The fastest way to organize family photos is to start with people.
People are how families remember photos: Mom at the beach, the kids in 2019, Cocoa on the couch, grandparents at Christmas. Cherish is built around that human way of searching.
Short answer: start with the people and pets you care about, teach Cherish who they are, then search and save results by person, year, trip, or memory.
Why person-first organization works
Most people do not remember the filename, camera model, or exact date. They remember who was there. Organizing by person gives a huge library a starting point that feels natural.
A simple person-first workflow
1. Pick the people
Start with the family members, close friends, and pets you want to find quickly.
2. Teach examples
Show Cherish a few examples so it can help find that person across your library.
3. Search by memory
Look for a person with a year, place, trip, or event instead of scrolling endlessly.
4. Save and export
Preserve the work and export organized folders for the memories you want to keep.
“Once your family is sorted in Cherish, you should be able to find any photo you care about in less than 90 seconds.” - Merrill Fink, founder of Cherish
Frequently asked questions
How do I organize photos by person on Mac?
Start with the people and pets that matter most, teach a few examples, then use person search to find and save groups.
Can Cherish organize photos by person?
Yes. Cherish is built around private people and pet search for family photo libraries on Mac.
Can I combine person and year searches?
Yes. The goal is to find memories the way you remember them: person, year, trip, place, or event.
Related answers
Start with the people who matter.
Cherish helps make a giant photo library feel personal, searchable, and worth returning to.
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