Organizing photos, just a way of tagging, for Windows.
There is no need to retell that we all have a lot of pictures these days.
Nor does it need to be retold that there are many different ways and programs to bring some order to this amount of photos who may come from different sources and can be at different places.
What is being told here is how it could be done using ‘Tagging for Windows’. For help, see the documentation and videos.
We would like to point out that the Windows 10 Photo App can do a lot of preliminary work. You can use this in combination with our Import tool.
Basic Tagging, for Windows
You can look up the photos in the Windows File Explorer and tag them directly using "Tag with". This is also possible for several photos at the same time, the selected photos will then all receive the same tag. With this way of working you automatically build a list of last used tags in the "Tag with" menu. This is useful because you often want to use a previously used tag again. If the tag in question is in the "Tag with" list, it will help you look up again.
This works well for a few photos. It will be different if you want to work a bit more organized. What is the list of photos you want to tag? Which photos have you already processed, which photos still need to be done? How can you tag faster and more directed, through fewer actions?
All these questions are taken into account in the method below. Before you try, make sure all options are on.
Tag them "All" with Tagging for Windows
Create a tag that we call "All" in this example. This tag is used to compose a list of all the photos you want to tag. To fill this list, you can use the Windows File Explorer itself. For example, use windows search to search for photos at different locations or open the folders where you know the photos are present. Select the photos and tag them with the tag "All". In addition to the Windows File Explorer, you can also use our tool ‘Search and Tag’ and search for, for example, all "jpg" files. You can then link the results to the tag "All".
What about "Todo"
Because we want to keep track of which photos we have already processed and the ones yet to be done, we create a tag that we here call "Todo". After we do that we go to the tag "All" in the Windows File Explorer Navigation pane. We now select all photos in the Folder view and tag them with "Todo". At this moment the “Todo” is and exact copy of “All” regarding the links with all the photos.
The idea is that the "Todo" is used from now on. Select this tag in the explorer Navigation pane and the photos will be displayed in the explorer's Folder view. From there the real tagging can start. What exactly we are going to do with the "All" and the "Todo" will follow.
Second screen
It involves many photos and therefore probably also many tags. The "Tag with" list in the context menu shows only the most recently used. That probably isn't convenient enough. Using "More Tags", the tags can be searched again, but that takes a lot of actions. These actions can be prevented by always having the Navigation pane shown in the "More Tags" dialog within reach. This can be done by opening a second Windows File Explorer.
In the image above the left explorer is used for the tags. This relieves the need for the "More Tags" dialogue. The photos are handled in the right explorer. It is now possible to select one or more photos in the right explorer that should have the same tag. After selection, Ctrl + Q can be used. The tag is now selected in the left explorer. Then Ctrl + T is enough to tag the photos. (It can also be the other way around: Select the tag in the left, press Ctrl + Q, select the photos in the right, press Ctrl + T)
Tag using tagged Tags
If you read all of the above for the first time, it is perhaps hard to follow it. But if you work this way for a while, it becomes a lot more simple. Perhaps a little too simple in terms of efficiency. The fact is that the photos can be in all kinds of folders, but the tags can also be located at different locations, making it still time-consuming to navigate towards the correct tags each time.
This can be solved by tagging the tags you want to use. In the example, the tag "Set" is used for this. The selection of tags (it can indeed be more at the same time) can now be done in Tag pane. After the selection has been completed, you can work with Ctrl + T again. Of course this can also be done the other way around.
All minus Todo is Done
One of the first things we did is creating the "All" tag and compose the list of photos. Immediately afterwards, we made a ‘copy’ of this list with the "Todo" tag. We did this to have an overview of the photos that already have been processed and the ones that still need to be done.
First of all, it is useful if the photos for which the tagging has been completed, are removed from the to-do list. This can be done simply by using "Untag". Because we are working from the "Todo" tag in the Navigation pane, "Untag" will remove the "Todo" tag from a photo. The effect is that the photo in question is not shown in the Folder view any more. It is removed from your to-do list.
A smart view can then be made for the photos that are already processed. Add both the "All" and "Todo" to the smart view and set the "All" to be included and the "Todo" to be excluded. This combination of tags will result in all photos done by you.
This smart view is saved here in the example with "Done" as the name.
At once or not at once
The advantage of tagging "All" and "Todo" first is that you don't have to finish everything at once. The processing of the photos can take place at different times. When everything is ready you can choose to remove the tag "All".
Is it the best way? Is it the most easy way? Judge yourself. Perhaps you find another way. Be inspired by using temporary tags like "All" and "Todo", using two Windows File Explorers and using tagged tags.