Elements : Can i look for photos without faces/people in them ?

[xclaimer]

Need to separate photos with faces vs documents, landscapes etc etc -- so need to know which photos have faces and which don't .. Can Elements do that kind of organization/search ?

Thank you in advance.

[Greg_S.]

Yes, the Search facility is pretty good, but not perfect.  Elements 2019 and 2020 have smart tags.  You can use these to filter your catalog by a number of different criteria.  Here is an example of the automatic search terms that are available in my catalog:

[xclaimer]

Thx -

so how would i find all images without faces without having to tag each and every one fo them ?

[Greg_S.]

xclaimer said:

so how would i find all images without faces without having to tag each and every one fo them ?

To better answer your question, tell us what version of Elements you have, or whether you are contemplating buying Elements 2020.  It would also help to know exactly what it is you want to do with the search results.

[xclaimer]

Sure im evaluating elements 2020 for my specific needs :

I have over a million photos of individuals, individuals in landscapes, receipts, documents, photos of objects etc etc

In order to cut down my review time i need to review all pictures without faces so i can categorize them as documents, receipts, etc etc

I want to review all photos without any faces in it.

can i do that in elements ?

[Greg_S.]

There is no magic button that will identify all photos without faces.  However, there are a number of tools and strategies that will make the task easier.  Before making some suggestions, I still need to know more about the specific problem(s) you are trying to solve. 

First, a couple of comments. 

• I would not consider Elements a good piece of software for organizing receipts.  There are other more specialized applications that would do a better job. 
• Also, Elements no longer imports most PDF files.  So, if your documents are in PDF format, Elements will probably not be able to handle them. 
• Organizing a million files is a daunting task.  There are no published limits on how many files an Elements catalog can contain.  However, if you are going to be using some of the auto-analysis tools, you are going to need a powerful computer and a lot of patience.  Face recognition on a catalog that size will likely take several weeks of 24 hour/day computer use.
• If you have not done so already, I suggest you download a 30 day free trial of the program which you can find here. 

To allow us to better answer how you might accomplish your goals in Elements, please answer the following questions:

1. How are the files currently stored and named?  Are they randomly stored in unsegregated folders?  Named by date or subject matter or some other convention?
2. With respect to photos with faces, is it your intention to name the people?  Are there likely to be many faces of people in the photos who you will not want to name, e.g. bystanders on the street.
3. Is it your intention to use Elements as a viewer of the documents/receipts, or do you simply want to remove those types of documents from display.
4. What are the formats of the files?  (See my comments above about PDF files.)  Do the files come from cameras or have they been scanned.  In other words, do they contain any metadata that may help in the organization.
5. How do you intend to use the files once they have been "organized"?