Problem: I have a large-ish library with a complex collections structure. I miss a quick and efficient workflow to keep track (and act) on the collections that a photo or group of photos belong to.
Current solution: A right click on a photo and "Go To Collection" will show which collections it belongs to. However, this is neither fast, nor user friendly when the goal is to check the collections a photo belongs to. Also, it only works image-by-image. And it requires muti-step mouse movements, which is time-consuming, and interupts a keyboard-only workflow, etc. Once in the menu, there is also no quick way to change the collections the photo belongs to.
Idea / Proposed Solution: Add a panel to the right side of the "Library" context, called e.g. "Collecting (in reference to the "Keywording" panel). This panel should resemble the Keywording panel and work in a similar manner. It should contain:
- A list of collections that the selected photo or photos belong to (use an asterisk for collection that only some photos belong to)
- A text box to quickly add the photo or photos to a collection
- Collection suggestions (optional)
Outcome: This would develop Collections into a more powerful and efficient cataloguing tool, while minimizing added complexity since the new panel reuses the known UX of the existing Keywording panel.
Note/Alternatives: If a new panel is not desired, there are solutions without. One would be to integrate collections into the keywording system by adding "smart collection keywords". A keyword named after a collection would automatically be added when a photo is in this collection, and removed when not. And acting on the keyword would act on the collection itself (adding the smart collection keyword adds the photo to the collection, and vice-versa). However, while elegant and avoiding a new panel, it is conceptually more complex than the solution above.
Thank you for your consideration.
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