[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":310},["ShallowReactive",2],{"guide-search-photos":3,"related-search-photos":110},{"slug":4,"section":5,"title":6,"seoTitle":7,"description":8,"intro":9,"level":10,"minutes":11,"updated":12,"icon":13,"keywords":14,"photo":19,"steps":20,"faq":77,"related":84,"order":87,"downloads":88,"images":89},"search-photos","app","Find any photo with search","Search your photos by place, date, camera or description in LightBites","Find photos by place, date, camera or keyword, describe the one you remember, browse the map, and save a search as a smart album.","You remember the photo, not the file name. Search by what you know about it: where, when, what was in it.","Beginner",3,"2026-10-21","i-lucide-search",[15,16,17,18],"search photos","find photos by place","photo search by description","photo map","tokyo-alley.jpg",[21,42,55,65,71],{"id":22,"title":23,"text":24,"do":25,"tip":30,"shot":31},"words","Search with words","Type a place, a month, a camera, a lens, a keyword or part of a file name, and the grid narrows as you type. It understands places and dates, so “photos in tokyo in march” works.",[26,29],{"ios":27,"mac":28},"Tap **Search** at the right end of the tab bar.","Click the search field in the toolbar, or press `⌘F`.","Type what you remember, for example “night”.","Add a condition the short way: `rating:4`, `flag:pick` or `iso:>800`.",{"alt":32,"ui":33,"prepare":37,"wait":41},"A search for night: city streets, aurora and lighthouses after dark",{"screen":34,"searching":35,"search":36},"grid",true,"night",[38],[39,40],"library.filter",{"text":36},5,{"id":43,"title":44,"text":45,"tip":48,"shot":49},"describe","Describe it",{"ios":46,"mac":47},"Switch the field from **Words** to **Describe** and write a sentence: “boats on a lake at sunrise”. It runs when you tap Search, on your device, and finds photos by what is in them, keywords or not.","Choose **Describe** in the field's **Search by** menu and write a sentence: “boats on a lake at sunrise”. It runs when you press Return, on your Mac, and finds photos by what is in them, keywords or not.","**Describe** appears once search by description is on, in **Settings ▸ AI Models**. Its model downloads once and never sends your photos anywhere.",{"alt":50,"only":51,"ui":52},"Settings, AI Models: search by description, with its model","ios",{"screen":34,"sheet":53,"section":54},"settings","models.search",{"id":56,"title":57,"text":58,"shot":61},"map","Browse the map",{"ios":59,"mac":60},"Tap **…** ▸ **Map** to see your photos where you took them. Zoom in on a place to see the photos from there.","Choose **View ▸ Map** to see your photos where you took them. Zoom in on a place to see the photos from there.",{"alt":62,"ui":63,"wait":64},"A map with groups of photos over Iceland, the Alps and North America",{"screen":56},6,{"id":66,"title":67,"text":68},"people","Find people",{"ios":69,"mac":70},"Open **People** from the menu under the library's title. LightBites groups the same face across your library; name it once and every photo of them is a tap away. Turn it on in **Settings ▸ AI Models ▸ People**.","Choose **View ▸ People**. LightBites groups the same face across your library; name it once and every photo of them is a click away. Turn it on in **Settings ▸ AI Models ▸ People**.",{"id":72,"title":73,"text":74},"smart-album","Keep a search",{"ios":75,"mac":76},"Set up a filter you'll want again (four stars and up, a camera, a keyword), then in **Albums** tap **+** ▸ **Smart Album from Filter**. It stays up to date as you add photos.","Set up a filter you'll want again (four stars and up, a camera, a keyword), then choose **File ▸ New Smart Album from Filter…** (`⌥⌘N`). It stays up to date as you add photos.",[78,81],{"q":79,"a":80},"Are my photos uploaded to search them?","No. Search, Describe