Search by Size

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Today’s Question: Can I search in Lightroom for images based on size or pixel dimensions?

Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can search for images based on pixel dimensions in Lightroom, though not by the normal method of using filters. Instead you would need to create a Smart Collection for this purpose.

More Detail: Lightroom includes a variety of criteria to choose from when using the Library Filter to locate specific photos. However, pixel dimensions or other options related to the size of the image are not included. Smart Collections, however, can employ pixel dimensions as part of their criteria, providing a solution here.

Start by creating a new Smart Collection. To do so, click the plus (+) symbol to the right of the Collections header on the left panel in the Library module. Then choose “Create Smart Collection” from the popup menu to bring up the Create Smart Collection dialog.

You can define a variety of criteria as a filter for the Smart Collection, which will in effect become a saved search result that is updated automatically in real time. Enter a meaningful name for the Smart Collection, and then define your criteria below. In this case, for example, you could click the popup under the criteria listing and choose Size > Long Edge to define a size based on the longer side of the image.

The next popup allows you to specify how to evaluate the criteria. In this case, for example, perhaps you want to use the “is less than or equal to” option to find images with relatively short pixel dimensions. Enter the specific value in the text box to the right.

When you’re finished defining the criteria for the Smart Collection, click the Create button at the bottom-right of the Create Smart Collection dialog. You can then click on the name for this new Smart Collection in the Collections section of the left panel in the Library module to view all of the images that meet the specific criteria you defined.