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Creating and Assigning Hierarchical Keywords

You can keyword your files in a hierarchy and maintain these groups in the Keyword tree. Select the Properties pane to create, rename, delete, and move your keywords.

To Create Keywords:

In Manage mode, select a file, then open the Properties pane, located to the right of the File List pane.
From the Properties pane drop-down menu, select ACDSee Metadata.
In the Keywords group, enter a keyword into the field and press Enter.

To Assign a Keyword to One or More Files:

Do one of the following:

Select one or more files, then check the box next to the appropriate keyword(s).

Select one or more files, then drag them onto the keyword.

To Establish a Hierarchy:

In the Keyword field, type the lesser or more specific keyword, followed by the less than symbol, followed by the greater or more general keyword.

Example:

Owl < Bird

Owl<Bird

Madrid < Spain < Europe

Madrid<Spain<Europe

You can also create your hierarchy in the reverse order, starting with the more general keyword, followed by the pipe key.

Europe | Spain | Madrid

Europe|Spain|Madrid

When assigning multiple keywords to a file, it is important to note that separating keywords with commas will not generate a hierarchy.

Managing Keywords

To unassign a keyword from a file, uncheck the box next to the keyword.
To edit the keyword, right-click the selected keyword and edit the text.
To delete the keyword, select the keyword and press the (-) symbol at the top of the Keywords group.
To edit the Keyword tree, click and drag the keyword to other parts of the tree.

Keywording in the Organize Pane

You can also create and manage keywords in the Organize pane. In the Keyword section of the Organize pane:

To add a keyword, press (+)and enter the keyword, or right-click and select New Keyword.
To add a keyword directly within the keyword tree, select an existing keyword that you want to be the parent. Right-click and select New Sub Keyword.
To assign a keyword to one or more images, select the image(s), right-click the keyword and select Assign to Selected Items.
To unassign a keyword, uncheck the box next to the keyword, or right-click the keyword and select Remove from Selected Items.
To edit a keyword, right-click and select Edit Keyword.
To delete a keyword, right-click and select Delete.

Creating Keyword Sets

You can use keyword sets to keep organized and to streamline your workflow by creating a group of related keywords that hold an association for you. This is ideal for keywords you would like to be easily accessible, rather than buried in the hierarchical tree. You can create multiple groups and choose between them based on the photos you are viewing at the time. ACDSee comes pre-loaded with a variety of usable keyword sets. You can also add these keywords to your tree.

To Assign a Keyword from Keyword Sets:

Select one or more files, then click the keyword.

To Create Keyword Sets:

On the Organize pane, in the Keyword Sets group, select New Keywords Set... from the drop-down menu.
Enter associated or commonly-used keywords in the open fields. To create a hierarchy within a field, use the pipe key, such as A|B|C, or use the less than symbol, such as child<parent.
Enter a name for your set.
Click OK. Apply keywords from your set by selecting a file and clicking the applicable keyword from the Keyword Sets section. The keyword will be added to the tree. If you specified a hierarchy in the keyword set, the parent keyword will appear in the tree with the child under it. The text of the keywords in the table will change color to indicate that the keyword is assigned to the currently selected files, and will display in italics if assigned to only some (but not all) of the currently selected files.

Importing and Exporting Keywords

You can import keywords into ACDSee from other users. You can also share your keywords by exporting them. Keywords are imported and exported as .txt files.

You can import Adobe® Lightroom® keywords.

To Export Keywords:

Choose Tools | Metadata | Export Keywords...
Browse to the location of your keywords file.
Enter a name for your keywords file.
Enter any tags that will help to identify your keywords.
Press Save.

To Import Keywords:

Choose Tools | Metadata | Import Keywords...
Browse to the location of your keywords file.
Select your file and press Choose. The keywords within your file will be loaded into the ACDSee keywords tree and listed alphabetically. Conflicting keywords will be merged.