and People all run on your device. Their models are downloaded once, when you turn them on.",{"q":82,"a":83},"Can it find text in my photos?","Yes: words in your photos, on a sign or a page, can be searched too, once text recognition is on in Settings.",[85,86],"organize-photos","getting-started",2,{},{"search-photos-describe-ios-dark-400":90,"search-photos-describe-ios-dark-800":91,"search-photos-describe-ios-light-400":92,"search-photos-describe-ios-light-800":93,"search-photos-map-ios-dark-400":94,"search-photos-map-ios-dark-800":95,"search-photos-map-ios-light-400":96,"search-photos-map-ios-light-800":97,"search-photos-map-mac-dark-1600":98,"search-photos-map-mac-dark-800":99,"search-photos-map-mac-light-1600":100,"search-photos-map-mac-light-800":101,"search-photos-words-ios-dark-400":102,"search-photos-words-ios-dark-800":103,"search-photos-words-ios-light-400":104,"search-photos-words-ios-light-800":105,"search-photos-words-mac-dark-1600":106,"search-photos-words-mac-dark-800":107,"search-photos-words-mac-light-1600":108,"search-photos-words-mac-light-800":109},"https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.eliasruiz.com\u002Fhelp-bites\u002Ftb4A2EAxRx\u002Fblog\u002Fae7420d2-107e-45c3-a978-5e94e84cee5e.webp","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.eliasruiz.com\u002Fhelp-bites\u002Ftb4A2EAxRx\u002Fblog\u002F0ea496fb-967c-4c17-8ab4-c22caaf6d01c.webp","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.eliasruiz.com\u002Fhelp-bites\u002Ftb4A2EAxRx\u002Fblog\u002F7252c3b0-fe25-47c7-8d0c-ccfc42dcef4b.webp","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.eliasruiz.com\u002Fhelp-bites\u002Ftb4A2EAxRx\u002Fblog\u002F4a23800e-3b9c-4d48-b96e-c4783e7081a0.webp","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.eliasruiz.com\u002Fhelp-bites\u002Ftb4A2EAxRx\u002Fblog\u002Fc0abe6fd-a725-46f9-b288-e622c2a740b7.webp","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.eliasruiz.com\u002Fhelp-bites\u002Ftb4A2EAxRx\u002Fblog\u002F52e3ab16-d109-4638-9202-a6fab8933616.webp","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.eliasruiz.com\u002Fhelp-bites\u002Ftb4A2EAxRx\u002Fblog\u002Fe7850652-4432-43ab-a0db-07ada8df22ec.webp","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.eliasruiz.com\u002Fhelp-bites\u002Ftb4A2EAxRx\u002Fblog\u002Fc3b7710d-d5b2-46fe-aa58-60a181f61da5.webp","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.eliasruiz.com\u002Fhelp-bites\u002Ftb4A2EAxRx\u002Fblog\u002F78415f29-2e8a-4acd-82db-984e45649d75.webp","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.eliasruiz.com\u002Fhelp-bites\u002Ftb4A2EAxRx\u002Fblog\u002F3e511228-01eb-4ee9-a1dc-a5ca1de71c58.webp","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.eliasruiz.com\u002Fhelp-bites\u002Ftb4A2EAxRx\u002Fblog\u002Fe1acbca5-a1ee-4f00-b057-495a0ad63f4e.webp","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.eliasruiz.com\u002Fhelp-bites\u002Ftb4A2EAxRx\u002Fblog\u002F9473c460-720d-4857-bd7a-55b7cf2ccb1f.webp","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.eliasruiz.com\u002Fhelp-bites\u002Ftb4A2EAxRx\u002Fblog\u002F7666f87f-37a7-4e23-924b-54836dda6fd4.webp","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.eliasruiz.com\u002Fhelp-bites\u002Ftb4A2EAxRx\u002Fblog\u002Fb063f49e-6b3a-49f3-be2e-221fca6270ae.webp","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.eliasruiz.com\u002Fhelp-bites\u002Ftb4A2EAxRx\u002Fblog\u002F47e9175c-3f9e-43bf-a737-a0a577923b56.webp","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.eliasruiz.com\u002Fhelp-bites\u002Ftb4A2EAxRx\u002Fblog\u002F94a7b6b0-add8-4295-a988-275475f04bc8.webp","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.eliasruiz.com\u002Fhelp-bites\u002Ftb4A2EAxRx\u002Fblog\u002F87acbc79-a1a1-40fe-8ec3-60a8d7ca0adc.webp","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.eliasruiz.com