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Tag That Photo User Guide - Part 4

Search and Photo Viewer


Searching Your Photo Library

TTP's powerful search feature helps you find photos in seconds using multiple criteria.

Main search interface showing all available search criteria

Search Criteria

Build searches using any combination of:

Folder and File Name

  • Select specific folders or search entire library
  • Enter partial file names to narrow results
  • Useful for finding specific photo sessions

People

  • Include People: Photos containing selected people
  • Exclude People: Photos NOT containing selected people
  • "Only" Checkbox: Photos with ONLY the selected people (no others)

Example Use Cases: - Find all photos with both John AND Mary - Find photos with Sarah but NOT John - Find photos with ONLY your children (no other people)

Tags (Keywords)

  • Include Tags: Photos with specific keywords
  • Exclude Tags: Photos WITHOUT specific keywords
  • Wildcard Search: Use asterisk (*) for flexible matching

Wildcard Syntax: - * = matches any characters - Place at beginning, end, or both

Examples:

Search Term Matches
family* "family picnic", "family vacation", "family reunion"
*vacation "summer vacation", "family vacation", "beach vacation"
*2024* Any keyword containing "2024"
birthday* "birthday party", "birthday celebration", "birthday 2024"
*beach* "beach vacation", "our beach house", "day at the beach"

How to Use: 1. Type your wildcard search term in the Tags field 2. Press Enter 3. All matching keywords are included in search

Practical Example: You've tagged events as "Smith Family Reunion 2020", "Smith Family Reunion 2024", "Jones Family Reunion 2023". Search for *family reunion* to find all family reunions.

Date Range

Select photos within specific date ranges: - Use date pickers for start and end dates - Leave one side open for "before" or "after" searches - Combine with other criteria for precise results

Photos with No Faces

Check this box to find: - Landscape or architectural photos - Photos where face detection missed faces - Photos to verify detection completeness

Tip: Use this to check folders and ensure no faces were missed during detection. If you find faces that should have been detected, use Photo Viewer to manually add them. Click the View/Tag pull-down menu to open one or more search results in the Photo Viewer. You can batch tag them from there.

Photos with Untagged Faces

Find photos containing faces that haven't been identified yet: - Useful for quality control - Helps ensure complete tagging of important people - Combine with folder filter to check specific photo sessions

File Type

Filter by specific image formats: - JPEG - PNG - TIFF - RAW formats - HEIC

Executing Searches

  1. Set your desired criteria
  2. Click the Search button
  3. Results appear in the main area

Search results showing thumbnails with selection checkboxes

Working with Search Results

Viewing Results

Search results display as thumbnails with: - Selection checkboxes on the left - Photo preview - File information - Last scan date (rightmost column)

Sorting Results: Click column headers to sort by: - File name - Date taken - Folder location - Last scan date

Tip: Sort by "Last Scan Date" to quickly identify recently added or modified images. This is useful for reviewing new imports to ensure tags are correct.

Folder Navigation Panel

Use the folder tree on the left to: - Filter results by folder location - Expand/collapse folder hierarchies - Quickly focus on specific photo sessions

Selecting Photos

Select Individual Photos: - Click checkbox next to each photo

Select Multiple Photos: - Hold CTRL and click checkboxes - Click first photo, hold SHIFT, click last photo to select range

Select All: - Click checkbox at top of column

Batch Operations

With photos selected, you can:

View/Batch Tag

Open selected photos in Photo Viewer with batch tagging enabled: 1. Select photos 2. Click View/Batch Tag button 3. Photo Viewer opens 4. Tags applied affect all selected photos

Rotate Images

Rotate selected images in 90-degree increments: - Left rotation (-90°) - Right rotation (+90°)

Requirements: - Metadata writing must be enabled in Settings - Rotation updates orientation metadata so images display correctly in other applications

Format-Specific Notes:

TIFF Files: - TTP correctly reads and writes orientation metadata - Windows thumbnail generation may not respect rotation - Full-size display in TTP Photo Viewer shows correct rotation

PNG Files: - Some PNG files cannot be rotated via orientation metadata - Rare issue only affects PNGs without EXIF sections

RAW and HEIC: - Cannot be rotated using TTP at this time - Rotate outside TTP if needed - Requires rescan and JPG thumbnail regeneration after external rotation

Export Images

Export selected photos to another folder:

  1. Select photos to export
  2. Click Export button
  3. Choose destination folder
  4. Photos copy to destination

Duplicate Filename Handling:

Previously: Files with duplicate names would overwrite each other

Now (3.4): TTP automatically adds number suffixes to preserve all photos: - photo.jpg - photo_1.jpg - photo_2.jpg - etc.

