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Flag, label, and rate photos

  1. Lightroom Classic User Guide
  2. Introduction to Lightroom Classic
    1. What's new in Lightroom Classic
    2. Lightroom Classic system requirements
    3. Lightroom Classic | Common Questions
    4. Lightroom Classic Key Concepts
    5. Lightroom Classic tutorials
    6. Set Preferences for working in Lightroom Classic
    7. Reset Preferences for working in Lightroom Classic
  3. Workspace
    1. Workspace basics
    2. Display the Library on a second monitor
    3. Personalize identity plates and module buttons
    4. Watermark your photos in Lightroom Classic
    5. Color management
  4. Import photos
    1. Specify import options
    2. Set import preferences
    3. Import photos from a camera or card reader
    4. Import photos from a folder on a hard drive
    5. Import photos automatically
    6. Import photos from Photoshop Elements
    7. Import photos from a tethered camera
    8. The Filename Template Editor and Text Template Editor
  5. Organize photos in Lightroom Classic
    1. Face recognition
    2. Work with photo collections
    3. Group photos into stacks
    4. Flag, label, and rate photos
    5. Use keywords
    6. Metadata basics and actions
    7. Find photos in the catalog
    8. Work with video in Lightroom Classic
    9. Advanced metadata actions
    10. Use the Quick Develop panel
  6. Process and develop photos
    1. Develop module basics
    2. Create panoramas and HDR panoramas
    3. Flat-Field Correction
    4. Correct distorted perspective in photos using Upright
    5. Improve image quality using Enhance
    6. Work with image tone and color
    7. Masking
    8. Apply local adjustments
    9. HDR photo merge
    10. Develop module options
    11. Retouch photos
    12. Cure red eye and pet eye effects
    13. Use the Radial Filter tool
    14. Adjustments with Lens Blur
    15. Edit and Export in HDR
    16. Remove Tool
  7. Viewing photos
    1. View photos
    2. Browse and compare photos
    3. Set Library view options
    4. Share photos for comments and feedback
    5. Smart Previews
  8. Export photos
    1. Export files to disk or CD
    2. Export photos from Lightroom Classic
    3. Publish photos online
    4. Export to hard drive using publish services
    5. Presets for export, and other settings
  9. Work with external editors
    1. External Editing preferences
    2. Open and edit Lightroom Classic photos in Photoshop
  10. Manage catalogs and files
    1. How Lightroom Classic catalogs work
    2. Create and manage catalogs
    3. Back up a catalog
    4. Locate missing photos
    5. Create and manage folders
    6. Manage photos within folders
  11. Maps
    1. Work with the Map module
  12. Photo books
    1. Create photo books
  13. Slideshows
    1. Create slideshows
    2. Slideshow module panels and tools
    3. Specify the slide layout
    4. Add overlays to slides
    5. Play and export slideshows
  14. Print photos
    1. Print module basics
    2. Print module layouts and templates
    3. Work with print job options and settings
  15. Web galleries
    1. Create web galleries
    2. Use the Web module panels and tools
    3. Work with web gallery layouts
    4. Work with web gallery templates and settings
    5. Preview, export, and upload web photo galleries
  16. Keyboard shortcuts
    1. Keyboard shortcuts
  17. Content Authenticity 
    1. Content Authenticity in Lightroom Classic
  18. Lightroom and Adobe services
    1. Creative Cloud Libraries
    2. Using Adobe Stock in Creative Cloud apps
  19. Troubleshooting 
    1. Fixed Issues
    2. Known Issues
  20. Technical Support
    1. Performance Guidelines
      1. Basic troubleshooting steps to fix issues in Lightroom Classic
      2. Optimize performance
      3. Keep Lightroom up to date
      4. Preference file and other file locations | Lightroom Classic
      5. Allow Permissions to Lightroom Classic on macOS
    2.  Technical issues
      1. GPU Issues
        1. Troubleshoot graphics processor (GPU) and graphics driver issues | Lightroom Classic
        2. Lightroom Classic GPU FAQ
      2. Startup Issues
        1. Windows | Lightroom doesn't start
        2. Error: Lightroom catalog cannot be opened
        3. Error: 'Unexpected error opening catalog' occurs in Lightroom after Windows 10 upgrade
        4. "Assertion failed" update error | Windows
        5. Error MSVCR110.dll opening apps in Windows 10
      3. Rendering Issues
        1. Troubleshoot issues with Develop module
      4. Stability Issues
        1. Troubleshoot crash or freeze in Lightroom Classic
      5. Miscellaneous Issues
        1. FAQ | Color in Lightroom Classic
        2. Lightroom desktop and mobile apps unavailable to Education memberships | Kivuto
    3. Workflow Issues
      1. Catalog Issues
        1. Error : Lightroom catalog cannot be opened
        2. Troubleshoot corrupt catalog
        3. Locate missing photos
        4. Recover catalog and images after resetting preferences
        5. Lightroom Classic catalog FAQ
      2. Sync Issues
        1. Lightroom Classic sync FAQ

View ratings, flags, and labels

In the Library module, photos can display rating stars, flags, and color labels, depending on the view options you set.