\u002Fhelp-bites\u002Ftb4A2EAxRx\u002Fblog\u002Fc90e301a-a20a-4bc9-ad5b-a8189ba27f09.webp","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.eliasruiz.com\u002Fhelp-bites\u002Ftb4A2EAxRx\u002Fblog\u002F6d7c7079-e172-4cd8-b4f5-57f6e7cf410f.webp","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.eliasruiz.com\u002Fhelp-bites\u002Ftb4A2EAxRx\u002Fblog\u002Fa6ea95fd-9eb2-4adc-b875-42d89e896f97.webp",[111,219],{"slug":85,"section":5,"title":112,"seoTitle":113,"description":114,"intro":115,"level":10,"minutes":116,"updated":12,"icon":117,"keywords":118,"photo":124,"steps":125,"faq":204,"related":211,"order":212,"downloads":213,"images":214},"Rate, flag and sort your photos into albums","How to organise photos: ratings, picks, albums and keywords in LightBites","Cull a shoot fast with stars and flags, group photos in albums, add keywords, and filter the library down to your best.","A good library is one where your best photos are a tap away. Stars and flags while you look through a shoot, albums for keeps, a filter to find them again.",4,"i-lucide-star",[119,120,121,122,123],"rate photos","cull photos","photo albums","photo keywords","flag picks rejects","glacier-lagoon.jpg",[126,144,165,183,195],{"id":127,"title":128,"text":129,"do":130,"tip":137,"shot":140},"rate","Rate and flag as you go","Use stars for how good a photo is and flags for a quick yes or no: **Pick** the keepers, **Reject** the misses.",[131,134],{"ios":132,"mac":133},"Open a photo, tap **…** and choose a rating, or **Flag ▸ Pick** or **Reject**.","Press `1` to `5` to rate and `0` to clear it; `P` picks, `X` rejects, `U` clears the flag.",{"ios":135,"mac":136},"Swipe to the next photo and keep going.","Hold `⇧` with a number to rate and move straight on; `⇧Z`, `⇧X` and `⇧U` pick, reject or unflag and move on.",{"ios":138,"mac":139},"Colour labels are in the same **…** menu, for anything else you want to mark: to print, to send, to fix.","`6` to `9` add the red, yellow, green and blue colour labels.",{"alt":141,"ui":142},"A photo of icebergs in a lagoon, open, with its rating shown",{"screen":143},"photo",{"id":145,"title":146,"do":147,"shot":154},"select","Do several at once",[148,151],{"ios":149,"mac":150},"Tap **Select**, then tap photos, or drag across a row to take a run of them.","Click a photo, then `⌘`-click to add more, or `⇧`-click to take a run.",{"ios":152,"mac":153},"Use **Rating**, **Flag**, **Color Label** or **Add to Album** in the bar at the bottom.","Rate or flag them all with the same keys, or right-click for more.",{"alt":155,"ui":156,"prepare":157},"Four photos chosen in the grid, with the selection bar's Rating, Flag and Add to Album buttons",{"screen":34,"select":35},[158],[159,160],"library.select",{"files":161},[162,124,163,164],"seljalandsfoss.jpg","kirkjufell.jpg","fagrifoss.jpg",{"id":166,"title":167,"do":168,"tip":178,"shot":179},"albums","Make an album",[169,172,175],{"ios":170,"mac":171},"Tap **Albums** at the top left, then **+** (Create New) ▸ **Album**.","Choose **File ▸ New Album…** (`⌘N`).",{"ios":173,"mac":174},"Name it and tap **Create**.","Name it and click **Create**.",{"ios":176,"mac":177},"To fill it, select photos and tap **Add to Album**.","To fill it, drag photos onto it in the sidebar.","A **Smart Album** fills itself: every five-star photo from this year, say, or everything with a keyword. **Smart Album from Filter** turns the filter you have on into one.",{"alt":180,"ios":181,"mac":182},"The albums: Iceland, Alps, Rockies, Coast and more, each with a cover photo",{"screen":34,"sheet":166},{"screen":34},{"id":184,"title":185,"text":186,"do":187,"shot":192},"keywords","Add keywords","Keywords make photos easy to find years later, by subject, person or trip.",[188,191],{"ios":189,"mac":190},"In a photo, tap **…** ▸ **Keywords**.","In a photo, press `K` or click **Keywords** in