OMATOOLS/OmaRAW guide

Guide / Organise

Automatic subject tags

Find supported subjects, correct detections and organise automatic collections.

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Film recorded with an earlier version; the written reference is current. This lesson explains the controls and workflow. See the recording notes below for exactly what is demonstrated.

Where it is

Library → Inspector → Automatic tagging

Quick overview

  • Automatic tagging scans supported object classes locally and also controls tagging on new imports.
  • Correct a missed or wrong label in Add / correct. Corrections survive rescanning; Use detections restores model suggestions.
  • Tags organise this catalog separately from ordinary keywords. The film demonstrates manual correction, not a claimed detector result.

In this film

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  1. Automatic tags describe supported subjectsThey are sorting aids, not ratings or named-person identification.
  2. Open Automatic tags in the inspectorTags stay in this catalog, separate from ordinary keywords.
  3. The switch also controls new importsOff keeps existing tags, corrections and queued work.
  4. Scan selected handles existing photographsPause or resume background scans when needed.
  5. Review and correct the labelsThis demonstration adds a manual correction, not a claimed detection.
  6. Find a supported subjectThe picker contains 80 subject classes; landscapes are not among them.
  7. Add Cups for this photographManual corrections survive a rescan.
  8. Close the correction pickerUse detections can restore the latest model suggestions.
  9. Choose which automatic collections to showCollections appear when matching photographs exist.
  10. Keep only the groups you find usefulHiding a collection preserves its name and tags.
  11. Use Auto tag rules in smart albumsSmall or hidden objects can be missed; review results yourself.

What automatic tags do

Automatic subject detection helps organise a catalog by recognising supported classes of objects. It does not rate photographs, decide which expression is best, identify a named person or replace your keywords. A “person” tag means the model found a supported subject class, not that it knows who the person is.

Enable, scan and review

  1. Open the Library inspector and enable Automatic tagging. This also controls scanning on new folder imports.
  2. Select existing photographs and choose Scan selected. Use Pause/Resume if you need to stop background work temporarily.
  3. Review the detected subject labels. Remove an incorrect label with its cross, or open Add / correct… to search the 80 supported subjects and tick a missed subject.
  4. Use Settings… to choose the automatic collections shown for this catalog. Collections appear when matches exist.
  5. For a more specific collection, make a smart album with an Auto tag rule, either for a subject or a whole group.

Turning Automatic tagging off stops its worker and keeps existing detections, manual corrections and queued scans. Turning it back on resumes. Corrections can be made while it is off and survive rescanning. Use detections restores the latest scan's suggestions if you want to discard manual tag corrections.

What tags are saved and shared

Virtual copies share the original's automatic subject tags. Your ordinary keywords, edits, original files and exported metadata are unchanged by this system. Hiding an automatic collection does not delete its tags or name.

The initially selected collection groups are People, Animals, Transport, Sports equipment and Food. Other supported objects and individual collections can be enabled separately. Choose only the groups you find useful so the sidebar remains manageable.

Know the detector's limits

Small, partly hidden or unusual subjects may be missed. A toy or a picture of an object can be detected as though it were the real thing. Scenery categories such as beach, sunset and landscape are outside this model's supported subjects; adding them as ordinary keywords remains a separate task.

Use this as a route to possible matches, then review the photos yourself. Empty results do not prove the subject is absent. The film shows the tagging controls and manual correction workflow; its displayed correction is a user action, not an invented detection result.

Automatic subject tags

The inspector's Automatic tagging switch enables or disables offline subject scanning. It also controls tagging on new folder imports. Off stops the worker and keeps existing tags, corrections and queued scans. Turn it back on to resume. Use Scan selected for existing photos while enabled, or Pause/Resume to stop work temporarily without changing the import switch.

Detected tags appear as removable labels. Click a label's cross to exclude it, or use Add / correct… to search 80 supported subjects and tick missed ones. Corrections survive rescanning. Use detections restores the last scan's labels. Manual corrections work even while scanning is off. Virtual copies share their original's tags; your keywords, edits, originals and exported metadata are unchanged.

Settings… chooses automatic collections for this catalog. People, Animals, Transport, Sports equipment and Food are selected initially and appear only once matches exist. Other objects and individual collections can be enabled separately. Unticking hides a collection and preserves its name and tags. Custom smart albums can use individual subjects or whole groups in the Auto tag rule.

Detection is a sorting aid: small, hidden or unusual subjects may be missed, and pictures or toys can be mistaken for real objects. Scenery such as landscapes, beaches and sunsets is outside this model's supported subjects.

See the user guide for the complete workflow.