## Welcome to Photos Workbench

This help document can always be accessed from the Help menu.

Disable the option to Show Help on Launch once you are familiar with Photos Workbench.

### Overview

Photos Workbench is a companion application to Apple Photos. Photos Workbench helps you organize, rate, and compare your photos.

#### Batch Change Titles

Descriptive titles make your photo collection "readable." A photo titled "Hawaii vacation 2022 - Maui #018" is much more telling than "IMG_9781.jpg". Photos Workbench takes the effort out of naming your photos.

Batch rename photos. Include date, camera make and model, image dimensions, and custom counters.

Learn more….

#### Keyword Sets & Keyboard Shortcuts

Keywords are a potent and flexible tool to file and organize photos. When used wisely, keywords will allow you to find all photos made at a "wedding," all "outdoor" photos, or all "outdoor" "portraits" shot at a "wedding." Adding keywords is an investment in your photo library that will pay off later.

Ready-made keyword sets maximize the benefits you'll get from keywords: these keep your keyword vocabulary concise and consistent. Customizable hot keys allow you to set and remove keywords with the press of a key.

Learn more….

#### Star Ratings

Use star ratings to classify photos by their relative quality or relevance. Star ratings translate to keywords in the Photos application.

Within Photos Workbench, the stars help you identify the photos you liked best. You can, for example, filter albums to see only the top-rated photos.

Learn more….

#### Locations: Map & GPS Coordinates

Photos Workbench makes adding location information to your photos easy. Location information will allow Apple Photos to show your images on a map. It will help you to look up photos that you did not otherwise file or tag.

Photos Workbench has a large map where you can drag and drop photos onto the location where they were taken. Geocode photos in bulk using a track log from a GPS device or app.

Learn more….

#### Compare Photos

Photos Workbench helps you pick the best photos: it shows you photos in pairs. At every step, you only need to decide which of the two photos you prefer. You will quickly find the best shot in a series of photos.

Learn more….

#### Organize

With Photos Workbench, you can file photos into albums, move photos between albums, and find misfiled photos.

Learn more….

### Getting Started

Photos Workbench lets you browse and organize your Photos library.

#### Select Photos Library

Use the Apple Photos application to import photos into your Photos library.

Photos Workbench uses the most recently used Photos library. This may not be your System Photos library.

You can use the Apple Photos application to switch to a different library.

1. Quit the Photos Workbench application
2. Quit the Photos application
3. Hold down the Option key and double-click the Photos icon in the Applications folder (or click the Photos icon in the Dock) to open Photos
4. In the Choose Library dialogue, select the library you want to use, then click Choose Library
5. Open the Photos Workbench application

#### Overview

The left sidebar lists your Albums, Smart Albums, and Shared Albums.

The center area shows the photos in the selected album. Choose between a Grid or List view. Use the toolbar buttons or View menu items to sort and filter photos.

Note: You cannot change the sort order of the Library and Recents collections. You cannot sort photos in smart albums. Photos Workbench uses the same sort order as Apple Photos. You may thus use the Apple Photos application to arrange photos in smart albums. In Photos Workbench, you can sort and manually rearrange photos in regular albums. Use this in combination with Batch Change Titles to add meaningful numbers to your photo titles.

The Info sidebar sits to the right of the main viewer. It shows information about the selected photos. You can rename individual photos, add photos to favorites, assign a star rating, and edit keywords.

Note: You cannot edit metadata for photos in shared albums.

Below or above the main viewer, you can find tools to edit keywords and locations. Reveal the Keywords Palette or the Geocoding Map using their respective toolbar buttons.

Double-click a photo to view it in Single mode. Use the left and right arrow keys to navigate the photos in the current collection.

Typically, the current collection is your selected album in the left sidebar. You can also select multiple photos in the Grid or List views and double-click one to switch to Single mode with a collection restricted to the selected photos. The limited selection helps when comparing photos.

Use the Compare mode to pick the best photo in a series. Select the photos you want to compare and use the View > Presentation > Compare menu item to switch to the Compare mode.

## Batch Change Titles

Descriptive titles make your photo collection "readable." A photo titled "Hawaii vacation 2022 - Maui #018" is much more telling than "IMG_9781.jpg". Descriptive titles will also help you find photos.

The Change Titles option in Photos Workbench lets you assign titles in batches and yet give each photo an individual title.

Start in List or Grid view to select the photos you want to rename. Sort or arrange the photos in the order you want them to be named.