the tool strip.","Type one in **Add Keyword** and add it. **On This Photo** lists the ones it has.",{"alt":193,"ui":194},"The Keywords sheet for a photo, with glacier and iceland on it",{"screen":143,"sheet":184},{"id":196,"title":197,"do":198,"shot":201},"filter","Show only the best",[199,200],"Open **Filter** and set a minimum rating, a flag or a colour label; or narrow by type, camera, people, place or keyword.","The chips under the title show what's on. **Clear All** takes them off.",{"alt":202,"ui":203},"The Filter sheet: rating, flags, colour labels, then type, camera, people, place and keyword",{"screen":34,"sheet":196},[205,208],{"q":206,"a":207},"What's the difference between a rating and a flag?","A rating (one to five stars) says how good a photo is. A flag is a quick decision while you cull: Pick to keep, Reject to drop. Many photographers flag first and rate the picks.",{"q":209,"a":210},"Do ratings and keywords work with other apps?","Yes. They are standard XMP metadata: on a Mac, photos in Local folders get them in XMP sidecars that Lightroom and other editors read, and exports can include them.",[4,86],1,{},{"organize-photos-rate-mac-dark-1600":215,"organize-photos-rate-mac-dark-800":216,"organize-photos-rate-mac-light-1600":217,"organize-photos-rate-mac-light-800":218},"https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.eliasruiz.com\u002Fhelp-bites\u002Ftb4A2EAxRx\u002Fblog\u002F47f48a67-efea-42c3-9ec6-c137cf525950.webp","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.eliasruiz.com\u002Fhelp-bites\u002Ftb4A2EAxRx\u002Fblog\u002F3d5f4c69-b5bb-47a4-a571-98f718ceeba8.webp","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.eliasruiz.com\u002Fhelp-bites\u002Ftb4A2EAxRx\u002Fblog\u002F3e590d68-11d6-491a-97c9-6ea5923a98ba.webp","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.eliasruiz.com\u002Fhelp-bites\u002Ftb4A2EAxRx\u002Fblog\u002F6bb49ca2-0658-4743-8f24-31e201bc3645.webp",{"slug":86,"section":5,"title":220,"seoTitle":221,"description":222,"intro":223,"level":10,"minutes":11,"updated":12,"icon":224,"keywords":225,"photo":162,"steps":231,"faq":291,"related":301,"order":303,"downloads":304,"images":305},"Get started with LightBites","Get started with LightBites: import photos on iPhone, iPad and Mac","Add photos from Photos, Files, a camera or a Mac folder, check what comes in, and find your way around the library.","Bring your photos in, see what LightBites does with them, and learn the three places you'll use every day.","i-lucide-rocket",[226,227,228,229,230],"import photos","photo library app","iPhone photo editor","Mac photo library","raw photos iPhone",[232,250,265,282],{"id":233,"title":234,"text":235,"do":238,"tip":245,"shot":246},"add","Add your photos",{"ios":236,"mac":237},"Everything starts with **+** (Add Photos): at the top right on an iPhone, in the bar at the bottom on an iPad. Your originals are left as they are: LightBites copies the photos into its library and keeps your edits beside them.","Everything starts with **File ▸ Import Photos…** (`⇧⌘I`), or **+** in the toolbar. Your originals are never changed: edits are saved beside them.",[239,242],{"ios":240,"mac":241},"Tap **+**, then **Photos…**, **Files…** or **Folder from Files…**.","Choose files or whole folders in the window that opens, or drag them onto the grid.",{"ios":243,"mac":244},"A camera or card reader that's plugged in shows up as **Connected Camera\u002FCard**.","A camera or card reader shows up under **+ ▸ Connected Camera\u002FCard**.","Coming from Lightroom? **+ ▸ Lightroom Catalog…** brings your photos, edits, ratings, keywords and collections across.",{"alt":247,"ui":248},"The LightBites library: a grid of travel photos, with the Add Photos button at the top",{"screen":34,"span":249},"all",{"id":251,"title":252,"text":253,"do":254,"shot":260},"review","Check