andyman
04-27-2006, 07:45 AM
If you're like most computer users these days, you have a digital camera and save your image files to your hard disk on a regular basis. Most digital cameras save image files with a short cryptic name and a sequential number which makes sense from a digital standpoint. However, if at a later date you want to find the pictures of the kids at the park, a filename like DSCN0040.jpg really isn't much help.
To make it easier to track down specific pictures you can assign keywords to your image files via the file's Properties dialog box. Then, you could easily find the pictures of the kids at the park by searching on your Windows XP machine for the keywords you assigned to the image files.
While on the surface, this sounds like a great idea, the prospect of adding keywords to all your image files one by one is a daunting notion. Fortunately, you can add common keywords to a group of files in one fell swoop.
Here's how:
Launch Windows Explorer, hold down the [Ctrl] key, and select all the files to which you want to assign common keywords.
Right-click any file in the selection and choose the Properties command.
When you see the Properties dialog box, select the Summary tab. (If all fields are grayed out, click the Advanced button to display the file's properties.)
In the Property column locate and select the Keywords Property.
Click the selected area adjacent to the Keyword Property in the Value column.
You will now see a text box appear with a blinking cursor, and you can type in the keywords that you want to assign to the group of files. (If the value column reads multiple values, this indicates that at least one file in your selection already has keyword assigned to it. You can still change that Keyword Value, but doing so will overwrite all of the existing keywords.)
To complete the operation, press [Enter] and click OK.
To search for image files by keywords, launch the Search Companion, type *.jpg in the All Or Part Of The File Name text box, and type your keywords in the A Word Or Phrase In The File text box.
To make it easier to track down specific pictures you can assign keywords to your image files via the file's Properties dialog box. Then, you could easily find the pictures of the kids at the park by searching on your Windows XP machine for the keywords you assigned to the image files.
While on the surface, this sounds like a great idea, the prospect of adding keywords to all your image files one by one is a daunting notion. Fortunately, you can add common keywords to a group of files in one fell swoop.
Here's how:
Launch Windows Explorer, hold down the [Ctrl] key, and select all the files to which you want to assign common keywords.
Right-click any file in the selection and choose the Properties command.
When you see the Properties dialog box, select the Summary tab. (If all fields are grayed out, click the Advanced button to display the file's properties.)
In the Property column locate and select the Keywords Property.
Click the selected area adjacent to the Keyword Property in the Value column.
You will now see a text box appear with a blinking cursor, and you can type in the keywords that you want to assign to the group of files. (If the value column reads multiple values, this indicates that at least one file in your selection already has keyword assigned to it. You can still change that Keyword Value, but doing so will overwrite all of the existing keywords.)
To complete the operation, press [Enter] and click OK.
To search for image files by keywords, launch the Search Companion, type *.jpg in the All Or Part Of The File Name text box, and type your keywords in the A Word Or Phrase In The File text box.