# Typing in information about your images

In figure you can see an example of the window that will greet you once you have started &kphotoalbum; with your own images.

At the top of the screen you will find a menu and toolbar, as you know from any KDE application. Below the toolbar you see the browser window. Currently this is not containing much information, as you have not yet specified any information about your images. In we will get back to the browser, but for now, simply press the View Images item, which will show you an overview of all your images.

## Starting &kphotoalbum; with your own images

## Specifying properties for images

The key feature of &kphotoalbum; is that you can specify properties for images. This includes who is on a given image, where is it taken, etc. You can do this either an image at a time, or you can set properties for a number of images simultaneously (For example, all these images contain the person Jesper, and is taken in Copenhagen.)

To set properties for images, select the images in question, and go to Edit Properties, here you will find two items, namely One at a time, and All simultaneously. Choosing One at a time, you get to set properties for each of the selected images, one at a time, while choosing All simultaneously, you set properties for all selected images. These two options are also available from a context menu, that you get by right clicking the mouse in the thumbnail overview. An example of this can be seen in .

### Context menu for editing properties

In below you can see the window for configuring image properties. In this window you can specify the date of the image, the label of the image The label is initialized to the name of the file. The label is used in the browser, and when the images are exported to HTML pages, a description for the image, and most important different categories for the image. In the screen dump, these categories are `Persons`, `Locations`, and `Keywords`, but as you will see in , these three predefined categories may be changed to your preferences.

### Configuring image properties

The date, plus the categories may be used for searching and browsing for images, as we will see in , and they will also be shown when you later view the images.

### Categories

In there are three list boxes combined with a line edits for specifying persons, locations and keywords. These widget are a very important part of &kphotoalbum;, as you will use them over and over again, when specifying information about your images.

You can specify a property from a list box, simply by selecting it (Select say `Donna` to specify that Donna is on the given image. Alternatively you may type its name in the line edit. When you start typing a name in the line edit, &kphotoalbum; will look into the listbox, and search for the first item matching what you've typed so far, and fill it out. Thus typing `Do` might be enough to find `Donna`. Once you have found the item you search for, simply press enter to select this item in the listbox. The item will now be moved to the top of the view, so next time you need the given item it is even easier to find.

The idea behind moving images to the top when they have been selected is, that when going to, say a family party, you will get perhaps 50 images all with the same 5-10 persons. When typing in information about these 50 images you will have the 5-10 persons at the top of the listbox as soon as you have type in their name the first time.

If you prefer to have the list alphabetically sorted instead, simply press the icon for sorting for dates under the list box.

### Specifying properties for one image at a time

When you specify properties for one image at a time, you may still of course select a number of images, and say, I want to specify properties for these images. In this situation, you will find a next and previous button under the image in the topmost rightmost corner.

### Specifying properties for all images simultaneously

If you have several images with, say the same person, then it might be more convenient to select those images, and specify that this person is one all images using the Set properties for all selected images.

In this situation, you will not see the existing values of each of the items. If you specify a date or description, then that value will be set unconditionally. For categories it is a bit different. In this situation you will find that there is a check box under the list box labeled Merge. When this list box is selected, the values you specify will be merged with the existing values for the option in question. If on the other hand you uncheck the Merge check box, then the option will be set unconditionally.

## Member Groups

Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and California are all located in USA. Furthermore, San Francisco and Los Angeles are located in California.

Instead of specifying for each and every image from San Francisco, that it is in San Francisco, and in California, and in USA, you may instead tell &kphotoalbum; that San Francisco, and Los Angeles are in California, and that California among others are in USA. Doing so the browser (see ) will offer you an item for USA, and an item for California in addition to all your normal items. Selecting California, you will see all images from San Francisco, Los Angeles, etc.

In you can see a browser window, containing USA as a member group item. To indicate to you that this is a group, a special icon is used.

### Browser showing USA as a member

In the context menu for the image property editor there is an item for member groups, here you specify that the given item is a member of a given group. See .

### Member Group Configuration

When setting properties for images, the member groups are available as any other item in the list box, that way you may specify that a given image is from USA, if you don't remember where in USA it exactly is.

It is also possible to configure all members of a group in one go, see .

## Changing layout of the property window

It is possible to move the items of the property window around, simply from the bar at the top of the frames, and move them around - you can even make a frame into a top level window on its own.

Once you have found a layout that matches your screen layout, your usage of &kphotoalbum;, etc, simply press the Options... button, that will display a popup menu from which you can save the current window layout.

You may also choose to hide away a frame, if for example all your digital camera save images in a way, so the date of the image is preserved in the file date, then you may not need the frame with file dates. If you later want to include that frame in your layout, then choose the Options... button, and from there the Show/Hide windows item. This can be see in .

### Showing previously hidden windows.