# The media library

The library holds every file your organization has uploaded, in one place, described
well enough to find without remembering where you put it.

**Media → Library.**

## What happens to a file on upload

Upload a photo and it is queued for analysis. Within a few minutes (longer for large
files or a busy queue) it comes back with:

- a **caption** and a longer description
- **keywords and tags** drawn from what is actually in the frame
- **quality ratings**, so you can filter out the soft and badly lit ones
- a **safety rating**, flagging anything that needs review before it goes out
- **recognized people**, matched against the people already in your library
- **technical metadata**: dimensions, camera, the date it was taken, and where, if the
  file carried it

Videos get the same treatment plus duration, resolution and codec. Audio files get a
transcript, speakers, topics and a summary.

This analysis is what makes the rest of the product work: you search what is in the
pictures rather than the filenames.

<Mermaid chart={`flowchart LR
  U["You upload"] --> L["In the library<br/>(processing)"]
  L --> A["AI analysis"]
  A --> R["Described<br/>and searchable"]
  A -. "failed or skipped" .-> N["Not processed"]
  N -- "Run analysis" --> A
  L -. "usable right away" .-> W["Album, share, publish"]
`} />

The file is usable from the moment it lands: adding it to an album, sharing it and
publishing it do not wait for the analysis. Only searching by what is *in* the picture
does.

<Callout type="note">
	A file that was uploaded before analysis was available, or that failed, shows **Not
	processed** on its Activity tab with a **Run analysis** button. You can also select
	several files in the library and choose **Reanalyze**.
</Callout>

## Views and controls

**Grid view** is the default and suits photography. **List view** gives you a table with
sortable columns, which is better when you are auditing rather than browsing.

The library header carries:

- **Search**: plain language, over everything the analysis found
- **Filters**: album, tags, people, quality, date, file type, and more
- **Sort**: newest or oldest first, by name, by upload date
- **Select**: turns on multi-select for bulk actions

Selecting files reveals the bulk bar: **Download Selected**, **Delete Selected**,
**Reanalyze**, and adding to an album.

## In this section

| | |
|---|---|
| [Uploading files](/guide/media/uploading) | Adding files from your computer or from cloud storage. |
| [Albums](/guide/media/albums) | Collections you put together by hand, and smart albums that fill themselves. |
| [Tags and descriptions](/guide/media/tags-and-descriptions) | Correcting and extending what the analysis produced. |
| [Search and filters](/guide/media/finding-media) | Search, filters and favorites. |
| [People](/guide/media/people) | Faces, grouped into people, across the whole library. |
| [Duplicates](/guide/media/duplicates) | Finding near-identical files and reclaiming the space. |
| [Share links](/guide/media/share-links) | Giving people outside the workspace access to a set of files. |
| [Downloading](/guide/media/downloading) | Getting files back out, at the right size. |

## The file detail screen

Click any file to open it. The detail screen has:

- **Overview**: the caption, tags, quality, safety, where the file is used, and
  **More like this**
- **Analysis**: everything the AI found, in full, editable
- **Versions**: the file's history if it has been replaced or edited
- **Activity**: a timeline: uploaded, analyzed, people recognized, tags updated,
  published, shared
- **Brand**, **Social**, **Map**: as applicable to the file

**Used in** on the Overview tab lists which designs, posts and share links depend on
this file. Check it before deleting anything.

## Delete files

Deleting moves a file to **Recently Deleted**, where it can be recovered for a retention
window set by your storage plan. After that it is removed permanently.

The library warns you when a file you are deleting is in use somewhere.