Organize Photos With Tags and Collections

with Don Schechter

Transcript: Organize Photos With Tags and Collections

Hi, I'm Don Schechter for About.com Computing. Today I'll show you how to organize your photos using tags and collections in Photoshop Elements.

Delete Unwanted Photos

First, open Photoshop Elements, and click on the View and Organize icon. If there are any pictures you want to delete while you're organizing, right-click and choose 'delete from catalogue.'

A confirmation window will appear. If you want to delete that photo from your computer as well, click the checkbox. I still want it on my computer, just not in my catalogue, so I'll just click 'OK.'

Add Tags to Photos

Adding tags to your pictures makes them easy to find. On the right side of the screen there's an Organize toolbar. Select 'Tags,' if it isn't already selected.

You will see a list of default tags that you can use for your pictures. I'll go ahead and tag my favorite photos by dragging the icon to the photo and dropping it.

Now you can add a caption below your picture. If you email this picture, the caption is now part of the file and will also be emailed.

Under the Favorite tag, you can also choose different star ratings for your photos. Under the People tag, you'll notice tags for friends and family. Use the other tags according to your preferences.

Select Categories for Photos

I have a lot of pictures of skies, so I am going to make a separate tag for the sky photos. Go to 'new' under the Organize sidebar, and click 'new tag.' You can now select a category; I'll choose 'Places.' I'll name the tag 'Skies.' And you can also add a note, if you'd like.

The icon will be the first picture you place the tag on. You can edit the icon later, if you wish. Now I can look at just the sky pictures by clicking the box next to the tag.

Organize Photos by Collection

A collection is a more general way to label pictures. I would use this feature when I import pictures from an event to keep them grouped together.

Click on 'Collections' at the top of the Organize sidebar. Now click 'new' and select 'new collection.' I am going to create a collection for all my vacation pictures. Click 'OK' after you name your collection.

Now I'll drag the vacation icon to all of my photos that belong in that collection. To view all the photos in a collection, click the box next to the icon in the Organize sidebar. To go back to the catalogue with all your photos in it, click 'back to all photos.'

Thanks for watching. For more information, please visit us online at computing.about.com.

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