Group photos in collections
A collection is a hand-picked group of photos that cuts across folders: a portfolio, a client selection, a print list. A photo can be in many collections. A collection holds no files, only references, so removing a photo from one never touches the photo.
Make a collection
Section titled “Make a collection”- In the Collections section of the left panel, click + and choose New Collection….
- Type a name.
To tidy a long list, choose New Collection Set… instead. A set is a folder for collections, and it can hold other sets. Right-click a set and choose New Collection Here… or New Collection Set Here… to build inside it. Sets are only for organizing; you can’t put photos in a set directly.
Add photos to a collection
Section titled “Add photos to a collection”- Select photos and choose Image › Add to Collection…. Pick a collection in the list, or pick New Collection… at the top to make one and fill it in a single step.
- Or drag photos from the grid or filmstrip onto a collection in the left panel. The collection under the pointer is outlined.
A collapsed stack goes in whole.
Click a collection to see its photos. To take photos out of it, select them there and choose Image › Remove from Collection. They stay in the catalog and in your other collections.
Rename and delete
Section titled “Rename and delete”Right-click a collection or set and choose Rename…. Delete on a collection asks first and leaves its photos in the catalog. Delete Collection Set moves its collections to the top level and its inner sets up one level.
A new, renamed or changed collection is a catalog step you can undo with Image › Undo. Deleting a collection or a set can’t be undone.
The Quick Collection
Section titled “The Quick Collection”The Quick Collection is a scratch pile that every catalog has, for photos you want to deal with in a moment: send to a friend, compare later, export together. Add photos by selecting them and pressing B (by default), by clicking the dot that appears on a thumbnail, by turning on the switch in the info panel’s Rating & Labels section, or with Image › Quick Collection. The same again takes them out. Open it under Images in the left panel.
It stays as you left it until you change it. To empty it, open it, choose Image › Select All, and press B.
Copy a collection to another catalog
Section titled “Copy a collection to another catalog”See Copy collections between catalogs.
Technical details: collections and virtual copies
A virtual copy made while you view a regular collection joins that collection. A merge result joins every regular collection its source frames are in. Collections are stored per catalog. The Quick Collection is a flag on each photo, so it is not copied when you transfer a collection to another catalog.