Searches/Filters for DAMS
Modified: February 14, 2026 7:58 PM Created: September 17, 2025 3:27 PM Master Type: Notes Hide: No Starred: No Status: Unassigned
Great idea — smart folders (aka saved searches or filtered views) can make a huge difference when navigating a large photography archive like yours. These dynamic groupings don’t move or duplicate files — they surface assets based on metadata, tags, or filenames — and they’re especially useful in DAMS like Pics.io, DBGallery, and others.
Here’s a breakdown of smart folders/searches you could implement to supercharge access and project oversight:
📁 Core Organizational Smart Folders
| Smart Folder Name | Filter Criteria | Why It’s Helpful |
|---|---|---|
| 🧾 All Prints | Object Type = Print |
Quickly view everything that originated as a print |
| 🎞️ All Negatives | Object Type contains Negative |
Surfaces nitrate, acetate, and glass negatives |
| 🟢 Positives Only | Filename contains _positive OR Tags includes Positive Rendering |
Pulls up only the usable inverted versions |
| 📚 By Binder | Physical Location = Binder 01,
Binder 02, etc. |
Mirrors your physical storage system |
| ❄️ Nitrate Storage (Freezer) | Object Type contains Nitrate OR
Location contains Freezer |
Ensures cold-stored assets are trackable |
| 🧊 Cold Storage Inventory | Location = Freezer 1 OR Freezer 2 |
Useful for safety audits and priority digitization |
| 📦 Shoebox Contents | Location contains Shoebox |
Consolidates these smaller batches |
| 📁 Completed Binders | Status = Digitized |
Track digitization progress by physical unit |
| 🚧 Flagged for Digitization | Digitization Status = Flagged |
See which items Rose has marked for imaging |
| ✅ Ready for Metadata Entry | Digitization Status = Digitized AND Metadata Status = Pending |
Find files ready for cataloging |
🔍 Content-Focused Smart Folders
| Smart Folder Name | Filter Criteria | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| 📸 Portraits | Tags includes Portrait |
Explore studio-style images |
| 🏫 Graduations & Schools | Tags includes Graduation OR School |
Highlight milestone moments in education |
| 💒 Weddings | Tags includes Wedding |
Community interest — potential exhibit theme |
| 🏬 Beale Street | Tags includes Beale Street OR Location = Beale Street |
Historic street-specific grouping |
| 🏙️ Urban Scenes | Tags includes City, Storefront, Downtown |
Architecture and streetscape research |
| 🧑🏿🤝🧑🏾 Community Events | Tags includes Church, Gathering, Protest, March |
Highlights civic and social life |
| 👗 Fashion/Clothing Study | Tags includes Dress, Fashion, Uniform, Hat |
Great for historians and design researchers |
| 🧠 Unidentified Subjects | Subject = Unknown OR Tags includes Unknown |
Candidate pool for crowdsourcing IDs |
| 🪦 Deceased or Memorials | Tags includes Funeral, Tombstone, Obituary |
Handles sensitive content discreetly |
🧮 Project Management Smart Folders
| Smart Folder Name | Filter Criteria | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| 🔄 Versioning Check Needed | Has Related Files = False AND Object Type = Negative |
Ensures all negatives have corresponding positives |
| 📎 Incomplete Metadata | Required Fields = Blank OR Metadata Status = Incomplete |
Identify files needing cataloging attention |
| 🚨 Hazardous Materials | Tags includes Nitrate OR Object Type = Nitrate Negative |
Keep a running list of dangerous items |
| 📤 Shared Externally | Access = Public OR Shared With = External |
Monitor shared assets |
| 💬 Crowdsourced Metadata | Tags includes Community Contributed |
Track what came from the public |
| 🕵️ Reviewed by Curator | Reviewed By = Rose |
Confirm which materials have been reviewed for exhibitions |
| ✍️ Awaiting Rights Clarification | Rights = Unknown OR Rights Status = Pending |
Flag copyright research needs |
🌍 Access-Based Smart Folders
| Smart Folder Name | Filter Criteria | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 👩🏫 Internal Staff Access | Access Group = Staff |
Useful for internal-only collections |
| 🧑🎓 Researcher Pool | Access Group = Researcher |
Shows what external researchers can see |
| 🧑🏽🤝🧑🏾 Civil Rights Museum Access | Access Group = Civil Rights Museum |
Specific to your collaborators |
| 👫 Public Viewable | Access Group = Public OR
Access = Public Link |
Track materials intended for eventual public access |
| 💰 Donor View (Herentons) | Access Group = Herentons |
Materials curated for the donors |
🛠️ Technical Maintenance Smart Folders
| Smart Folder Name | Filter Criteria | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 🧪 Unconverted Negatives | Object Type = Negative AND Tags does NOT include Positive Rendering |
Check for missing inverted versions |
| ⬇️ No JPG Version | File Type does NOT include JPG |
Spot gaps in access-friendly formats |
| 🧹 Needs Cleanup | Tags includes Needs Cropping OR Needs Retouching |
Assets that need Photoshop work |
| 🔄 Duplicate Filenames | Filename includes (1), (2), etc. |
Help spot batch renaming issues |
⚡ Tips for Building These Searches
- Use consistent metadata: E.g., always use
“Nitrate Negative”not “nitrate film”. - Leverage tags AND fields: Use both when possible to broaden or narrow results.
