Working with Smart Collections

Smart collections use metadata from the images to automatically compile a collection. You choose the rules for selecting the metadata and Lightroom adds all images that match the rules to the Smart Collection. You cannot manually add images to a Smart collection.

Lightroom Classic includes five Smart collections out of the box: Colored Red; Five Stars; Past Month; Recently Modified; Video Files and Without Keywords. The included Recently Modified Smart Collection includes all images that have been modified in the past two days.

Creating a Smart Collection in Lightroom Classic:

1. In the Library module, choose Library > New Smart Collection;
2. From any module click the plus icon (+) in the Collections panel and choose the Create Smart Collection option;
   

   Create Smart Collection menu

3. In the Create Collection dialogue box that appears, type a name for your new Collection;
4. Check the Inside a Collection Set option if you want to add this new Collection to an existing Collection Set;
5. Add rules by selecting them from the drop-down options. My advice is to experiment with the many available options;
6. You can add additional criteria by click on the plus icon (+), or you can remove criteria by clicking on the minus icon (–).

Example Smart Collections

Example 1

In this first example, we are going to create a Smart Collection that includes all images that are Flagged and have a rating of three stars or higher.

1. From any module click the plus icon (+) icon in the Collections panel and choose the Create Smart Collection option;
2. In the Create Collection dialogue box that appears, type Flagged plus 3 or more Stars;
3. Check the Inside a Collection Set option and choose Smart Collections from the list;
4. Change the option to All in the Match menu;
5. Select the options as per the image below;

Click Create.

The new Smart Collection is included in the list with the other Smart Collections. It also shows the number of images that match the criteria.

Example 2

In this second example, we create a Smart Collection that shows all the photographs shot using a 70-200mm zoom lens. The new Smart Collection is stored in a nested collection set. I recommend a nested collection set as the logical place to store all your custom smart collections.

Before creating the new Smart Collection, it is necessary to create the nested Collection Set:

1. From any module click the plus icon (+) icon in the Collections panel and choose the Create Collection Set option;
2. In the Create Collection Set dialogue box that appears, type My Smart Collections in the name field;
3. Check the Inside a Collection Set option and choose Smart Collections from the list;
4. Click Create.
   

   Create My Smart Collection

    

With the new nested Collection Set created, we can create the new Smart Collection:

1. From any module click the plus icon (+) icon in the Collections panel and choose the Create Smart Collection option;
2. In the Create Collection dialogue box that appears, type Shot with 70-200 lens;
3. Check the Inside a Collection Set option and choose My Smart Collections from the list;
4. Change the option to All in the Match menu;
5. Select the options as per the image below;
6. Click Create.