Searching the image library or a Smart collection

[WesternGuy]

Lightroom Version Number

Classic CC - version 8.0 [ 1193777 ]

Operating System

1. Windows 10

If I am working in an application such as Word, I can do a "Find" for a specific word or phrase and it will find the first incidence of the word/phrase. When I press the <Find> again, it will find the next one and so on throughout the document. When it shows the "Found" word/phrase, I can also see all the text around the it - the found word/phrase is shown in the context of where it is in the document, rather than simply as an isolated sentence or word group in the document. I am hoping I am making myself clear.

I want to know if there is a similar approach to "finding/searching" in Lightroom Classic CC (latest version). For example, if I go through a Smart Collection of say 1000 images and mark the ones I am interested in with a flag (maybe 100 images), can I then do the same sort of "find/search" of the Smart collection for "flagged" images and instead of just getting a collection of those flagged images, the search shows me the first one with all the images around it, i.e., the context of where the image is found within the Smart collection. The reason I ask, is that when I go through the collection, I flag the raw image that I am interested in, but there maybe a number of "associated" images, e.g., a jpg, a couple of copies, maybe a psd from Photoshop, a TIF from a plugin, etc. I don't want to have to flag all the associated images, rather just the raw image, but when I do the find/search, I want to see all the associated images as well. Currently, if I do a search for flagged images, I simply get a compilation of only the flagged images with no context of where they are in the Smart collection.

I do hope what I am trying to do is clear. Any insight that anyone can give me will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

WesternGuy

 

[Johan Elzenga]

If you select a number of images and then you go to ‘All Photographs’, the selection remains intact. Same if you use a filter, select all the filtered images, and then remove the filter again. Now you can use the cursor keys to move from one selected image to the next, while seeing all the images (so also the non-selected ones).

 

[WesternGuy]

Johan, thanks for your reply. I am not sure I understand your response, perhaps because my question was not explained very well. maybe if I try again.

I have a Smart Collection let's call it "Flowers". and in this collection there are 3500 pictures, established from my complete image library using the "Smart collection" criteria that one of the key words is "flower". This collection would like something like -

I1 I2 I3 I4 I5
I6 I7 I8 I9 I10
.
... I200.CR2 I200.jpg I200.tif I200.CR2(Copy 1)
.
I3496 I3497 I3498 I3499 I3500

Embedded in this collection are, let's say 50 images that I have flagged as being of further interest and that image 200 is one of them. Further assume that for this image there are four copies as shown - I200.CR2, I200.jpg, I200.tif and I200.cr2 copy1. In my review of the 3500 images, I have flagged I200.CR2, but not the other 3. Just like I noted in my example for Word previously, I want to search the 3500 images and when I find a flagged image like Image 200, I also want to be able to see all four of the images associated with it. I want Lightroom to show me where it is in the Smart collection and not just a collection of "flagged" images.

For example, if I was searching the previous paragraph in Word for the word "flagged", Word would show me the first example as shown in italics, then when I continued the search, it would show me the second example as shown in the second one in italics. Continuing on, I would find the third example as shown in italics. I would not simply get a list of the three examples of the word "flagged" at the top of my screen display which would tell me that it (Word) found three examples of the word "flagged", but this would not tell me where they are in the document. The current search/find function in Word shows me the word "flagged" and the context of where it occurs in the document.

Right now in Lightroom, if I searched for flagged examples in my Smart collection, the result would be a display of only the images that are flagged and that is not what I want. Like Word, I simply want Lightroom to show me not only all occurrences of a flagged image, but also where it occurs in the Smart collection and then I can page through the Smart collection and find the flagged documents and the images around them. Right now, I am beginning to believe that Lightroom does not provide this same kind of "search/find" functionality as it simply goes out and "finds" all the images that match a specific criteria as shown in the Library Filter bar and displays them for me. If this is the case, then I will have to go back and find the flagged images that I have already found and then flag any related images around them, While this will be useful to some extent, it is not as useful as I would like it to be.

I hope this helps to explain the functionality that I am looking for. Maybe this functionality is not there. If not, maybe I should submit a request for something like this to Adobe. I would find it useful and maybe others would.

WesternGuy

 

[Johan Elzenga]

I think I understood you perfectly, and I think I gave you the answer. So here it is again:
1: Search for flagged images in the smart collection (by using a filter on flags),
2: Select all flagged images (cmd-a or ctrl-a).
3: Disable the filter again.
That will give you a selection of flagged images, displayed within the entire smart collection. By using the cursor keys you can ‘jump’ from one selected image to the next.

 

[WesternGuy]

Johan, thank you for the very explicit steps in this operation. It is appreciated, however, I must be doing something wrong as I do not seem to be able to get this process as you have outlined it, to work for me. However, with a little bit of help from the Adobe folks, I did discover that if I use the <CTRL> key together with the right and left arrow keys, that your process does work and that I can page back and forth between the selected images.

WesternGuy

 

[Johan Elzenga]

John R. Ellis doesn't work for Adobe either. He gave you the exact same solution as I did. The left/right cursor key (without Ctrl) should work when you are in grid view, at least it works for me.

 

[Hal P Anderson]

at least it works for me

Me, too. Windows 10, LR 8.0

 

[prbimages]

Yes, left and right arrows work for me too, both with and without the Control key.

Interestingly, the Library Module Shortcuts help screen lists both "Control + Left Arrow" and "Control + Right Arrow" but doesn't mention "Left Arrow" or "Right Arrow", perhaps indicating that, for some reason, using the Control key is the preferred method?

 

[Hal P Anderson]

There are times that you need the Control key. For instance, if you are in the Crop tool, you need the Control key to move to the next image. Ctrl-arrow always works, but just Arrow works most of the time.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

There are times that you need the Control key. For instance, if you are in the Crop tool, you need the Control key to move to the next image. Ctrl-arrow always works, but just Arrow works most of the time.

Correct, but if you read what the OP wanted to (be able to) do, then it's clear he wanted to go through the selected images in the library grid (while seeing non-selected images as well). That's why I don't understand why he claimed that the arrow keys didn't work, but Ctrl-arrow keys did work. They should both work.

 

[Hal P Anderson]

Johan,
I agree. I was responding to prbimages's post.