Today’s Question: I know you can click on an arrow for a keyword on the Keyword List [in Lightroom Classic] to set a filter for photos that include a keyword. But that includes all photos with that keyword in my entire catalog. Is there an easy way to only filter by that keyword for the folder I’m currently browsing?
Tim’s Quick Answer: You can easily filter by keyword within a folder by using the Keyword List shortcut, making sure the filter is locked, and then navigate to a different folder to view only the photos with the applicable keyword in the selected folder.
More Detail: I find that many photographers overlook the filter lock button on the Library Filter bar in Lightroom Classic, which is unfortunate because I find it to be an incredibly helpful option. When you enable the filter lock, when you navigate to a different folder or collection the filter settings will remain, so you’re only seeing the photos within the folder or collection that match the criteria you’ve established.
In the context of today’s question, the first step would be to click on the arrow to the right of the filter you want to search for on the Keyword List on the right panel in the Library module. Note that the arrow icon only appears when you hover your mouse pointer over a keyword within the Keyword List. You can, of course, use any of the filter options available when it comes to locking filter criteria.
Clicking the arrow to the right of a keyword on a Keyword List actually serves as a shortcut for the Library Filter bar, while also switching you to the All Photographs collection in the Catalog section of the left panel in the Library module. When you click the arrow, the first column of the Metadata tab of the Library Filter bar is set to Keyword, with the applicable keyword selected. You can add or change any of the criteria from any of the tabs, such as if you wanted to filter by star rating in addition to the selected keyword.
Once the criteria are set, you can click the padlock icon at the top-right of the Library Filter bar to lock the criteria. When the padlock appears unlocked (open), switching to a different folder or collection will reset the filter to None, so that all images are displayed. With the padlock locked (closed), the filter criteria will remain locked so that as you navigate to a different folder or collection, you’ll still only be seeing the images in that location that match the criteria you’ve established.
So, in the case of today’s question, the process would simply involve clicking the arrow for the applicable keyword on the Keyword List, making sure the lock is enabled for the Library Filter bar, and then navigating to the desired folder or collection.
