BERLIN: Apple’s Photos app on the Mac is a powerful means of sorting and managing large libraries, with built-in tools that make images easier to find.
Once imported, pictures are automatically sorted by date and time. If you want to track down photos from specific days of a trip or particular places, click the small i icon at the top right (keyboard shortcut Cmd+i) to open the info panel.
At the top you will find the Add Title field. Enter a title for one or more photos, then use the search box with the magnifying glass to find them by that text.
You can title single images or batches. First select the pictures you want, then apply a clear, descriptive title.
You can also right-click to add selected photos to a new album with a meaningful name. Albums can be shared with family and friends via iCloud.
Smart keywords for similar subjects
If you don't always want to see every image from one event but rather pictures with similar themes and content, keywords are the way to go.
Use the Add Keyword field and be creative. Try typing "dinner" and "friends." To get more specific, you can even try adding the make or model of a certain car as an additional keyword.
Sort pictures by place
Many smartphone camera apps, including on iPhone, can record location with your photos. If so, that data usually appears in Photos. If your camera does not add it, or you prefer not to record it by default, you can add it later. Again, start with a click on i.
Under Assign a Location, type a city, country, address or even a specific landmark. Photos’ built-in geodatabase allows precise placement in many countries. For example, you can pinpoint the cliff railway station building in the Welsh town of Aberystwyth.
Adding titles, albums and keywords takes time, especially with years of digital memories, but it pays off because everything becomes easier to find.
Photos also includes on-device image analysis. Type what you are looking for into the search box with the magnifying glass. Cats, mountains, trees, buildings and more are often detected well enough to narrow things down for further sorting. – dpa
