# About catalogs

A catalog can represent all the media files you have stored on your computer and other storage media, or any subset of them. Although most people prefer to have only a single catalog referencing all their media, it is possible to create more than one catalog, each for a unique set of files.

Once your files are in a catalog, you can use the Organizer to search them, sort them, and fix them. You can also collect them into albums, or group them by keyword tag or star rating. You can use catalogs and the Organizer even if you prefer to store your originals on CDs or in a system of folders on your hard disk.

When you start Photoshop Elements and bring in photos and media files, a catalog is automatically created for you. The catalog keeps track of the photos, video clips, audio clips, and projects on your computer and on other media such as CDs or DVDs. The catalog contains information about each photo and media file, but it doesn’t contain the actual photos and media files.

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The Photoshop Elements catalog references the photo files, video files, and audio files on your computer and displays a thumbnail of each in the Photo Browser.
Important: Photo files remain where they are originally stored; they do not reside in Photoshop Elements. Instead, Photoshop Elements creates links to the original files. If you delete an original file, Photoshop Elements will not be able to access it.

Your catalog is like a database that contains links to your photos and media files. These links inform Photoshop Elements about the photo’s or media file’s location, file format, what tags are attached to it, date the photo or media file was taken, and so on. All of this information gives you flexibility in managing, identifying, and organizing photos and media files.

Although you automatically create a catalog when you start Photoshop Elements and bring in photos and media files, it’s possible to create more than one catalog. Most people don’t need or want multiple catalogs. However, multiple catalogs are useful, for example, if friends or family members share Photoshop Elements on the same computer and want their own, separate sets of photos, media files, and keyword tag organization schemes. Or, perhaps you want one catalog of work-related photos and one catalog of personal photos.

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When you create different catalogs, you can use different keyword tags and photos in each catalog.

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