Today’s Question: I have many photos of birds whose names I have largely forgotten. I am adding keywords to them in Lightroom Classic as I go along. When I come across another one of these birds, I don’t remember the specific species but I know it is a stork, for example. I’d like to enter “stork” and have a list of storks come up in the keyword entry window from where I can pick the one I want. Is there any way I can add the correct keyword without knowing the precise first word?
Tim’s Quick Answer: Yes, you can filter the list of keywords using the search field at the top of the Keyword List on the right panel in the Library module.
More Detail: At the top of the Keyword List section (not the Keywording section) on the right panel in the Library module you’ll find a search field. You can click in that field and type the text you want to search for, such as “stork” in this example. The Keyword List will then be filtered to only display keywords that include the text you typed.
You can then turn on the checkbox to the left of the applicable keyword to apply it to the current image. You can also apply keywords to multiple images at once by selecting the applicable images, making sure you’re in the grid view rather than loupe view, and then turn on the checkbox for the keyword.
In addition to making it easier to track down specific keywords on the Keyword List by using the search field, this approach also provides the benefit of not having to type the keyword to add it to the current image. That, in turn, can help ensure you don’t accidentally spell a keyword incorrectly when typing it in the Keywording section rather than simply turning on a checkbox for the correct keyword.