Click the Change Titles button in the toolbar. Choose one of two methods for renaming your photos: Name Format or Find & Replace

In the bottom left corner, you can see the current and new titles for one of the photos in your selection. Use the arrow buttons to move between photos and preview each photo's new title.

### Name Format

With the Name Format option, you set up a format for all selected photos to follow. A format comprises text you type and tokens that can provide values like date, time, camera make and model, image dimensions, or a sequence number.

For example: "{Year Created} - {Month Created} {Camera Model} #{Counter}" can translate to "2021-12 iPhone 13 mini #863"

Click the three dots to insert tokens into the name format. Tokens show a blue background.

Some tokens have options. These show an arrow. Click a token to reveal its menu of options. For example, a "year" token will let you choose between a two- and a four-digit year number.

Use the gear menu to pull up and save name formats. Select Manage Presets to edit and organize your saved name formats.

Name formats that include a counter allow you to specify a start value for the counter. The first photo in your selection will be assigned that start value.

Note: Add your photos to an album where you can sort and manually rearrange photos. The photos are renamed and numbered in the order you have set.

### Replace Text

With the Replace Text option, you can change photo titles by replacing text in the current titles. Photos Workbench will work from the original file name for photos with no title.

Enter the text you want to find and the text you want it to be replaced with. You can

You can, for example, replace the IMG_ prefix with a more telling name.

## Set Photo Locations

Use the Geocoding Map to place photos at the location where they were taken.

Click the Locations button in the toolbar to reveal the Geocoding Map.

Pins mark the locations of the selected photos. You can grab and move individual pins to adjust the location of a particular shot.

#### Options

The gear button offers the following options:

- Proceed to the next image after setting location
- Automatically center the map on selected photo

Both are enabled by default.

When you click the Set Photo Location button, Photos Workbench will, by default, automatically select the following image.

When you select a photo, Photos Workbench will show its location on the map and, by default, center the map on that location.

### Drag and Drop

Drag and drop lets you add location information with close to no effort: Drag a photo from the main viewer and drop it onto a location on the map.

In Grid and List mode, you can drag multiple photos to assign them to the same location.

### Incremental

The incremental method achieves the highest possible precision in manual geocoding.

This method takes advantage of the fact that the distance traveled between two photos is often rather short and easy to retrace. Once you have determined the location of the first photo, you only need to make incremental adjustments to geocode subsequent photos. It takes but a nudge to the map and a click for each photo.

Crosshairs mark the location at the center of the visible map. Click the Set Photo Location button to apply that location to selected photos. Click the Center Map on Photo button to move the crosshairs to the location of the selected photo. The crosshairs follow the map center as you move the map.

#### The Incremental Workflow

- Select the first photo in a series. If the image has location information, the map can jump to that location
- Drag the map to adjust the location of the crosshairs
- Click the Set Photo Location button to apply the adjusted location to the first photo
- Select the next photo. Unless that photo has location information, the map will remain at the previous location
- Make the adjustments needed to reflect the distance traveled between the two photos
- Click the Set Photo Location button to apply the adjusted location to the second photo
- Repeat to apply locations with incremental adjustments to a series of photos

#### Options

Enable the proceed to the next image after setting location option for Photos Workbench to automatically select the following image after you click the Set Photo Location button.

Disable the automatically center the map on selected photo option to prevent Photos Workbench from adjusting the map position when you come upon a photo that already has location information.

### GPS Geocoding

A GPS track logger records where you have traveled. A track log is a list of times with one record added every few seconds. For each record, the log notes your GPS position in latitude and longitude coordinates. GPS track loggers come in the form of dedicated devices, an optional feature of a GPS device, or an app on your phone.

Photos Workbench can use GPX track log files to assign locations to photos taken along the recorded route. GPX is a standard format. Most devices use a proprietary file format that you will have to convert to GPX.

Photos Workbench can geocode your photos by matching the times on your photos to the times in the track log.

Photos Workbench thus needs to know when you took the photos. The GPS track log has exact times. Your camera does not. The camera clock may be off or may have been set to a different time zone. Photos Workbench takes an educated guess at your camera clock settings. It then asks you to check and correct the settings.

#### Camera Clock Settings

Photos Workbench shows you the first photo in your selection. Next to it, it shows the date and time the photo was taken. Use the arrow buttons to locate a photo for which you know exactly when you took it. You can prepare for this by taking a photo of your watch or cell phone at the start of the trip.

Confirm or correct the date and time shown next to the photo. The adjustments will apply to all selected photos.

Note: Photos Workbench will not actually change the times on your photos. It uses the adjusted times only to match the photos to the GPS track log.

