Sorting images by dimensions in Mac OS X
April 22nd, 2010Google is great for finding pretty much any answer to any question you might have. But every now and then, usually when it comes to some technical answer, I just can’t find exactly what I’m looking for.
This happened to me today. I had a folder with hundreds of images in it and was trying to figure out how to sort them by image size – the dimensions: x pixels by y pixels. Mac OS X allows you to sort by name, size, kind, date modified, etc, but not by pixels.
So after looking at a bunch of image programs, looking into using Automator and a bunch of other crap, I finally came across a helpful post in this MacRumors thread.
Here’s what you can do (and it also shows the power of the Find function in Mac OS X)…
1) Go into the folder with all the files you want to sort.
2) Hit Command-F or go to the File menu and click “Find”
3) By default, “This Mac” will be highlighted in the Search bar that just appeared. Instead, select the folder you’re in right next to it.
4) In the drop down menu to the left, select “Other…”
Select Other from the drop down menu
5) A window appears with dozens of different search attributes you can add to that menu. In the upper left, type “pixel”. You’ll see options for “Pixel height” and “Pixel width”. Click the checkboxes to the right of those and click OK.
Search for pixel and check Pixel height and Pixel width
6) Now those attributes are in the drop down menu you just accessed. Select “Pixel width” and whether you want equals, is greater than, etc, and the number.
7) Click the + sign on the right of the window to add another attribute, such as “Pixel height” and enter what you’re looking for.
Choose your pixel height and width criteria
The Finder window will update in real time with the results of your filters. No need to hit “OK” or “Go” or anything.
You’ll also notice a “Save” button in the upper right corner of the window. That allows you to save these search criteria. It saves it as a dynamic folder you can place anywhere. There’s even an option to add it to the sidebar that shows up on the left of all Finder windows.
Pretty cool stuff. Hopefully you found this blog post before you were ready to pull your hair out like I was…
