How to Use SearchGfx's Advanced Search and Filters

SearchGfx's advanced search works by combining three filter types in one panel: a keyword field, a time range, and a category tree. You open it from the "Advanced Search" link in the site's toggle navigation, enter your keyword, then narrow results by choosing a time window and one or more categories or subcategories. This is the fastest way to cut a large library down to the specific asset type you need.

Opening Advanced Search

The advanced search panel is reached through the site's navigation. The navigation is a toggle menu (labeled with a × to close it), and "Advanced Search" appears as an entry within it. Once open, the panel presents the filters in this order:

1. A keyword input for your search terms.
2. A time filter.
3. A category selector.

There is no separate login step described in the site's own navigation content, so the filters are presented as part of the browsing interface itself.

Filtering by Time

The time filter offers five options, each a fixed window rather than a custom date range:

Use a short window when you want to see what's newly shared, and "All Times" when you're hunting for a specific asset that may be older. Because these are preset windows, you can't enter a custom start and end date — if you need something from a specific past period, pick the smallest window that still contains it and scan the results.

Filtering by Category

The category selector is a tree, not a flat list. It starts with "Select All" and then branches into major groups, each with subcategories. The main branches are:

• GFXTRA Special — including First Time Shared, AI Prompt Special, Vectors Special, Stock Photos Special, Fonts Special, and Christmas Bundle
• Vectors — Stock Images, Fonts, Font Bundles, Single Fonts
• PhotoShop — Mock-Up, Layered *.PSD, Transparent *.PNG, Actions *.ATN, Styles *.ASL, Brushes *.ABR, Gradients *.GRD, Shapes *.CSH, Patterns *.PAT, Lightroom Presets
• Web Design Elements — Video Template, After Effects Project Files *.AE, Add Ons, Premiere Pro, Apple Motion Templates, DaVinci Resolve, Footages, Video Loops, InDesign Templates *.INDD, Ui Kits, Adobe XD, Themes, WordPress Elements, Joomla, Drupal, Magento, HTML, PSD Web Templates, Shopify, Muse, OpenCart, Ghost, PrestaShop, Tumblr, Blogger, Unbounce, Instapage, Other
• Presentation Templates — PowerPoint Templates, Keynote Templates
• Scripts — CMS, Extensions, Opencart, Joomla, PrestaShop, Wordpress, ASP/ASP.NET, eCommerce, Html/Html5, Mobile, Jquery, PHP, Other
• Plug-ins — Photoshop, After Effects, Illustrator, 3ds Max, Cinema 4D, Blender, Maya, Others
• 3D Models & Addons — 3ds Max, Blender, Cinema 4D, 3D Prints, Game Assets, Unreal, Poser, Maya, Softimage, Lightwave
• Software Specials — Portable, Windows, Mac, Linux
• Tutorials — Design (Web Design, Graphic Design or Illustration, Design Tools, User Experience Design, Game Design, 3D and Animation, Fashion Design, Architectural Design, Interior Design, Other Design), Photography and Video, Development, IT and Software, Music, Personal Development, Finance and Accounting, Marketing, Lifestyle, Business, Office Productivity, Health and Fitness, Teaching and Academics, Other Tutorials
• E-Books & Audio Books — 3D Books, Architecture Books, Beauty Fashion Lifestyle Books, Cooking Food Wine Books, Home Garden Crafts Hobbies Books, Engineering - Business, Health - Medical, Arts & Crafts Books, Graphic Design Books, Marketing & Business Books, Photography Books, Programming Books, Web Design Books, Music Books, Audio Books
• Magazines — Art Magazines, City & Lifestyles Mags, Computer Magazines, Design Magazines, Fashion, Home Gardening & Decoration, IT Magazines, Photography Magazines, Science & Nature Magazines, Other Magazines
• Sounds — Loops, Refills, Sample Libraries, Sound FX, VSTI, Production Music
• Requested

The tree is deep, so the practical move is to pick the narrowest subcategory that matches what you want rather than a broad parent. For example, if you need a layered Photoshop mock-up, go to PhotoShop → Mock-Up rather than selecting the whole PhotoShop branch.

Combining Conditions to Narrow Results

The three filters stack. A typical workflow:

1. Enter a keyword describing the asset (for example, a style, subject, or format term).
2. Choose a time window — "All Times" if you don't care about recency, or a shorter window to surface new uploads.
3. Select one or more categories or subcategories.
4. Review the results, then loosen one filter at a time if you get too few hits.

If results are too broad, tighten the category first, since the tree is the most specific filter. If results are empty, widen the time window before changing the keyword — a recent-only window is a common reason a known asset doesn't appear.

Common Snags

• Preset time windows only. You cannot set a custom date range, so plan around the five fixed options.
• Deep category tree. Selecting a parent category returns everything beneath it, which can be noisy; drill into subcategories for precision.
• "Select All" resets breadth. Choosing it removes category narrowing, so it's best used only when you genuinely want everything.
• Keyword and category interact. A keyword that matches nothing in the chosen category returns nothing, even if matching items exist elsewhere — check the category before assuming the keyword is wrong.