Lightroom: Ability to search for Folder Names in Library Module

Seriously - this is basic! In the past LR has somehow seen folder path name in the metadata, but in LR 5 that is no longer the case. So, if anything, the search functions in LR are getting worse.

I too would like a simple way of seaching by folder name.

Fair enough Charles.

I'm sure Adobe has "heard" (or will "hear") your request. But since it may take 'em a few years to implement, if ever they do, it's worth considering what is the best work-around.

The plugin would give you the folder set of interest in the form of a collection set, but it sounds like you've already got a good-enough work-around for now.

Cheers,
Rob

Rob, thank you for your concern.

I just want to be able to type "NYC" into the text box and have Lightroom bring up all of the folders that have "NYC" in the title, so I can find pictures I took on days I visited New York City. I don't bother with keywords because I KNOW where the photos are, and I have more than ten years of photos in labeled folders that I'd like to access.

I guess that the simple answer is "Yes, I'd like a 'native solution'..."
Until that time, I'll just continue to use my Picasa workaround. It's indirect, but actually works very well...

If you could run a plugin that would translate folder matches into a "mini collection set", would that do it?

e.g. if you looked for all folders containing NYC, the result might be a collection set:

2011/April/first-trip to NYC
2011/September/2nd-trip to NYC
2012/June/NYC in the summer
2012/December/NYC for Christmas...

?

Would you use such a plugin, or would you opt for an Lr native solution or do without...?

Or am I still missing the thrust of your idea/request?

Or have you not understood this post? (its OK, maybe it wasn't very clear...)

???

I'm feeling encouraged that I'm not crazy if there have been so many comments...

The workaround that I've been using until I figure this out is to use Picasa, which is free. It has a VERY fast search capability. and will search for folders. The additional benefit of Picasa search is that it keeps the photos in their respective folders and you can view all of the folders in succession, without popping in and out of each folder.

Once I've found the photos I need to work on, I go into Lightroom and find each individual folder with the needed photos inside it . It's not great, but it gets the job done.

P K - I keep a temporary smart collection for use as a turbo-lib-filter (for on-the-fly/temporary smart collections). That won't help with your basic problem, if I understand it correctly, but still...

Let me see if I've got this straight.

What you want is *NOT*:

* To find all photos coming from folders that match your search criteria.

(which is what any-filter, text-meta, and Lr native allow you to do)

What you want *IS*:

* To find all folders which match your search criteria.

(like the similar capability in the keyword list section).

Yes?, no?, maybe so?

If not yes, then please clarify.

If yes, then the closest you can come, I think, is to run FolderFigure's "Go To Folders In Library" command. I mean, the basic Lr search capability including plugin-powered, finds photos (not folders). It does not however show you which folders the photos came from - but FolderFigure will.

Granted, as soon as you select a single folder, the other selected folders will be deselected, so it's not a panacea - not by a long shot, but it may help: e.g. you can drag all the found photos into a collection, then re-run "Go To Folders In Library" to reselect...

I think if I enhanced FolderFigure to make a parallel collection set when it finds the folders - that would do it, eh? - you'd have a collection set that matches the folder complement that the photos came from - I think that would do it, if I understand the objective correctly. ???

http://www.robcole.com/Rob/ProductsAn...

Rob

Lightroom simply doesn't aim to cater for every way of working. There are ways it works best.

It's a plugin that Rob Cole suggested 3 days ago :)
http://www.robcole.com/Rob/ProductsAn...