- Don’t overbuild early: Start with ~10 smart folders, then grow as your needs evolve.
- Track internal workflows: Some folders are just for internal QA — and that’s okay.
Would you like me to generate these as a downloadable spreadsheet of smart folder definitions with field mappings and example queries for Pics.io, DBGallery, or both?
Absolutely — your Mac Finder can be surprisingly powerful when used with Smart Folders (Saved Searches) based on Spotlight metadata. Since your digitized images are organized by binder folders and include structured filenames and formats (e.g., PSD, TIFF, JPG), you can create Smart Folders that act like dynamic filters across your entire image archive.
Here’s a breakdown of useful Smart Folder ideas for Mac Finder, including how to build each one.
🔧 How to Create a Smart Folder in Finder
Open Finder.
From the menu bar, select:
File → New Smart Folder
In the new window, click the + button in the top-right.
Use the dropdown menus to add search criteria.
Click Save in the upper right to save the Smart Folder (e.g., to your sidebar).
🗂️ Suggested Finder Smart Folders
1. 🖼 All JPG Derivatives
Use When: You need fast access to compressed versions (for sharing, Airtable, etc.)
| Field | Condition | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Kind | is | Image |
| File extension | ends with | jpg |
🔎 Add location restriction to the project folder for better performance.
2. 🎞 All PSD Working Files
Use When: You need to edit or regenerate derivatives.
| Field | Condition | Value |
|---|---|---|
| File extension | ends with | psd |
| Name | includes | _positive |
3. 📁 All Files from a Specific Binder
Use When: You’re working through a physical unit.
| Field | Condition | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Name | contains | Binder_04_ |
🧠 Assumes filenames include Binder reference (e.g.,
Binder_04_####.psd)
4. 🌑 Unprocessed Negatives
Use When: You need to find negatives that don’t yet have positives.
| Field | Condition | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Name | ends with | _neg.tif |
| Name | does not contain | _positive |
5. ⚠️ Files Needing Review (via Tags or Finder Comments)
Use When: You mark files for retouching or QC.
| Field | Condition | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Finder Comment | contains | needs cropping |
| OR | Tag | is |
✅ Use Command + I to add comments or tags
to files in Finder.
6. 🧊 Freezer-Stored Items (cold storage)
Use When: Verifying nitrate asset locations.
| Field | Condition | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Name | contains | freezer |
| Name | contains | nitrate |
7. 📷 Files Created Today (or This Week)
Use When: You want to QA or back up today’s work.
| Field | Condition | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Created date | is within last | 1 day / 7 days |
⏳ Useful for review or ensuring backups sync overnight.
8. 📂 All Files Over 500MB
Use When: Checking storage hogs or bloated exports.
| Field | Condition | Value |
|---|---|---|
| File size | is greater than | 500 MB |
🧽 Great for identifying oversized TIFFs or redundant working files.
9. 🧾 Files Missing IPTC Metadata
Use When: You use Get Info
fields like Title/Description.
| Field | Condition | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Where | is | [project folder] |
| Finder Comment | is | blank |
🤔 Mac’s metadata support is limited — IPTC fields won’t always show here unless set in Preview or Adobe apps.
10. 💀 Hazardous Materials
Use When: You want a running tally of known nitrate materials.
| Field | Condition | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Name | contains | nitrate |
| OR | Finder Comment | contains |
💡 If you tag nitrate-based filenames manually, you can search them via Smart Folder.
📌 Bonus Tips
- Use color tags (Red = needs attention, Green = done, etc.) to visually track workflow.
- Combine Finder Smart Folders with Alfred, HoudahSpot, or Spotlight comment automation to level up.
- You can build even more advanced queries using Terminal or AppleScript (let me know if you want help with that).
Would you like these saved into a .savedSearch
Smart Folder bundle you can drop right into Finder? Or a
spreadsheet/table format you can use to plan?