Interpret recorded camera settings in a discussion

Camera Decision Coach is an optional teaching aid. It explains available recorded camera settings and separates facts from suggested interpretation. You need a local image with readable camera metadata; not every model records every field.

Open and inspect

1. Enable Camera Decision Coach in Plugins if it is included.
2. Select a photograph and open its Preview inspector. Expand the coach accordion, which starts closed, or open the movable carousel palette.
3. Read recorded exposure, camera, lens, and available focus information. Treat unavailable values as missing evidence.
4. Compare the settings with the photograph. Ask what the exposure choices might have helped or limited, while keeping that interpretation separate from recorded facts.
5. If optional pixel diagnostics are desired, configure/enable the required Assistant Engine separately and inspect its availability. Do not assume coach activation alone enables analysis.
6. Close or move the palette when returning to ordinary image review.

Show recorded focus points in the carousel

The core carousel overlay is separate from the optional coach. Open a photograph,
open Carousel settings, and enable Camera Shooting Information + Focus
Points. It starts off and remembers your choice. Older beta builds label this
option Sony Shooting Information + Focus Points; Canon support requires a
build containing the September 13 update.

For supported Canon files, solid rose boxes show recorded in-focus areas. Amber
dashed boxes instead mean selected or primary areas when achieved-focus data is
absent. Read the point-count label and the recorded settings; neither type of box
proves optical sharpness. Sony files retain their supported recorded point.
Changing images updates the overlay. Turn the same checkbox off to hide it.

The overlay does not write to originals or metadata. Missing MakerNotes, invalid
coordinates or an active saved crop can prevent boxes from appearing. Try an
uncropped camera original and check the availability message in Carousel settings.
Native verification covers Canon EOS R6 Mark II JPEGs; other Canon bodies and RAW
formats still need sample testing. This manual update is not an app installer
release.

Use the information responsibly

A recorded autofocus point can show where the camera reported focus, but it does not prove that the subject is sharp or reconstruct the complete autofocus decision history. Shutter-type and anti-flicker fields appear only when the source provides supported information. The coach cannot know the photographer's intention from EXIF alone.

Use the explanation to support an instructor-selected discussion. It does not automatically change a grade, insert feedback, or alter image metadata. If a diagnosis is useful, decide explicitly how to describe it in your own feedback.

Verify and troubleshoot

Compare the displayed camera facts with the file's Info metadata. Test camera-specific overlays with known files before teaching from them. If a field or diagnostic is absent, check metadata availability and the separate provider requirement rather than interpreting absence as a camera mistake. For presentation use Presenter Mode, Draw, or Teaching Pair slides. For saved classroom feedback use Critique Binders.