How can I find photos that aren’t in any Lightroom 5 collection?
Asked 8/20/2013
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2 answers
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In Lightroom 5, I’ve manually added many photos to collections and want to check whether I missed any. Is there a way to create a Smart Collection that shows photos not already included in at least one collection?
I know a keyword-based workaround would work, but I’d prefer a cleaner solution that updates automatically if possible.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
2
If you want a Smart Collection that will automatically update, you're on the right track. Set the rule to "does not contain" or "does not start with" and for the value use:
a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,j,k,l,m,n,o,p,q,r,s,t,u,v,w,x,y,z,0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9
If for any reason you doubt whether the above has really worked, you can manually check using these steps:
- Shift+Click to select all your collections
- Ctrl-A to select all the images in those collections
- Move to the Library Panel, click on "All Photographs"
- Edit > Invert Selection.
Originally by user4191. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user4191
12y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Lightroom 5 doesn’t have a direct Smart Collection rule for “not in any collection.” A practical workaround is to make a Smart Collection based on collection names: set the collection criterion to does not contain (or does not start with) and enter a list covering likely collection-name beginnings, such as:
a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,j,k,l,m,n,o,p,q,r,s,t,u,v,w,x,y,z,0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9
This can act as an automatically updating proxy, assuming your collection names start with letters or numbers.
To manually verify what’s missing:
- Shift-click to select all collections.
- Press Ctrl/Cmd+A to select all photos in those collections.
- Go to All Photographs in the Library panel.
- Use Edit > Invert Selection.
The inverted selection will show photos that are not in the selected collections.
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