Custom filter rules

Show the filter panel using the Edit > Find menu (⌘F), or by using the toolbar:

Toolbar filter menu

The filter panel will show a list of rules you can customize. You can add new rules by clicking the Add Rule button button.

Searching for text

You can use the Text rule set to Any Text in order to search all text metadata fields at once, including name, caption, and device model. However, this doesn’t include metadata items that are numbers, such as Exif Shutter Speed.

Searching for numbers

When you add a rule to find something with a number value, you can enter simple math expressions. For example, “Exif Shutter Speed is less than 1/30” or “Exif Exposure Bias is -1/3.”

Shutter speed rule
An Exif rule for Shutter Speed. You can use simple math expressions for numbers.

Combining filter rules

You can create more complex rules by holding down the Option key to change the Add Rule button button to Add Subgroup button. Click it to add a new rule in a subgroup:

A compound filter
A filter matching a text term with two different date ranges.

Smart albums

Save a filter as a smart album by clicking the New Smart Album button. It will appear in the Library inspector. If you want to edit the filter rules that a smart album uses, click the 𝚒 button that appears in the Library inspector when viewing the smart album.

Inspect smart album rules icon

Smart albums don’t support a few filter rules. You can’t save smart albums using the Edits rule, or when filtering for items using “Attribute Has Preview.” You also can’t save a filter as a smart album when viewing a smart album.