Double-check your settings using the map. Once Photos Workbench can match the current photo to the track log, it drops a red pin onto the map. Check that this matches the location where you took the photo. Use the arrow buttons to check the locations of a few more photos.

Note: With incorrect settings, Photos Workbench may not be able to match the photo to the track log. No pin will show on the map. Instead, a message above the map explains why it could not match the photo to the track log.

#### Photo Location

Rather than telling Photos Workbench when a photo was taken, you can tell it where you took the photo. Photos Workbench will work backward from the GPS recording to determine the exact date and time.

Use the arrow buttons to locate a photo for which you know exactly where you took it.

Next, find that spot on the GPS track log. Click the red line that marks the track log. Photos Workbench will drop a purple map pin. Next to the pin, you will see the exact date and time you passed at that point. The time is expressed in the time zone you have selected above. Click the camera button to match the image to the track log. Photos Workbench will know that the current photo was taken at that place and time.

#### Geocode

Once you have confirmed the clock settings, click the "Geocode" button to apply locations to all selected images.

### Copy-Paste

Copy and paste location information from one photo to other photos taken at the same location.

In Grid and List mode, right-click or control-click photos to bring up the context menu. From the menu, select Copy Location.

Select the photos you want to apply the location onto, bring up the context menu, and select Paste Location.

The context menu also has the option to Clear Location from the selected photos.

## Compare Mode

Compare Mode helps you pick the best shots in a series or the best version of the same photo.

The key is to compare photos in pairs. In Compare Mode, you see two images side-by-side and pick the best one. Keep that photo and compare it to the next candidate. Continue until you have seen each photo and have compared it to the best one so far.

While comparing photos, you can apply star ratings to achieve a more fine-grained classification. You can also mark favorites, add keywords, and edit titles.

To enter Compare Mode, select the photos you want to compare and choose View > Presentation > Compare from the menu.

The main viewer will show two photos side-by-side.

- On the left is the Pick: the best photo seen so far. The hero shot
- On the right is the Candidate: the photo you want to evaluate against the pick

When you judge the candidate as better than the current pick, you promote the candidate to become the new pick. The candidate moves over to the pick side, and a new candidate appears. In this way, you can quickly and easily advance through a large group of photos, comparing them against each other to find the best one.

- Make Pick : promote promote the candidate to become the pick. Keyboard shortcut: ↩
- Accept Pick : exit compare mode. Your current pick remains selected. Keyboard shortcut: ⌘-↩
- Next Candidate : view the next candidate. Keyboard shortcut: →
- Previous Candidate : view the previous candidate. Keyboard shortcut: ←

In Compare mode, the Info sidebar shows information for the currently selected image: either the pick or the candidate. The current selection has its label - "Pick" or "Candidate" - highlighted. Click either label to toggle the selection.

You can use the sidebar to edit the selected photo's title, assign a star rating, add the photo to favorites, or edit its keywords. Likewise, the Keyword Palette and keyword keyboard shortcuts apply to the selected image.

## Keywords

Keywords are descriptive words assigned to images. These can be a potent and flexible tool to file and organize photos. When used wisely, keywords will allow you to find all photos made at a "wedding," all "outdoor" images, or all "outdoor" "people" shots taken at a "wedding."

Adding keywords is an investment in your photo library. It takes effort and pays off later. Photos Workbench aims to minimize that effort. Ready-made keyword sets maximize the benefits you'll get from keywords: these keep your keyword vocabulary concise and consistent.

You can also apply keywords to images based on your future intentions. For example, you can flag images you intend to "share." A smart album in Photos can then collect these images. Again, Photos Workbench can help you mark images with but the press of a key.

### Edit Keywords

The Info sidebar shows the keywords for the currently selected photos. Keywords shared only by some of the selected photos show a lighter blue background than those shared by all.

Photos Workbench will suggest existing keywords as you type. While you may want to stick to the existing "vocabulary" and select from that list, you can continue typing to add new keywords.

Keywords added or removed from the list are added respectively removed from all selected photos.

### Keywords Palette

Photos Workbench provides groups of related keywords in sets you can easily select and use. You can select a keyword group whenever you need it, and you can create your own keyword groups that include keywords you frequently use.

The buttons in the Keyword Palette display the keywords in the selected keyword group.

Select View > Show Keyword Palette from the menu or click the Keywords toolbar button to reveal the Keyword Palette below the main viewer.

A pop-up menu in the palette lets you switch between preset keyword groups. Select Edit Buttons… to edit and manage keyword groups.

You can cycle through preset groups by pressing the ⌃-, (comma) or ⌃-. (period) keyboard shortcuts.