Note:

Slide shows can display photos with rating stars. See Display ratings in a slide show.

  1. In the Library module, do any of the following to show ratings, flags, and labels:
    • To show flags and labels in the thumbnail cells of the Grid view, choose View > View Options. Then, in the Grid View tab of the Library View Options dialog box, select Flags and Tint Grid Cells With Label Colors. To display rating stars, choose Rating from the Top Label or Bottom Label menu.

    • To show ratings, flags, and labels in the toolbar in the Grid or Loupe view, choose one or more of the following from the toolbar menu: Rating, Flagging, or Color Label.

    Note:

    Ratings, flags, and labels are always available beneath photos displayed in the Compare and the Survey views.

Set rating stars

When assigning ratings to files, you can award from zero to five stars. Rating stars can be set or displayed in any view of the Library module. Once photos are rated, you can click a rating filter button in the Filmstrip or in the Library Filter bar to display and work on photos that you’ve rated with a specific number of stars. See Filter photos in the Filmstrip and Grid view and Find photos using the Attribute filters.

  • With one or more photos selected in the Grid view, or with a single photo selected in the Filmstrip in Loupe, Compare, or Survey view, choose Photo > Set Rating. Then, choose a rating from the submenu.

    Note: If more than one photo is selected in the Filmstrip in Loupe, Compare, or Survey view, the rating is applied only to the active photo.

  • Press a number from 1 through 5 to set the rating. Hold down Shift and press the number to set the rating to select the next photo.
Note:

In the Compare and Survey views, you can click one of the five dots under the photos to assign rating stars. Clicking the first dot assigns one rating star, clicking the second dot assigns two rating stars, clicking the third dot assigns three rating stars, and so forth.

Set rating stars in thumbnails in the Grid view

  1. In the Grid view, select one or more photos.
  2. Click one of the five dots below the thumbnail in a cell.

    Clicking the first dot assigns a one-star rating, clicking the second dot assigns two rating stars, clicking the third dot assigns three rating stars, and so forth.

    Note:

    To display rating stars in compact thumbnail cells, choose Bottom Label > Rating in the Library View Options. To display rating stars in Expanded thumbnail cells, select Show Rating Footer in Library View Options. See Set Library view options for the Grid view.

Set rating stars using the Painter tool

  1. In the Grid view, select the Painter tool in the toolbar, and then choose Rating from the Paint menu in the toolbar.
    Note:

    If the Painter tool does not appear in the toolbar, choose Painter from the toolbar menu.

  2. Specify the rating in the toolbar, and then click or drag across photos to apply the rating.
  3. To disable the Painter, click the circular well in the toolbar. When disabled, the Painter icon is visible in the toolbar.

Set rating stars in the Library toolbar

  1. With one or more photos selected in the Grid view, or with a single photo selected in the Filmstrip in Loupe or Survey view, click a rating star in the toolbar.

    Clicking the first dot assigns a one-star rating, clicking the second dot assigns two rating stars, clicking the third dot assigns three rating stars, and so forth. If more than one photo is selected in the Filmstrip in Loupe or Survey view, the rating is applied only to the active photo.

    Note:

    For rating stars to appear in the toolbar, choose Rating from the toolbar menu. See Show controls in the Library module toolbar.

Set rating stars in the Metadata panel

  1. With one or more photos selected in the Grid view, or with a single photo selected in the Filmstrip in Loupe, Compare, or Survey view, choose Default, All, Minimal, or Quick Describe from the pop-up menu at the top of the Metadata panel.
  2. In the Metadata panel, click one of the five dots next to Rating.

    Clicking the first dot assigns one rating star, clicking the second dot assigns two rating stars, clicking the third dot assigns three rating stars, and so forth. If more than one photo is selected in the Filmstrip in Loupe, Compare, or Survey view, the rating is applied only to the active photo.

Change ratings

  1. In the Library module, do any of the following to change rating stars in either the thumbnail cell, toolbar, or Metadata panel:
    • Click a different rating star to increase or decrease the rating. Clicking a one-star rating removes the rating.

    • Choose Photo > Set Rating, and then choose a different rating or whether to decrease or increase the rating.

    Note:

    You can select photos and press ] to increase the rating or press [ to decrease the rating.

Remove ratings

  1. With one or more photos selected in the Grid view, or with a single photo selected in the Filmstrip in Loupe, Compare, or Survey view, choose Photo > Set Rating > None. If more than one photo is selected in the Filmstrip in Loupe, Compare, or Survey view, the rating is removed only from the active photo.
    Note:

    You can also click the stars in a thumbnail cell, in the Library toolbar, or in the Metadata panel to remove ratings. If a photo has a five-star rating, for example, click the fifth star to remove the rating. If a photo has a four-star rating, click the fourth star to remove the rating, and so on.

Flag or reject photos

Flags designate whether a photo is a pick , rejected , or unflagged. Flags are set in the Library module. Once photos are flagged, you can click a flag filter button in the Filmstrip or in the Library Filter bar to display and work on photos that you’ve labeled with a particular flag. See Filter photos in the Filmstrip and Grid view and Find photos using the Attribute filters.

