movement led to the creation of the national park and a rise in ecotourism in the region. This has also helped to reduce conflict between pumas and local gauchos (sheep farmers). The gauchos view pumas more positively because they’re attracting tourists, which is good for income. The introduction of sheepdogs has also helped. The dogs confront any approaching pumas and stop them attacking the sheep. In turn, the pumas hunt their natural prey, and the gauchos are less likely to shoot them. The change has been gradual but has gained momentum over the past 20 to 30 years. There is hope that humans and pumas can live alongside one another.
Copyright Aaron Baggenstos / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Aspen Shadows
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Aspen Shadows by Devon Pradhuman, USA
Four grey wolves cross a minimalist landscape of naked aspens and snow in Yellowstone National Park, USA.
It was early spring in the Lamar Valley, and this pack was in search of its next meal. Watching from a distance, Devon saw them heading towards this patch of aspens and thought it would make a compelling image. The wolves walked right past these trees and then continued to follow the tree line, eventually disappearing over the hillside.
Copyright Devon Pradhuman / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Evening Song
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Evening Song by Christian Brinkmann, Germany
A singing Eurasian songbird is silhouetted against a backdrop of colorful fairground lights in Münster, Germany.
During a popular fair in Münster called the Send, an interesting atmosphere arose behind the castle. The evening mood was gentle, and Christian had singing birds on one side and party music on the other. In front of the fairground lights, this Eurasian blackbird posed for its song. Although blackbirds are a common sight, Christian likes to photograph them in distinctive ways. Here, the silhouette of the bird set against a colorful backdrop gives the image an artistic flair.
Copyright Christian Brinkmann / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Sneak Attack
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Sneak Attack by Erlend Haarberg, Norway
A polar bear cub attempts an underwater surprise attack on a northern fulmar.
In the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, a walrus carcass had attracted a female polar bear and her two cubs. But one of the cubs was more interested in playing in the water than eating. The cub was having fun diving under the water and resurfacing, playing with the seaweed and kelp. The northern fulmar resting on the surface of the water awakened the cub’s desire to hunt. Erlend watched as it attempted several underwater surprise attacks on the bird, only to fail each time. Play hunting like this is essential learning for a young bear. Eventually, it will have to survive in the Arctic without its mother.
Copyright Erlend Haarberg / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Slap Shot
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Slap Shot by Savannah Rose, USA
A beaver cocks its tail before slapping it down on the water to alert its family to a newcomer.
Savannah enjoys photographing North American beavers in this pond in Jackson, Wyoming, USA. As she approached the shoreline, a beaver cruised cautiously by after emerging from its lodge. It cocked its tail up and brought it down with a resounding crack. Savannah had been trying to document this dramatic beaver behavior for years. Beavers use tail smacks to alert their family group to a newcomer. Despite the theatrics, beavers usually relax quickly after discovering the newcomer doesn’t pose a threat.
Copyright Savannah Rose / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Togetherness
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Togetherness by Ivan Ivanek, Czech Republic
A striking pair of red-shanked douc langurs are seen mating in the forests of the Sơn Trà peninsula in Vietnam.
Known for their bright red ‘stockings’, these primates are found only in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. The species is critically endangered because of habitat loss, hunting and the illegal pet trade. After days observing the area, looking for evidence of the monkeys, Ivan managed to find a small group. Late one evening, he saw these two mating. Compared to other species of monkey he’d seen mating, it was an unexpectedly gradual and graceful affair!
Copyright Ivan Ivanek / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Concert in the Forest
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Concert in the Forest by Vincent Premel, France
A Surinam golden-eyed tree frog puffs out its cheeks as it prepares to call for a mate.
The first rains come in French Guiana after a long dry spell. They’re a release for all wildlife, but especially for amphibians. When it rains, the ponds fill with water. Dozens of species descend from the canopy or come out of the ground. They’re here to lay their eggs in the water, in an event called ‘explosive breeding’. The density of individuals is hard to imagine. It made for a special night for Vincent, who is both a herpetologist and a photographer. The call of the Surinam golden-eyed tree frog is so powerful it can be heard hundreds of meters away.
Copyright Vincent Premel / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Snuffling Sengi
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Snuffling Sengi by Piotr Naskrecki, Poland
A rarely seen four-toed sengi forages for food among the leaf litter in Mozambique.
