# Image Marking

A common task is sorting through a bunch of digital photos, working out which ones to keep, which ones to upload, which ones to print, etc. The Image Marking feature in the standalone viewer can make this process very simple. Images you mark are automatically added to a [file collection](../../basic_concepts/virtual_file_system/file_collections), from which you can then copy, delete, upload, etc. the images you've chosen. Additionally, thumbnails of the images you’ve marked are shown in a separate panel in the viewer, and there are commands that make it easy to move around the marked images.

![](https://3597805814-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F3XSZSwWow0fDf6fQJobd%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-f6b9f79f3429caa35bb3952de876253fdeaaf0cd%2Fimage015_001.png?alt=media)

To mark the current image in the viewer, simply push the **M** key (or click the **Mark** button on the toolbar). With the default configuration, a file collection will automatically be created based on the name of the image’s parent folder. On the left of the viewer window the marked image pane opens automatically, showing thumbnails of the images you’ve marked. When this opens it automatically checks the collection for any images you may have already marked in a previous session.

If the current image you’re viewing is marked this is indicated with a star icon in the top-left corner, as shown in the above screenshot.

You can jump around the marked images by double-clicking their thumbnail. The marked image pane also lets you rename images by selecting their icon and pressing **F2**. The following keys relating to marking are also defined by default in the viewer:

* **M / Insert**: Mark / unmark the current image
* **Ctrl + M**: Show or hide the marked image pane
* **Ctrl + Left**: Jump to previously marked image
* **Ctrl + Right**: Jump to next marked image
* **Ctrl + Up**: Jump to first marked image
* **Ctrl + Down**: Jump to last marked image
* **Ctrl + Space**: Return from jump to last viewed image
* **Shift + M**: Exchange mark with previously marked image

These keys make it very easy to jump back and forth between images you’ve marked and your current “position” in the list of images. The **Exchange mark** command comes in handy when you’ve got multiple photos of the same scene and you’re trying to decide which is the best. You might have marked the first photo because you thought it was ok, but then two or three photos later you find one that’s slightly better – simply press **Shift + M** to unmark the previous one and mark the new one instead.

If you want to take a break from your session you can simply close the viewer and come back to it later – all images that you’ve marked will be saved in the file collection. When you’ve marked one or more images and you close the viewer, Opus will automatically display the file collection for you in a new tab – you can change this behaviour in Preferences.

The name of the file collection can be configured on the _Viewer / Behavior_ page in Preferences. When you configure the collection name, you can use the special code **%F** to insert the name of the parent folder, and **%D** to insert the current date. You can also have Opus ask you for a collection name before each marking session.
