Combining keywords...

[Resoman]

In looking over my long list of keywords, I find that some of them are redundant. In many instances I'd like to combine the photos from two keywords, and then delete the keyword that seems less desirable. How do I do this?
Thanks,
Gary

 

[Linwood Ferguson]

If you go into the library and select all photos, you can use the filter at the top to view the combination of the two keywords (click to select keyword, then select the two you want). Be sure NOTHING else is filtering so you can be sure you have them all. Then use the keyword list on the right (not the filter) to ensure all are coded with the one you want. Select all first (Control-A on windows), look in the Keyword List, and if the left side is a check they are already all coded, if a dash then some but not all are. Click there to turn into a check mark, and that codes them all. Now you can scroll down and delete the un-needed keyword (though you might want to clear things out and check a few by eye first to make sure it worked.

 

[clee01l]

In looking over my long list of keywords, I find that some of them are redundant. In many instances I'd like to combine the photos from two keywords, and then delete the keyword that seems less desirable. How do I do this?
Thanks,
Gary

I understand this a little differently from Ferguson. It sounds like you have Keywords like "apple" and "Apples" that mean the same thing and images assigned to each are needing to be combined into one keyword (e,g, "apple"). The way to correct this is to use the Keyword List panel to find all images Assigned to the keyword "Apples" and bring these up in the Grid view.
Find the keyword "Apples" in the Keyword List panel and click in the arrow to the right of the number count of images associated with that keyword. Once you have the images in the grid, do the following in this order:

1. Select all of the images in the grid of the images that have the keyword "Apples" assigned
2. Check the check box in the Keyword List panel next to the keyword "apple". this will now assign both keywords to all of the images selected in the Grid.
3. With all of the images still selected in the grid view, in the keyword List panel uncheck the the checkbox for the keyword "Apples"
4. Immediately two things will happen. All images in the grid panel will disappear (they no longer have the keyword assigned) and the number count beside the keyword "Apples" will go to (0).
5. When the keyword count says Zero, you can delete the keyword from the Keyword list.

 

[Resoman]

Thanks for the replies -
I tried Cletus' method and it worked splendidly!
Gary

 

[Kiwigeoff]

Gary and Cletus... there is one extra step in your method. You don't need to remove Apples from the files before deleting the keyword. So after you have assigned the keyword you want just right click the other keyword in the list and select delete which will remove it from the files and the keyword list in one swoop.

 

[clee01l]

Geoff, Yes, I understood this when I described the process. If for some reason all of the images aren't selected in the grid when the new keyword is assigned, deleting the Keyword from the keyword list would result in orphaned images. The extra step verifies that the keyword to be deleted is in fact unassigned.