Searching with the Search Field

For quick searches, use the Search field that's always showing in organize mode. What's especially neat about the Search field is that it finds matches in filenames, titles, comments, keywords, and film roll names. It tends not to be as granular as a keyword search (searching for "Jen" finds not only pictures of my sister, but also pictures she sent me, and pictures of a high school friend named Jennifer).

To search for photos using the Search field:

• Type one or more words into the Search field.

  iPhoto displays all those photos that in some way are associated with all the words you typed (Figure 3.50).

  Figure 3.50. Here I've searched for the words "Rick running" and iPhoto has displayed all those photos that have either of those words associated with them.

  

Ways to show all photos:

• Click the X button in the Search field.

• Switch to any other album.

Tips

• Searches take place in the current album, unless you first select multiple albums.

• Searches are not case-sensitive.

• As you type more words, your search becomes ever more narrow.

• iPhoto is happy to search for word fragments, so when I search for "Julia", iPhoto also finds pictures of my friend Julian.

• There's a bug that could cause confusion. If you perform a search, and then add to the search phrase a word that appears in a film roll title, the photos in that film roll disappear, which shouldn't happen.