diff --git a/frontends/etiquette_flask/backend/common.py b/frontends/etiquette_flask/backend/common.py
index 9f3c48f..2fa24d4 100644
--- a/frontends/etiquette_flask/backend/common.py
+++ b/frontends/etiquette_flask/backend/common.py
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ site.jinja_env.filters['file_link'] = jinja_filters.file_link
 site.jinja_env.filters['sort_tags'] = jinja_filters.sort_tags
 site.jinja_env.filters['timestamp_to_8601'] = jinja_filters.timestamp_to_8601
 site.jinja_env.filters['timestamp_to_naturaldate'] = jinja_filters.timestamp_to_naturaldate
+site.jinja_env.filters['users_to_usernames'] = jinja_filters.users_to_usernames
 site.jinja_env.globals['make_attributes'] = jinja_filters.make_attributes
 site.debug = True
 
diff --git a/frontends/etiquette_flask/backend/endpoints/photo_endpoints.py b/frontends/etiquette_flask/backend/endpoints/photo_endpoints.py
index 0f63ab3..ffcd573 100644
--- a/frontends/etiquette_flask/backend/endpoints/photo_endpoints.py
+++ b/frontends/etiquette_flask/backend/endpoints/photo_endpoints.py
@@ -384,9 +384,6 @@ def get_search_core():
 
     # The search has converted many arguments into sets or other types.
     # Convert them back into something that will display nicely on the search form.
-    author_helper = lambda users: ', '.join(user.username for user in users) if users else None
-    search_kwargs['author'] = author_helper(search_kwargs['author'])
-
     tagname_helper = lambda tags: [tag.name for tag in tags] if tags else None
     search_kwargs['tag_musts'] = tagname_helper(search_kwargs['tag_musts'])
     search_kwargs['tag_mays'] = tagname_helper(search_kwargs['tag_mays'])
@@ -474,6 +471,9 @@ def get_search_json():
     search_kwargs['extension_not'] = join_helper(search_kwargs['extension_not'])
     search_kwargs['mimetype'] = join_helper(search_kwargs['mimetype'])
 
+    author_helper = lambda users: ', '.join(user.username for user in users) if users else None
+    search_kwargs['author'] = author_helper(search_kwargs['author'])
+
     search_results['results'] = [
         etiquette.jsonify.photo(result, include_albums=False)
         if isinstance(result, etiquette.objects.Photo) else
diff --git a/frontends/etiquette_flask/backend/jinja_filters.py b/frontends/etiquette_flask/backend/jinja_filters.py
index 8e03181..c68e875 100644
--- a/frontends/etiquette_flask/backend/jinja_filters.py
+++ b/frontends/etiquette_flask/backend/jinja_filters.py
@@ -41,3 +41,8 @@ def timestamp_to_string(timestamp, format):
 
 def timestamp_to_naturaldate(timestamp):
     return timestamp_to_string(timestamp, '%B %d, %Y')
+
+def users_to_usernames(users):
+    if not users:
+        return []
+    return [user.username for user in users]
diff --git a/frontends/etiquette_flask/templates/search.html b/frontends/etiquette_flask/templates/search.html
index 9e8bd71..5d06ff5 100644
--- a/frontends/etiquette_flask/templates/search.html
+++ b/frontends/etiquette_flask/templates/search.html
@@ -271,7 +271,7 @@
             name="extension_not" placeholder="Forbid extension(s)">
 
             <input type="text" class="basic_param"
-            {%if search_kwargs['author']%} value="{{search_kwargs['author']}}" {%endif%}
+            value="{{search_kwargs['author']|users_to_usernames|comma_join}}"
             name="author" placeholder="Author">
 
             <select name="limit" class="basic_param">