Another keyword question.

[Malcolm_fl]

When I first started using Lightroom I didn't have the option ticked to write meta data to a sidecar file, I subsequently lost a lot of editing and keywords when the catalogue corrupted and the back up wouldn't work, I now have several thousand images without keywords, obviously I can find these with the use of the smart collection "without keywords", the problem is the second you put ONE keyword in it naturally disappears from the smart collection, is there a quicker method of locking this picture until I have entered all the keywords needed? other than the painfully slow method of right clicking and selecting "Go to folder in library" doing the edits then going back to the smart collection for the next one.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Hal P Anderson]

While you're in that smart collection, go to Grid view and hit Ctrl-A to select everything. Then create a "dumb" collection with the "Include selected photos" box ticked. Then do your edits in that collection. Delete it when you're done. You can always re-create one when you need it.

 

[Tony Jay]

Malcolm, there are a couple of ways to get around that annoying occurrence you have observed:
The first is to create a Smart collection as you have described.
Then keyword everything in the smart collection with a keyword such as "@notkeyworded".
(The ampersand "@" at the beginning is just to put right at the top of the keyword list - and therefore easy to find.)
Obviously the smart collection then empties but not to worry!
Create another smart collection with a single criterion: the presence of the keyword "@notkeyworded".
Now when additional keywords are added the images remain in this collection as long as you need them to.
When images are keyworded satisfactorily just deselect the keyword "@notkeyworded", either individually or as batches, as appropriate, and those images drop out of your collection.

A second method starts the same with creating a smart collection using the "without keywords" criterion as before.
Now do a CMD-A or CTRL-A to select all the images in that smart collection and simply place them all in a dumb collection.
Now, working in the dumb collection, keyword images to your hearts content.
Once they are satisfactorily keyworded manually deselect them, either individually or in batches.

With newly imported images an easy way to get the keyword "@notkeyworded" applied to all the new imports use a metadata preset (like you would for copyright etc) but just add the keyword to the keywords section (right at the bottom of metadata presets dialog).

Either works but the first method is a bit more elegant.

Let me know how you go!

Tony Jay

I see Hal has been busy - a variation on method #2!

 

[Malcolm_fl]

BRILLIANT!!
Thank you Tony, that will solve my problem completely.

 

[Malcolm_fl]

Thank you Hal.