Personalized criteria-based media organization is provided. Digital media items are organized into one or more albums. At least one album is associated with album membership criteria and includes only digital media items that satisfy the album membership criteria. An album is updated by receiving user input identifying at least one criteria creation element, generating user-defined album membership criteria based on the at least one criteria creation element, identifying any matching digital media items that satisfy the user-defined album membership criteria, and associating the matching digital media items with the album.