How to Auto-Stack Photos by Capture Time in Lightroom Classic

Let capture gaps separate the groups

Lightroom Classic can group photographs based on the time between exposures. A short gap works well for fast bursts while a longer gap can collect a bracket, focus stack or night-sky sequence.

Select the photographs you want to organize, open the stacking menu and preview different time gaps. Watch the number of stacks change until the groups reflect how you worked in the field.

Match the gap to the subject

There is no universal setting. Wildlife bursts may need only a few seconds while a Milky Way stack can span several minutes. Start narrow, inspect the groups and expand the gap only when related frames remain separated.

Use stacks to make better selects

Collapse the groups for a cleaner library, then open one sequence at a time. This turns a crowded grid into a series of smaller decisions and makes it easier to compare focus, gesture and timing.