Sengis mainly eat insects and look for their prey at dusk and dawn. They rely on a combination of good vision and excellent sense of smell to find food. Piotr watched this sengi over several weeks in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique. It followed the same network of trails every day, looking for beetles and other tasty morsels among the leaf litter. Sengis are extremely shy and skittish, so Piotr set up a remote camera to photograph the little creature sniffing for food.
Copyright Piotr Naskrecki / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Whiteout
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Whiteout by Michel d’Oultremont, Belgium
A stoat sits up and observes its territory as it blends perfectly into a snowy landscape in Belgium.
Michel had been looking for stoats in the snow for many years. The magic of snowfall fascinates Michel every winter. He wanted to take a photograph that showed how the stoats blend in with the whiteness of the landscape. He’d seen a few in Switzerland but never in his native Belgium. Then, finally, his dream came true. He lay in the snow with a white camouflage net covering all but his lens. This curious stoat came out of its snowy hole and sat up from time to time, observing its territory just before setting off to hunt.
Copyright Michel d’Oultremont / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Earth and Sky
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Earth and Sky by Francisco Negroni, Chile
A double lenticular cloud is illuminated at nightfall by the lava emitted from the Villarrica volcano, Chile.
Villarica is in the town of Pucón in the south of Chile. It’s one of the country’s most active volcanoes, and last erupted in 2015. Francisco takes regular trips to Villarrica to monitor its activity. On this visit, he stayed nearby for 10 nights. He says every trip is “quite an adventure – never knowing what the volcano might surprise you with”. Some nights are calm, others furious, as in this photograph, where the brightness of the crater illuminates the night sky.
Copyright Francisco Negroni / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Fallen from the Sky
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Fallen from the Sky by Carlo D’Aurizio, Italy
A collage of dead butterflies and moths trapped by the surface tension of the water floats in a stream in Italy.
It was a summer morning in the San Bartolomeo Valley in the Majella National Park, Italy. Carlo had visited this small stream many times. He expected to see the graceful flight of butterflies and dragonflies along it. He never thought he would find such a still life, a sad collage of dead insects calmly floating in the water. It hadn’t been particularly hot, and there hadn’t been any storms in the previous days. To this day, Carlo has no explanation of why the insects died.
Copyright Carlo D’Aurizio/ Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Spiked
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Spiked by David Northall, UK
A bloodied yet determined honey badger returns to finish off a Cape porcupine, which earlier had tried to defend itself.
Found throughout Botswana, honey badgers are famously ferocious. They often chase animals many times their own size. This honey badger got an unpleasant surprise when it attacked the normally nocturnal Cape porcupine. The badger grabbed the porcupine’s right leg. In defense, the porcupine repeatedly backed into its attacker, piercing it with many quills. During a lull in the attack, the porcupine managed to shuffle away, its leg badly damaged. After a short retreat, the bloodied badger returned. It finished off the porcupine under a bush close to the original attack, then dragged it into its underground den.
Copyright David Northall / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Unsold
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Unsold by Jose Fragozo, Portugal
A young cheetah cub hisses while waiting to be sold in Ethiopia.
Captured from her home plains in the Somali Region, she was transported for several days on the back of a camel to the northern coast of Somaliland. Illegal wildlife trafficking is a problem in the Somali Region. Farmers catch and sell cheetah cubs to traffickers, claiming that the cheetahs attack their livestock. Sometimes, the farmers and traffickers cannot sell the cubs immediately. The bigger the cheetahs get, the harder it is to find buyers. Some end up being killed and their parts sold, their bones shipped to Yemen and then to other Asian markets. They are then sold as tiger bones and used to make Chinese bone wine. After hissing at the camera, the cub started chirping, calling out for its mother.
Copyright Jose Fragozo / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Annoying Neighbor
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Annoying Neighbour by Bence Máté, Hungary
A European roller defends its territory from a bemused-looking little owl in Kiskunság National Park, Hungary.
The little owl and the European roller are very different birds, but their nests and feeding requirements are similar. This means they sometimes breed near each other. The male roller makes a sport of annoying other birds that stray into its breeding area during the short mating season. It makes a surprise ambush, flying at full speed behind them. To catch such a fleeting scene, Bence spent 27 days watching from a hide. The little owl seemed nonplussed by the spectacle.
Copyright Bence Máté/ Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Curious Connection
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Curious Connection by Nora Milligan, USA
A chimpanzee pauses and looks down as its family moves across the forest floor of Loango National Park, Gabon.