Click a button in the keyword palette to add the keyword to the selected photos. Hold the shift key as you click to remove the keyword.

Photos Workbench will confirm the change by briefly showing a notification with the name of the keyword.

The first eight buttons of the keyword palette respond to the keyboard shortcuts ⌃-1 through ⌃-8 as well as ⌃-⇧-1 through ⌃⇧-8 to add or remove keywords. Hold the ⌃ to reveal the shortcuts.

Note: The keyboard shortcuts may not show when space is tight.

You can type a new keyword in the Add Keywords field and press Return ↩ to add it to the selected Photos. Press Shift-Return ⌃-↩ to remove the keyword.

### Keyword Shortcuts

In Photos Workbench, you can set up single-key shortcuts for keywords. For example, you can set the "s" key to add or remove the "Share" keyword to your photos. As you browse and evaluate photos, you can decide which images you plan to share and toggle the "Share" keyword with the press of the "s" key. Photos Workbench will confirm the change by briefly showing a notification with the name of the keyword.

You can access the Keyword Manager by selecting View > Manage Keywords from the menu. Use the Keyword Manager to add, remove, and rename keywords from your Photos library. You can also assign shortcuts. These are shared with the Photos application.

In Photos Workbench, you can enable or disable keyword shortcuts as needed. Toggle the shortcuts by selecting View > Enable Keyword Shortcuts from the menu.

## Star Ratings

Use star ratings to identify your best photos and to classify images by their relative quality or relevance. Ratings range from 1 star (worst) to 5 stars (best).

Star ratings translate to keywords in the Photos application. Within Photos Workbench, the stars help you identify the photos you liked best. You can, for example, filter albums to see only the top-rated photos.

Rating images is thus a quick and easy way to narrow down the number of images you intend to work with or share.

### Rating workflow with multiple passes

One method to assess the relative quality of photos is to rate the photos in multiple passes. In the first pass, decide if a photo is bad (1 star) or at least acceptable (2 stars). Then have Photos Workbench show you only the photos rated two stars or better. Find the better photos and rate these with 3 stars. Change the filter to see only 3-star photos. Again, find and upgrade the rating of the better photos. Repeat to find the very best (5 stars) photos.

### Rating photos in Compare mode

Compare Mode helps you pick the very best shot in a collection of photos. It has you compare photos in pairs. While doing so, you may want to keep track of the runner-ups or find photos that have qualities in their own right. You can award star ratings to the two photos you are comparing. For example, before promoting a candidate photo to become the pick, you can award the current pick 4 stars: it had almost made the top spot.

## Additional Tools

You can use Photos Workbench to browse and organize your Photos library.

Photos Workbench can show your albums, smart albums, and shared albums. It offers options to sort and filter album contents

Note: Photos Workbench does not offer the option to play videos. It instead focuses on helping you organize your library. For this purpose, it only shows a still image from your videos.

Note: Likewise, Photos Workbench does not offer the option to edit photos.

### File Photos

You can add photos to an album by dragging the photos to the album name in the left sidebar.

Alternatively, you can right-click or control-click photos in Grid or List view to bring up the context menu. In the menu you will find option to Add to Album or Move to Album.

In the Photos library, a photo can be filed in more than one album. Thus adding a photo to another album does not remove it from the current album. However, the move option does remove the photo from the current album.

Note: Photos Workbench cannot add to shared albums. Nor can it copy photos from shared albums to your local library.

### Create Albums

You can create a new album dragging photos to the My Albums header in the left sidebar.

Alternatively, you can right-click or control-click photos in Grid or List view to bring up the context menu. In the menu you will find option to Add to Album > Create New Album

You can rename albums in the left sidebar. Click an album title and wait for it to become editable.

Note: Photos Workbench cannot create nor edit Smart Albums.

### Misfiled Photos

In the Photos library, you can - and may want to - file the same photo into several albums.

Sometimes, this happens accidentally, and you will find photos in unexpected places. Photos Workbench allows you to check where else a photo can be found and helps you correct mistakes.

#### Find Albums Containing a Photo

Select a photo in the main viewer. Then select Image > Find Albums Containing Image… from the menu to get a list of albums containing the photo.

#### Refile Photos

Right-click or control-click photos in Grid or List view to bring up the context menu. In the menu you will find option to Remove from Album

Use this menu to remove a photo from the current album. Alternatively, you can remove photos from the current album by pressing the delete/backspace key.

The Remove from Album also lists all other albums where the selected images appear. To remove photos from an album where they don't below, select that album from the list.