Collections, tags and search

The Collections and search section gathers the ways to group and find your files. Its left-hand list has four parts: Collections, Smart collections, Tags and Saved searches. Choosing an item shows its files in the grid, with the same inspector as the Library section.

Every deletion (collection, tag, search) is confirmed, and none touches the files.

Collections

A collection is a grouping you put together by hand. A file can belong to several collections.

• Create: the + button next to “Collections”, or, from a selection in the grid, Add to collection › New collection with selection….
• Nest: right-click a collection, New sub-collection….
• Add files: select them, then Add to collection in the selection bar.
• Remove files: in the collection, select them, then Remove from collection…. The files stay in the library.
• Rename or Delete collection…: right-click. Deleting a collection also deletes its sub-collections; the files stay.

Smart collections

A smart collection updates itself: each time it opens, it holds the files that match its criteria.

1. Click + next to “Smart collections”.
2. Name it and choose its criteria: text and where to look for it, minimum and maximum rating, label, flag, tag, capture date (after, before).
3. Save collection.

A smart collection needs at least one criterion: without one, it would hold the whole library. Right-click, Edit rule… to change its criteria.

Tags

A tag is a free label, shared by the whole library.

• Tag files: select files, then Add a tag… in the selection bar, and type the tag name (created if it does not exist); or, in the inspector, the “Add a tag” field.
• See a tag’s files: choose it in the Tags list, which shows how many files carry it.
• Rename or Delete tag…: right-click. Deleting a tag removes it from every file.

The keywords of an imported Lightroom catalog become tags (see Import a Lightroom catalog). A tag is not an IPTC/XMP keyword: keywords written in files are edited in the metadata editor (see EXIF and XMP metadata).

Quick search

The field above the grid (“Name, title, keyword…”) filters the source shown as you type:

• each word is searched as a word beginning: oise finds “oiseaux”;
• several words must all be present in the same file, each in any of the fields searched (below): venise léa finds the file “Venise-1962.jpg” titled “Léa au Lido”;
• accents and case are ignored;
• the search covers the path and name of files, their titles, descriptions, keywords and creators, their indexing (who, what, where, when, how, why; see Indexing), and what the analysis recognised in the photos (objects, text read in the image) when it has been run (see Faces and similar photos);
• a word of the thesaurus also finds its synonyms and narrower terms: birds finds the files tagged “Oiseaux” or “Gull” if “Oiseaux” is a synonym of “Birds” and “Gull” one of its narrower terms. The other words typed still narrow the search.

The filters (rating, flag, label) add to the search.

Advanced search

The Advanced search button opens a sheet of criteria:

• Text, and Search in: Everywhere, File names or Metadata;
• rating (At least / At most n ★), label, flag, tag;
• Folder (an imported folder, or All folders);
• capture date, After and Before.

Search shows the results; in the Collections and search section, they appear under “Search › Results”. Reset clears the criteria. Catalog refuses a start date later than the end date, or a minimum rating above the maximum rating.

Saved searches

In the advanced search sheet, name the search, then Save search: it appears under Saved searches and runs again with one click. Right-click:

• Edit search…;
• Make it a smart collection;
• Delete search… — only the saved criteria are deleted.