On a trek through the forest, Nora’s guide signaled for the group to stop near the bank of a swamp. They heard the call of a chimp first, then the leaves around them started to rustle and a group of chimpanzees appeared. This family is called the Rekambo group. A group of researchers from the Ozouga Chimpanzee Project is studying them. Nora couldn’t believe her luck when they started to climb the nearby trees. As she peered through her viewfinder, a large male paused and looked down at them. The chimp craned its neck forward and its eyes seemed to widen, as if to get a better look.
Copyright Nora Milligan / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Meeting in the Marsh
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Meeting in the Marsh by Michael Forsberg, USA
A disguised biologist approaches an endangered whooping crane in Louisiana, USA.
Michael has been chronicling the lives of endangered whooping cranes since early 2019. The biologist acted with cat-like quickness to check the bird’s health and change a transmitter that was no longer working. The transmitter helps biologists track these non-migratory birds and learn more about them. This experimental population was reintroduced in Bayou Country in 2011. In the 1940s there were roughly 20 whooping cranes in the region. Since then, numbers have climbed to over 800.
Copyright Michael Forsberg / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
The Brave Gecko
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The Brave Gecko by Willie Burger van Schalkwyk, South Africa
A giant ground gecko stands fast against a pale chanting goshawk in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa.
One hunting strategy of the southern pale chanting goshawk is to walk or run on the ground in pursuit of prey. Willie watched as the little lizard put up a brave fight against its large attacker. Unfortunately, there was no hope of survival, but Willie was impressed by the gecko’s bravery.
Copyright Willie Burger van Schalkwyk / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Forest Dreams
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Forest of Dreams by Samuel Bloch, France
A northern giant petrel sits on its nest at the edge of a rātā tree forest on Enderby Island, New Zealand.
Northern giant petrels are large seabirds. They’re used to flying above the waves for weeks without encountering land. Samuel was surprised to find this one in such a woody environment. Like many other seabirds, it breeds on islands where there are fewer predators. Samuel took this image from a distance and left quickly to avoid disturbing the bird.
Copyright Samuel Bloch / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Edge of Night
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Edge of Night by Jess Findlay, Canada
A ghostly barn owl exits the hayloft window of a derelict barn to hunt fields outside Vancouver, Canada.
Combining high-speed and long-exposure photography in a single exposure required a technical setup. First, Jess quietly watched the owl for several nights to understand its habits and plan the shot. He then set up an invisible beam that would trigger a flash when the owl flew out of the barn. Simultaneously, a slow shutter speed gathered ambient light cast on the clouds and barn to complete the scene. On the tenth night, all the moving parts came together as the owl left to begin his hunt.
Copyright Jess Findlay / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
No Access
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No Access by Ian Wood, UK
An ambling Eurasian badger appears to glance up at badger graffiti on a quiet road in St Leonards-on-Sea, England, UK.
Residents had been leaving food scraps on the pavement for foxes. But Ian noticed that badgers from a nearby sett were also coming to forage. After seeing a badger walking along the pavement by this wall late one night, he decided to photograph it. He set up a small hide on the edge of the road to take his picture. Only the light from a lamppost illuminated the creature as it ambled along, seemingly glancing up at the badger graffiti just in front of it.
Copyright Ian Wood / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Drifting Dinner
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Drifting Dinner by Noam Kortler, Israel
A decorator crab perches on top of a sea squirt to comb the water for drifting plankton.
Noam took this photograph during a night dive off Komodo Island, Indonesia. The sea squirt provided the crab with the perfect stage to feed on drifting plankton. The crab had camouflaged and armed itself with tiny hydroids known as Tubularia. These can sting other animals and so helped protect the crab from predators. Noam watched the crab gracefully search for food, illuminated by the camera flash as if in a spotlight center stage.
Copyright Noam Kortler / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
The Arrival
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The Arrival by Brad Leue, Australia
Floodwaters that have traveled for months surge towards an enormous salt lake in South Australia.
Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre is Australia’s largest inland lake and one of the world’s largest salt lakes. Photographing from a helicopter in strong winds was quite a challenge for Brad. As well as the floodwaters, a dust storm was blowing and rain was falling on the horizon. Floodwaters had traveled more than 1,000 kilometers (1,600 miles). They’d surged steadily from Queensland towards South Australia. Timing was imperative to photograph this once-in-a-decade natural event. Brad’s image shows the water channeling steadily down Warburton Groove. This is the final stretch before entering the mighty lake. On their journey, the waters bring new life to this remarkable desert system and its rare and threatened wildlife.
Copyright Brad Leue / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
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