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douglasa48459168
Inspiring
November 26, 2022
Answered

More convenient way to delete images?

  • November 26, 2022
  • 3 replies
  • 2281 views

TLDR: I want to avoid the dialog box asking me for confirmation upon deletion.

 

I just got Photoshop Elements 2023 and am using Organizer to sort through thousands of images. I want to delete many images with extreme prejudice in a painless, efficient workflow.

 

I've figured out things fairly well. The easiest way for me is to go "Full Screen" (i.e., the slideshow mode), and use the arrow keys to navigate from one image to the next, so that I can see each image with as much screen real estate as possible.

 

When looking at an image, I can delete an image using the DELETE key, which is good. But, unfortunately, for each image I delete, it puts up a dialog box asking me for confirmation. To make matters worse, I also have to click on a checkbox to say that I also want Organizer to delete the image from the hard disk (rather than just Organizer's image index).

I'm running this on a Mac running Ventura. The standard way on a Mac to bypass such confirmation nags (and to also delete files from the disk) is to use Command-DELETE, rather than just DELETE. (I do this all the time in the bundled Mac Photos app.)

 

Unfortunately, this doesn't work in Organizer. In fact, if you try to delete an image using Command-DELETE in Organizer, it does something truly horrific: It not only still puts up the annoying dialog box, but it also deletes the wrong image!

Does anyone know how I can get Organizer not to nag me about this for every image deletion? I want to delete 95% of the images I have, so I want each deletion to be as quick and easy as possible. (And accidental deletion is not a huge worry, since deleted files go to the Trash. I can easily scan the files in the Trash to make sure that I didn't delete anything good, should I be feeling paranoid.)

 

Thanks!

P.S. Does anyone know how to adjust the sensitivity of using the "mouse wheel" image zoom? I'm using my trackpad rather than a mouse, but it works similarly for scrolling, but the sensitivity in Organizer is crazy high.

 

Yes, I could probably adjust the trackpad scrolling System Preferences setting on the Mac, but this affects every app on the computer, and scrolling is fine in every other app. It's also fine in Organizer for scrolling in windows. It's only too sensitive for zooming in and out on images. (And also for scrolling through images when Organizer is set to show you one large image at a time.)

 

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Greg_S.

Deleting files in SIV can all be done from the keyboard - at least on Windows. 

  • Press Delete key - which brings up the dialog box
  • Press Spacebar to check the box to delete from hard drive
  • Press Enter to activate the OK button
  • Use the Arrow keys to navigate to the next files

3 replies

Greg_S.
Community Expert
Greg_S.Community ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
November 27, 2022

Deleting files in SIV can all be done from the keyboard - at least on Windows. 

  • Press Delete key - which brings up the dialog box
  • Press Spacebar to check the box to delete from hard drive
  • Press Enter to activate the OK button
  • Use the Arrow keys to navigate to the next files
    D
    douglasa48459168Author
    Inspiring
    November 27, 2022

    Thanks! The space bar works to check the box on MacOS too!

    MichelBParis
    MichelBParis
    Legend
    November 27, 2022

    Two thoughts:

    1 - Adobe does not want to be responsible for accidental file deletions following certain actions of users in a hurry. So, don't expect a new option in the preference to skip the warning message.

    2 - From the beginning of the organizer (20 years ago...) batch deletion has been possible. The rating change suggested by Greg was a variant of the logical solution for the organizer: select your files and just click delete. Only one message. For safety and clarity, it was strongly recommended to perform a two-steps worlflow: first assign a keyword like 'to be deleted' and keep the possibility to review those files before the batch delete. Another way would be to 'mask' the files instead of assigning a keyword. A good workflow would be to delete only after a periodical backup. Also remember that deleting a big batch of files can take a lot of time.

    D
    douglasa48459168Author
    Inspiring
    November 27, 2022
    quote

    1 - Adobe does not want to be responsible for accidental file deletions following certain actions of users in a hurry. So, don't expect a new option in the preference to skip the warning message.


    By @MichelBParis


    This is why applications these days don't actually do a final deletion when you delete a file; they move them to a "trash". Files stay in the trash until you empty the trash. Until you empty the trash, you have the opportunity to review the files in the trash and have the opportunity to restore a file to its original location.

     

    This, for instance, is how Apple Photos works, not to mention Google Photos, digikam, the Mac Finder, Windows Explorer, etc, etc. There's no need in modern software design to constantly nag the user about file deletion when a much more ergonomically efficient design has been around for decades now.

     

    MichelBParis
    MichelBParis
    Legend
    November 27, 2022
    quote
    quote

    1 - Adobe does not want to be responsible for accidental file deletions following certain actions of users in a hurry. So, don't expect a new option in the preference to skip the warning message.


    By @MichelBParis


    This is why applications these days don't actually do a final deletion when you delete a file; they move them to a "trash". Files stay in the trash until you empty the trash. Until you empty the trash, you have the opportunity to review the files in the trash and have the opportunity to restore a file to its original location.

     

    This, for instance, is how Apple Photos works, not to mention Google Photos, digikam, the Mac Finder, Windows Explorer, etc, etc. There's no need in modern software design to constantly nag the user about file deletion when a much more ergonomically efficient design has been around for decades now.

     


    By @douglasa48459168

     

    Indeed, that's what's Adobe applications have offered for decades... including Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. Unbelievable, no?

     

    Greg_S.
    Community Expert
    Greg_S.Community Expert
    Community Expert
    November 27, 2022

    As you go through your media in single image view, how about marking the ones you want to delete with a 1-star rating or tagging them with a "for deletion" keyword tag.  After you have gone through your review process, you can filter the grid by the star rating or deletion tag, select all the images in view, and then hit the delete button.  You will only be presented with the confirmation dialog once.

      D
      douglasa48459168Author
      Inspiring
      November 27, 2022

      Thanks!

       

      I actually came up with the 1-star rating idea after posting. (And I noticed that I can pin open the rating panel.) Ideally, I would like a keyboard-only workflow, but maybe clicking on the star is the best I'm going to do? So thanks for suggesting that.

      Having to confirm the deletion wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for having to use the mouse to request the deletion of the actual file. I could use just RETURN to confirm the dialog if I didn't need to use the mouse to select the option to delete the actual file.  😕😕

      I've tried a bunch of things and each one is not quite right in one way or another:

       

      (1) Photos.app works great if you have it manage the locations of the image files. But if you want it to leave the files where they are, then it won't ever actually delete them–it will only remove them from its index.

       

      (2) digikam is an open-source photo manager, but it won't automatically scale up small images, even though it will automatically scale down large images.

       

      (3) Quick View is built right into MacOS, but it also won't scale up small images.

       

      Etc.

      I guess I've just become spoiled by previously using Photos.app in the mode where it stashes away all your photos for you in its own folder.

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