With LrC 13.2, flag states are now saved to XMP. Thus, they are now visible or available outside of the Lightroom Classic catalog.

  1. In the Library module, do one of the following:
    • Select one or more photos in the Grid view, or select a single photo in the Filmstrip in Loupe, Compare, or Survey view. Then, choose Photo > Set Flag and choose the flag you want. If more than one photo is selected in the Filmstrip in Loupe, Compare, or Survey view, the flag is applied only to the active photo.

    • Select one photo in the Grid view or the Filmstrip and press the letter P to flag the image a pick or the letter X to mark it as rejected. Hold down Shift and press P or X to set the flag and select the next photo. Hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) and press the Up Arrow or Down Arrow to increase or decrease the flag status, respectively.

    • (Grid view only) Click the Flag icon in the upper-left corner of the photo thumbnails to apply or remove the Pick flag. Photos with a Reject flag appear dimmed in the Grid view.

      Note: To show or set flags in the thumbnail cells of the Grid view, make sure that Flags is selected in the Grid View tab of the Library View Options dialog box. (Choose View > View Options.)

    • (Compare and Survey views only) Click the Pick or Rejected flag below the photos.

Flag photos in the Library toolbar

  1. With one or more photos selected in the Grid view, or with a single photo selected in the Filmstrip in the Loupe or Survey view, click the desired flag in the toolbar. If more than one photo is selected in the Filmstrip in Loupe or Survey view, the flag is applied only to the active photo.
    Note:

    To show or set flags in the toolbar, choose Flagging from the toolbar menu.

Flag photos using the Painter tool

  1. In the Grid view, select the Painter tool in the toolbar, and then choose Flag from the Paint menu in the toolbar.
  2. Specify the flag status in the toolbar, and then click or drag across photos to apply the flag setting.

Quickly unflag or reject photos

The Refine Photos command causes unflagged photos to be flagged as rejected, and picked photos to be unflagged.

  1. In the Folders panel or the Collections panel, select a folder or a collection.

  2. Choose Library > Refine Photos.
  3. Click Refine in the Refine Photos dialog box.

Select flagged photos

  1. In the Library module, do any of the following:
    • To select flagged photos in the Grid view or the Filmstrip, choose Edit > Select Flagged Photos.

    • To deselect unflagged photos in the Grid view or the Filmstrip, choose Edit > Deselect Unflagged Photos.

Set labels and color groups

Labeling photos with a certain color is a flexible way to quickly mark a large number of photos. For example, suppose you’ve just imported a large number of photos and are viewing them in the Grid view. As you review each new photo, you can label the ones you want to keep. After this initial pass, you can click the color label filter buttons in the Filmstrip to display and work on photos that you’ve labeled with a particular color. See Filter photos in the Filmstrip and Grid view and Find photos using the Attribute filters.

  1. In the Library module, do one of the following:
    • Select one or more photos in the Grid view, or select a single photo in the Filmstrip in Loupe, Compare, or Survey view. Then, choose Photo > Set Color Label and choose a label from the submenu. If more than one photo is selected in the Filmstrip in Loupe, Compare, or Survey view, the label is applied only to the active photo.

    • (Grid view only) Move the pointer over the Color Label icon at the bottom of the thumbnail cell and then click a color label.

      Note: To show or set color labels in thumbnail cells, select Include Color Label in the Grid View tab of the Library View Options dialog box. (Choose View > View Options.)

    • (Grid, Compare, or Survey view only) Click a color label icon below the photos.

Set color labels in the Library toolbar

  1. With one or more photos selected the Grid view, or with a single photo selected in the Filmstrip in Loupe or Survey view, click a color label in the toolbar. If more than one photo is selected in the Filmstrip in Loupe or Survey view, the label is applied only to the active photo.
    Note:

    To show or set color labels in the Library module toolbar, choose Color Label from the toolbar pop-up menu.

Set color labels using the Painter tool

  1. In the Grid view, select the Painter tool in the toolbar, and then choose Label from the Paint menu in the toolbar.
    Note:

    If the Painter tool does not appear in the toolbar, choose Painter from the toolbar menu.

  2. Select the color label in the toolbar, and then click or drag across photos to apply the label.
  3. To disable the Painter, click the circular well in the toolbar. When disabled, the Painter icon is visible in the toolbar.

Edit color label sets

You can assign names to color labels in the Edit Color Label Set dialog box. The name is then added to the photo’s metadata when you apply the label.

  1. In the Library module, choose Metadata > Color Label Set > Edit.
  2. In the Edit Color Label Set dialog box, type a name next to a color. You can assign different names for images, folders, and collections.

  3. (Optional) Choose Save Current Setting As New Preset from the Preset menu, type a name in the Preset Name text box, and then click Create.
  4. Click Change.

Delete or rename color label sets

  1. In the Library module, choose Metadata > Color Label Set > Edit.
  2. In the Edit Color Label Set dialog box, choose a preset from the Preset menu.
  3. Do any of the following:
    • To delete the preset, choose Delete Preset [preset name]. Click Delete in the alert dialog that opens.

    • To rename the preset, choose Rename Preset [preset name]. Type a name in the Preset Name text box, and then click Rename.

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