This ensures no photos are lost during export, even when consolidating from multiple sources with same filenames.

Best Practice: Export to folders NOT managed by TTP to avoid confusion and prevent TTP from detecting exported images as new photos.

Use Cases: - Creating photo books (gather selected photos in one folder) - Preparing slideshow sets - Sharing specific photo collections - Backing up particular photo sessions

Double-Click to View

Double-click any photo thumbnail to: - Open Photo Viewer - View full-size image - See all faces and tags - Navigate through all search results


Photo Viewer

Photo Viewer is your detailed view for individual photos, providing full access to faces, tags, and metadata.

Photo Viewer showing main image with faces panel on right and tags panel below

Accessing Photo Viewer

Open Photo Viewer by: 1. Double-clicking any photo thumbnail in search results 2. Right-clicking image(s) in Windows Explorer, selecting "Open in TTP Photo Viewer" 3. Batch mode: Select multiple images in Explorer, right-click, choose "Open in TTP Photo Viewer for batch tagging"

Photo Viewer Layout

The interface includes:

  • Main Display: Full-size photo with face region outlines
  • Face Thumbnails (Right Panel): All detected faces in this photo
  • Navigation (Top): Previous/next photo buttons
  • Tabs (Bottom): Faces and Tags
  • Menu Bar: File, View, and other options

Viewing and Tagging Faces

Face Panel Overview

The right panel shows all faces detected in the current photo:

Face panel showing multiple face thumbnails with color-coded frames

Face Frame Colors: - Yellow: Currently selected face - Green: Tagged (named) face - Red: Untagged (unknown) face - Grey: Deleted face (when "Show Deleted Faces" enabled)

Enhanced Navigation:

When Photo Viewer opens, the first face is automatically highlighted:

Keyboard Navigation: - CTRL-Left Arrow: Previous face - CTRL-Right Arrow: Next face - First untagged face is selected automatically on load

Mouse Navigation: - Click any face thumbnail to select it - Selected face zooms/highlights in main display

Tagging Faces in Photo Viewer

Face thumbnail with options menu visible

For any untagged face:

  1. Select the face (click thumbnail or navigate with CTRL-Arrow)
  2. Press CTRL-N OR click the 3-dot menu icon
  3. Person Selector appears
  4. Type or select person's name
  5. Press Enter or click Save

Batch Tagging: - CTRL-N: Opens Person Selector for selected face - CTRL-D: Deletes all remaining unknown faces - DEL: Deletes only current face

Viewing Suggestions in Photo Viewer

Suggestions also display within Photo Viewer.

When TTP has a suggestion for an unknown face: 1. The suggested name appears near the face 2. Options display: - Confirm: Accept suggestion (CTRL-K) - Reject: Decline suggestion (CTRL-X) - Name: Assign different name (CTRL-N) 3. Process suggestions without leaving Photo Viewer

This streamlines the workflow when reviewing photos individually.

Manual Face Tagging

Manual Face Tool

Sometimes TTP doesn't detect a face that you want to tag. You can manually add it.

Photo Viewer showing manual face selection tool with reference image

To manually add a face:

  1. Click the blank face thumbnail (or + icon) in the face panel
  2. A selection box appears on the main image
  3. Reference image on left displays showing existing faces for context
  4. Drag the box corners to resize
  5. Drag the box to reposition over the face
  6. Click "Add new face" button below the thumbnail
  7. Person Selector appears
  8. Enter the person's name
  9. Press Enter to save

Features of the Manual Tool: - Improved visual feedback during selection - Reference images help ensure correct positioning - Better box controls for precise face framing - Clear visual confirmation before committing

Note: Manually tagged faces are marked with a red dot and are not used for face recognition/suggestions, but are fully searchable and included in all other TTP features.

Viewing Deleted Faces

If you've deleted faces and want to restore them:

  1. Open the photo in Photo Viewer
  2. Select View > Show Deleted Faces from menu
  3. Deleted faces appear as greyed-out thumbnails
  4. Right-click any deleted face
  5. Select Restore to bring it back

Photo Viewer showing deleted faces as greyed-out thumbnails

Working with Tags (Keywords)

Switch to the Tags tab to manage keywords, GPS location, and other metadata.

