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How to Search in Aperture 2

My friend Allison from the Nosillacast podcast emailed me, asking about searching for a specific file name in Aperture 2. I thought it was simple enough because I do it all the time, but when I received her reply asking WHERE is the search, I realized, AH HA! you have to be in a specific view mode to see the search box.

Change to Browser Only View

Change to Browser Only view mode by clicking the View menu on the top right of the workspace or by choosing View>Browser Only. You can also scroll through each of the three view modes by clicking the keyboard shortcut "V"

Search Box

The Search Box defaults to "Unrated or Better" - type in your search term and click enter.

Additional Search Options in Aperture 2

Click the little spy glass icon next to the search box, and choose from various photo ratings. I usually keep it as "unrated or better" that way all the photos I have rated as "rejected" are not visible. I also like displaying photos with 3 or more rating stars so I can see my top rated photos.

Filtering Search Results

(1) Click the other spy glass icon and a more specific search panel will appear. (2) Click the + button to add more filters. This is great for filtering results for specific keywords, lens used, location. The options are endless.

Searching for photos in Aperture 2 is so powerful. It can be a lot of work to consistantly add meta data like keywords and captions, etc. But it’s really worth it in the end when you have such a wonderful way to search. I love Aperture 2!