Writing great AI search queries

Total Vault search isn't keyword matching against filenames. When you type a phrase, it looks at what each photo actually looks like — the scene, the subjects, the light — and finds the closest matches. So a sunset shot named DSC_4821.jpg still turns up for "red barn at sunset," even though nothing in the name says "barn" or "sunset."

Under the hood it blends three things at once: the visual look of the image, plain-language content labels, and any text already attached to a file. You don't have to choose between them — just describe what you're after and let search do the blending. Click Search in the sidebar and type in plain English.

The single biggest win is describing the scene the way you'd describe it to a friend. The more concrete and visual the phrase, the better the match.

Good, concrete queries:

• "first kiss at golden hour"
• "red barn at sunset"
• "ring close-up on a dark background"
• "kids running on the beach"
• "bouquet toss"
• "a dog on the couch"

Try not to over-think it. Short, vivid phrases beat long sentences stuffed with qualifiers. "sunset portrait by the water" works better than "please find me all of the portrait-style photographs that were taken outdoors near water during the evening."

You can narrow by when a photo was actually taken — search reads the capture date baked into the image, not just when you uploaded it. Mix a date right into the phrase:

• "detail shots from 2024"
• "beach photos last summer"
• "portraits in 2023"
• "recent family sessions" (covers roughly the last year)
• "photos between 2022 and 2024"

Relative words work too — "this year," "last year," "recently," and seasons like "last summer" all resolve against today's date for you.

If you remember which project something lives in, say so — search will scope to it. Use the project's real name and a clear cue word:

• "first dance in the Sundays project"
• "detail shots from my Reyes Family album"
• "sunset portraits inside the Aerie folder"

If the name you mention doesn't match a real project, search quietly ignores that part and searches everything instead — so a small misspelling never leaves you with zero results. Generic words like "wedding photos" or "beach pictures" are treated as subjects to find, not project names, which is exactly what you want.

• Do describe the scene: "couple under string lights," "food on the table."
• Do name a person when it matters: "Abigail's first dance."
• Do fold in a year or timeframe: "outdoor ceremony in 2025."
• Don't type a filename or camera code like "IMG_2231" — search is built for describing the picture, not matching strings.
• Don't pile on filler words; trim to the few that carry the image.
• Don't expect month-precise dates — narrow by year, then by what the photo shows.

Results come back fast. Single-click a result to select it, double-click to open it, and download anything you need. If a search feels off, rephrase around what the photo looks like — that's the signal search is strongest at. Still stuck? Email support@totalvault.ai.