what comes in","Before anything is added, **Import Photos** shows what it found. Duplicates and photos already in your library are marked and left out, so importing a card twice is harmless.",[255,256,257],"Untick anything you don't want, or use **Deselect All** and choose a few.","Optionally put them in an album, add keywords or apply a preset as they come in.",{"ios":258,"mac":259},"Tap **Add** (it says how many).","Click **Add** (it says how many).",{"alt":261,"ui":262,"wait":41},"The Import Photos review: six new photos selected, with options for an album, keywords and a preset",{"sheet":263,"paths":264},"importFiles","@import-sample",{"id":266,"title":267,"text":268,"do":271,"shot":278},"around","Find your way around",{"ios":269,"mac":270},"The tab bar has three places. **Library** is everything you've added. **iPhone** (**iPad** on an iPad) is your Photos library as it is: open a picture there and edit it, and it joins your library with its first change. **Search** sits at the right end.","The sidebar holds your albums. The switch at its top goes between **Library**, everything you've added, and **Local**: your Photos library and the folders on this Mac, used where they are, with edits saved beside them as XMP files.",[272,275],{"ios":273,"mac":274},"Pinch the grid to make the thumbnails bigger or smaller.","Pinch the trackpad over the grid to make the thumbnails bigger or smaller.",{"ios":276,"mac":277},"Scroll down and choose **Years**, **Months** or **All** beside the tab bar.","Choose **Years**, **Months** or **All** in the middle of the toolbar.",{"alt":279,"ui":280},"The library grouped by month, each month with its own heading",{"screen":34,"span":281},"months",{"id":283,"title":284,"text":285,"shot":288},"open","Open a photo",{"ios":286,"mac":287},"Tap a photo to open it, and swipe sideways for the next one. Pinch or double-tap to zoom in. The tools are in the bar at the bottom: **Presets**, **Crop**, **Edit**, **Masking**, **Remove** and **Info**.","Double-click a photo to open it. The tools are in the strip on the right: **Presets**, **Edit**, **Crop**, **Remove**, **Red Eye** and **Masking**, then **History**, **Versions**, **Keywords** and **Info**.",{"alt":289,"ui":290},"A waterfall at sunset open in LightBites, with the editing tools along the bottom",{"screen":143},[292,295,298],{"q":293,"a":294},"Does LightBites change my original photos?","No. Your originals are left as they are. Edits are stored as instructions beside the photo and applied when it is shown or exported, so you can always go back.",{"q":296,"a":297},"Which files can I import?","Raw files from many cameras, including Canon CR3, Apple ProRAW and other DNG files, as well as JPEG, HEIC, PNG and TIFF.",{"q":299,"a":300},"Do I have to import my whole Photos library?","No. On iPhone and iPad the iPhone (or iPad) tab shows your Photos library without importing it, and a picture joins your LightBites library only when you change it. On a Mac, Local does the same for your Photos library and your folders.",[85,302],"editing-basics",0,{},{"getting-started-add-mac-dark-1600":306,"getting-started-add-mac-dark-800":307,"getting-started-add-mac-light-1600":308,"getting-started-add-mac-light-800":309},"https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.eliasruiz.com\u002Fhelp-bites\u002Ftb4A2EAxRx\u002Fblog\u002F0db3ea5a-2344-49a1-943d-4b50df0a35af.webp","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.eliasruiz.com\u002Fhelp-bites\u002Ftb4A2EAxRx\u002Fblog\u002Fdf5c8cbc-cbb3-479f-9213-45ffd47dbcb2.webp","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.eliasruiz.com\u002Fhelp-bites\u002Ftb4A2EAxRx\u002Fblog\u002F668e6ff6-f7ea-4639-b0c5-b5d7a6a17757.webp","https:\u002F\u002Ffiles.eliasruiz.com\u002Fhelp-bites\u002Ftb4A2EAxRx\u002Fblog\u002F58c958db-7629-4505-ab31-bc693fd51db1.webp",1792693337595]