# Getting started: a 10-minute tour of firelet.media Gallery

> Attach a folder, let the scan finish, then filter, search by description and open the viewer. A quick tour of the title bar, icon rail, toolbar and grid.

Source: https://firelet.media/help/getting-started-tour
Published: 2026-09-30 · Updated: 2026-09-30
Applies to: Windows, macOS, Linux

Here is how to use firelet.media Gallery in about ten minutes: open **Library** ([[Alt]]+[[1]]), click **Attach a folder** and let the scan finish. Your photos stay exactly where they are. Then narrow the grid with the toolbar and **Filters**, index the library so you can search by description, open a picture in the viewer, and start rating and making albums.

## How to use firelet.media Gallery: the layout

The window has five parts. Once you know them, everything else is a panel away.

- **Title bar.** The **Viewer** tab ([[Ctrl]]+[[1]]) is for browsing; the **Imaging** tab ([[Ctrl]]+[[2]]) is for scanning and importing. On the right you'll see the item count, the licence label (it reads **Trial · 14d** on day one), the version (**v2026.10**, which opens About) and a button that switches between the dark and light theme.
- **Icon rail.** The column of icons on the left opens the panels. **Reset filters** sits at its foot.
- **Side panel.** Whatever the rail has selected: folders, filters, AI tools, albums and so on.
- **Toolbar and grid.** The toolbar across the top holds **Scan**, **Map**, the search box, the sort order and the tile size. Below it is the grid of your pictures.
- **Status bar.** Progress, the number selected, and **Stop**: "Stop what is running. What it had already done is kept."

| Key | Panel | Key | Panel |
|---|---|---|---|
| [[Alt]]+[[1]] | Library | [[Alt]]+[[6]] | Calendar |
| [[Alt]]+[[2]] | Filters | [[Alt]]+[[7]] | Presets |
| [[Alt]]+[[3]] | AI | [[Alt]]+[[8]] | Statistics |
| [[Alt]]+[[4]] | Albums & keywords | [[Alt]]+[[9]] | Advanced query |
| [[Alt]]+[[5]] | People | [[Alt]]+[[0]] | Devices |

> [!NOTE]
> There is no menu bar and no settings window. Each option lives in the panel it affects: scanning options in **Library**, map imagery under the map's **Tile provider…**, phone options under each phone's **Settings…**.

## Step 1: attach a folder

On the very first launch the grid is empty and grey, the rail is open on **Filters**, and the title bar says "No images yet — add a folder to begin".

![The main window on first launch: an empty grey grid, the Filters panel open and 'No images yet — add a folder to begin' in the title bar](https://firelet.media/help/media/shot-first-run-empty.webp "A new library is empty until you attach a folder")

1. Press [[Alt]]+[[1]] to open **Library**.
2. Click **Attach a folder**.
3. Pick one or more folders in the "Add a folder to the library" window and confirm.
4. Wait while the status bar runs through "Scanning…", "Reading metadata…" and "Saving…".

Nothing is moved, copied or uploaded: the gallery reads the folders where they are. For OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive or iCloud, use **Add a cloud folder** instead. The gallery doesn't watch folders live; it looks for changes each time it starts (**Look for changes on startup** is on) and whenever you press **Scan**. [How to add your photo folders](https://firelet.media/help/add-photo-folders) covers the details, including camera RAW files, which aren't supported yet (the JPEGs your camera writes alongside them are).

## Step 2: browse and filter

The toolbar handles the everyday narrowing:

- **Search box.** Type a few words. Every word must match somewhere: a file or folder name, keyword, album, person, place, title, or text read from the picture.
- **All media / Photos only / Videos only**, and a date range from **Any time** to **Custom range…**.
- **Landscape**, **Portrait** and **Square** tick boxes.
- The sort order, from **Newest first** to **Highest rated**.
- **Names** and **Whole** change how tiles look; the slider (or [[Ctrl]]+mouse wheel) changes their size.

![Typing 'harbour' in the search box narrows the grid to harbour photos](https://firelet.media/help/media/shot-search-box-results.webp "Every word you type must match somewhere in the picture's details")

For stars, labels, file types, location, size and camera, open **Filters** ([[Alt]]+[[2]]). [How to sort and filter your photo library](https://firelet.media/help/sort-and-filter-photos) explains every control.

## Step 3: index and search by description

To find a photo by describing it ("boats in a harbour at dusk"), the gallery needs its AI model and an index of your pictures. Both stay on your PC.

1. Press [[Alt]]+[[3]] to open **AI** (it carries a "✦ beta" badge).
2. Click **Download model**. It is a one-time 438 MB download from Hugging Face.
3. Click **Index library** and let it run.
4. Type a description into the AI panel's own search box and press [[Enter]].

Descriptions work in English. Indexing uses your graphics card when it can and the processor otherwise; the results are the same either way. [How to index your library for AI search](https://firelet.media/help/index-library-for-ai-search) has the full picture.

## Step 4: open the viewer and edit

Double-click a tile, or select it and press [[Enter]]. Use [[←]] and [[→]] to step through the grid, [[I]] for the info panel (rating, title, keywords, date, place and more) and [[E]] for **Adjust**, the editor. [[Esc]] backs out one step at a time until the viewer closes.

![A photo open in the viewer with the info panel showing rating stars, title, caption, keywords, histogram and file details](https://firelet.media/help/media/shot-viewer-info.webp "Press I for the info panel and E for the editor")

Edits are saved in the library as you go and never change the file. [How to edit a photo without changing the original](https://firelet.media/help/edit-photos-without-changing-originals) shows each slider.

## Step 5: rate, label and make albums

With pictures selected in the grid or open in the viewer:

- Press [[0]]–[[5]] for stars (0 clears), [[P]] to pick, [[X]] to reject and [[U]] to clear the flag.
- Press [[6]], [[7]], [[8]] or [[9]] for a red, yellow, green or blue label.
- Open **Albums & keywords** ([[Alt]]+[[4]]), type an album name and press [[Enter]]: the album is created with the selected pictures in it. [[Ctrl]]+[[K]] adds a keyword.

Albums are lists in the library, so no files are copied, and a picture can be in as many albums as you like.

## Where to go next

- The [free trial](https://firelet.media/help/free-trial) runs 14 days with every feature and no limits; the licence label counts down the days.
- Want to see where photos were taken? Click **Map** on the toolbar.
- Pair an Android phone under **Devices** ([[Alt]]+[[0]]) when the free companion app is available (it is coming soon).

> [!TIP]
> The macOS and Linux builds, being finished now, use the same panels and shortcuts. Where this tour says [[Ctrl]], a Mac also accepts [[Cmd]].

## Questions

### Why is the grid empty after install?

The library starts empty and the icon rail opens on Filters. Open Library (Alt+1), click Attach a folder, and the scan fills the grid.

### Where are the settings?

There is no single settings window. Each option lives in the panel it affects: Library for scanning, the map's Tile provider… for map imagery, and each phone's Settings… for the Wi-Fi link.

### How do I switch between browsing and scanning?

Use the Viewer and Imaging tabs in the title bar, or press Ctrl+1 and Ctrl+2.