Adding Keywords

  1. Click the Tags tab
  2. Type keyword in text field
  3. Press Enter or click Add
  4. Choose scope:
  5. Tag Current Photo: Apply to this photo only
  6. Tag All: Apply to all photos in current batch

Tags tab showing scope selection buttons

Batch Context: When viewing multiple photos (batch tagging mode), only keywords consistent across all photos are displayed. This prevents accidentally removing keywords from some photos.

Removing Keywords

  1. Click the Tags tab
  2. Select keyword(s) to remove
  3. Click Remove button
  4. Choose scope (current or all)

Keyword Best Practices

Use keywords for: - Events: "birthday party 2024", "graduation", "wedding" - Locations: "beach house", "Paris trip", "grandma's house" - Categories: "landscape", "food", "pets" - Projects: "2024 photo book", "family history", "vacation memories" - Activities: "hiking", "skiing", "swimming"

Tip: Be consistent with keyword spelling and format. "beach house" and "beach-house" are different keywords.

Geo-Tagging

Adding GPS Coordinates

The Tags tab includes GPS location features:

  1. Click Tags tab
  2. Locate the GPS section
  3. Choose input method:
  4. Search by Address: Type location name
  5. Click on Map: Place pin directly
  6. Enter Coordinates: Input lat/long values
  7. Apply to current photo or all in batch

Requirements: - Internet connection required for map display and address lookup - Uses OpenStreetMap (open-source mapping service)

Rate Limiting

OpenStreetMap limits transaction frequency. If you see "no Internet connection" warnings: - You may have exceeded the rate limit - Wait a few minutes before continuing - Consider batching location additions

Offline Work

Without Internet connection: - Cannot view maps visually - Cannot perform address lookups - Can still view existing GPS coordinates - Can manually enter coordinates if known

Photo Viewer Navigation

Moving Between Photos

When viewing multiple photos (from search results or batch mode):

Photo Viewer showing navigation arrows

  • Left Arrow: Previous photo
  • Right Arrow: Next photo
  • Keyboard: Use arrow keys

Photos cycle through your current result set or selected batch.

Closing Photo Viewer

  • Click X button
  • Press ESC key
  • Select File > Close

Changes are saved automatically as you work.


Windows Explorer Integration

TTP integrates with Windows Explorer for convenient access to features.

Windows Explorer showing TTP context menu on folder

Accessing TTP Menu

Windows 10: Right-click on any folder or image(s) to see TTP submenu directly.

Windows 11: 1. Right-click on folder or image(s) 2. Select "Show More Options" 3. TTP submenu appears in expanded menu

Tip: You can restore the full Windows 10 right-click menu in Windows 11. Search online for "Windows 11 restore classic context menu" for instructions.

Folder Operations

Right-click on any folder to access:

Windows Explorer TTP menu on folder showing all options

Scan This Folder for Image Changes

Searches for image modifications (new or changed) not automatically detected by TTP. Use when: - You've disabled live monitoring - Added many new photos at once - Used another program to modify images - Want to force a refresh

Force Rescan of All Images

Detects faces in all images as if scanning for the first time. Use when: - Changing minimum face size setting - Suspecting missed faces - Testing different detection settings - Force rescan will NOT restore faces deleted after v3.2 installation (deleted faces are tracked). Faces deleted before v3.2 upgrade will be restored.

Force Write Metadata for All Images

Immediately writes any pending metadata updates to images. Use when: - Preparing to back up or export images - Ensuring all tags are saved before migrating - Want to guarantee metadata is current

Search in This Folder

Opens TTP search with this folder pre-selected. Quick way to search specific locations.

Manage Libraries

Opens TTP folder selection utility. Shortcut to Settings > Add Folders.

Image Operations

Select one or more images in Windows Explorer, then right-click:

Open in TTP Photo Viewer

Opens selected image(s) in Photo Viewer: - Single image: Standard view - Multiple images: Batch viewing mode (navigate between photos)

Open in TTP Photo Viewer for Batch Tagging

Same as above but explicitly enables batch tagging mode for applying tags to all selected images.

Force Rescan of Selected Images

Rescans only the selected images for faces: - Removes previous face detections - Treats images as first-time scan - Applies current detection settings

Note: Will NOT restore faces deleted in v3.2 or later. Use "View > Show Deleted Faces" in Photo Viewer to restore deleted faces.


End of Part 4: Search & Photo Viewer

Continue to Part 5: Metadata, Archiving & Technical Details...