Basics
Ashampoo Photo Organizer Pro connects with local folders and cloud services, keeping the files in their original locations. They are only indexed for the app's database, meaning that metadata is read, thumbnails are generated, and analyses (such as similarity for grouping and focus assessment) are conducted. This process is called synchronization and may take longer with a large number of photos. You can monitor the synchronization progress via the blue bar and cancel or start it manually when needed.If the face recognition process takes a long time during synchronization and you prefer not to use the automatic photo evaluation, you can disable this feature in the program settings.
Some features, such as displaying duplicates, only show results after synchronization is complete to ensure they are comprehensive.
Library
All Photos
Here you can see a list of all photos from all connected storage locations. The photos are displayed sorted by their metadata according to the date taken or, if not available, by the file's modification date. If two files have the same modification date, they are sorted by file name. This ensures a clear order.The date range of the currently displayed photos is shown in the top left corner.
By default, the newest photos are at the end of the list. You can adjust this setting under "Sorting" in the program settings.
Photo groups
If the "Group Similar Photos" option is enabled in the settings, burst photos are grouped into one image/group in the "All Photos" view (and only there). You can identify this by the number of additional similar photos indicated at the bottom right of the image. For example, "+3" means there are three more similar photos that have been hidden for a cleaner view. This feature is designed to display series images or multiple consecutive photos of the same subject.If you have enabled the automatic photo rating in the settings, photos within a group are displayed according to their rating rather than chronologically. The best photos (i.e., those with the sharpest faces) are shown first, and the worst are displayed last. This way, each group is represented by its best photo in the overview.
Photos are grouped when they are taken within a 5-minute interval and are similar. Photos without a capture date in their metadata will not be grouped.
Search
Most search criteria require the presence of valid metadata. Photos must already have a capture date set in the metadata to appear in searches by time periods and a capture location to be displayed in location searches.
Here, you can specifically search your photos using metadata such as keywords, location, date taken, rating, and more. The idea is to first rate and tag your photos with the program, allowing you to easily find them later. Depending on your settings, your changes will be saved either directly in the files or in XMP sidecar files, making them accessible to other photo programs as well.
Combining search criteria
Enter a search term to display relevant suggestions from the categories. For instance, typing "Ca" might suggest the keyword "Cat" or the camera "Canon 60D." Click the "+" to apply the current search criterion. Click the "x" to remove a criterion. Add more search criteria to refine your search. For example, if you add the criteria "cat," "Canon 60D," "March," and "2020," you'll get all cat photos from March 2020 taken with a Canon 60D.Duplicates
This feature allows you to view your photos grouped by similarity and quickly move unwanted duplicates to the trash.If you have enabled automatic photo rating, well-rated photos will appear at the beginning, while poorly rated ones will be at the end. It's advisable to first review the potential deletion candidates at the end.
Similar to the photo grouping in "All Photos," similar photos are grouped together. However, for performance reasons, only photos taken within 5 minutes of each other are compared. This means a group will be interrupted by a distinctly different photo, creating a new group instead.
Culling
This feature allows you to review all your photos and mark them as accepted or rejected. Your decision will be recorded in the photos' metadata. Once marked, photos will not be shown again. Rejected photos are automatically moved to the recycle bin.The total number of photos that need reviewing is displayed next to the category and is updated every time you add/remove photos.
You might know this feature as "Culling" from other programs, but Ashampoo Photo Organizer Pro does not use flag icons for "approved" or "rejected." Photos you have already approved in another program are recognized as such and not presented for review again. Similarly, photos you have rejected in Ashampoo Photo Organizer Pro are recognized by other programs accordingly.
Rename
This feature allows you to rename all of your available photos based on a custom pattern. The pattern consists of placeholders for year, month, day, hour, minutes. and seconds. The order of the placeholders will be reflected in the filenames.Photos without a capture date in the metadata are ignored.
My albums
Albums are not actual folders in your file system but visually group photos from different locations. Deleting an album will therefore not delete the photos contained.
Click "New album" to create an album. Select an existing album and use the pencil icon to rename and the recycle bin icon to delete it.
Smart albums
These settings allow you to group your photos by folder name, keywords, ratings, and location.Recycle bin
Click "Empty recycle bin" to permanently delete the photos contained. To delete or restore individual photos, click a photo or hit "Select" to select multiple entries. Then, use the buttons to restore or delete the files.The recycle bin uses the "rejected" tag from the metadata of the photos. Photos you manually move to the recycle bin are automatically marked as "rejected." The "rejected" status works across different programs. For example, if you import/synchronize photos that you have already rejected in another program, Ashampoo Photo Organizer Pro will automatically move them to the recycle bin, even if a new storage location has been added. This behavior is intentional and part of Ashampoo Photo Organizer Pro's photo editing concept.
Storage locations
Ashampoo Photo Organizer Pro does not move the photos from your added sources but leaves them in their original locations.
Locations you've already added appear here. Use the arrows to expand/collapse the categories. Click "+Add storage location" to add additional sources. You can also click a grayed-out entry, or the link icons, to add new sources.
To remove a source, select it and then click "Disconnect".
Selecting photos
First, select an entry from the Library to list the photos contained. Then, click "Select". Alternatively, hold down Ctrl and left-click to select individual images.
1: Displays the number of selected photos.
2: If you've created custom albums, you can assign the selected photos to them here.
3: Rotates the selected photos 90° to the left without quality loss.
4: Adjusts the recording date for the selected photos.
5: Moves the selected photos to the recycle bin.
6: Saves your selected photos to a different location or opens them in your default or a third-party image editor.
Viewing photos
Click a photo in the selection view to open it in the viewer.
1: Shows/Hides additional information e.g., camera model or storage path. Click the calendar icon to adjust the recording date or location. You can also display the location in Google Maps.
If your photo has no capture date, the file modification date will be used instead and an additional icon will appear next to the date. Use the calendar button to adjust the date.
2: Manage the keywords for your photo here.
3: This feature rates the focus quality of your shot and may display a note.
4: If you've created custom albums, you can assign the photo to them here.
5: Saves the photo to a different location, shows the location in Windows Explorer, or opens the photo in your default or a third-party image editor.
6: Enables/Disables fullscreen mode.
7: Rotates the photo 90° to the left without quality loss.
8: Mirros the photo horizontally.
9: Moves the photo to the recycle bin.
10: The checkmark indicates that you've accepted the photo during your review. Click to undo this action. You can also use this to accept photos that have not yet been reviewed.
11: Rate your photo here.