Organizing (Page 2): There are times when I don't download my images right away. I prefer date of capture, which is contained in the EXIF data in the file itself. (Although my first...

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

itsnoelb wrote:

Date of download is my preference. If someone can just get close about the date, I can find it. Then, I group them into monthly, then months into year. I don't use decades......yet!

There are times when I don't download my images right away. I prefer date of capture, which is contained in the EXIF data in the file itself. (Although my first digital camera [1999] did not store the EXIF data). (Copies of slides are a special case and most times I only have a rough estimate of the date, let alone the time).

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

I sense a lot of this problem is related to PC users who don't have the robust Spotlight Search feature of Macs. If I remember the name of a file I'm looking for or the folder, I can find it quickly if it's on my computer which has 8TB of images.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Fotoartist wrote:

I sense a lot of this problem is related to PC users who don't have the robust Spotlight Search feature of Macs. If I remember the name of a file I'm looking for or the folder, I can find it quickly if it's on my computer which has 8TB of images.

PCs can also search on parts of file or folder names

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Fotoartist wrote:

I sense a lot of this problem is related to PC users who don't have the robust Spotlight Search feature of Macs. If I remember the name of a file I'm looking for or the folder, I can find it quickly if it's on my computer which has 8TB of images.

Windows Explorer will search by text in a filename. I have left most of the files in the camera nomenclature. I could never remember the filenames of all of my photos anyway. I know where they live by subject, when I took them is a totally different problem.

Joe Blow

jmizera wrote:

I use the euro/military date as a serial method plus a descriptive word for folder naming. Such as 20180405 for today's date for example. It orders correctly, as opposed to the method we are used to.

I do the same, however, I add some dashes in there to make it easier to read. Thus it becomes "2018-04-05, Dog Tricks". This afternoon I'll add a second folder "2018-04-05, Softball at Next Town". I then keep them in another folder for each year.

This keeps my folders separate and easy to identify if I have a rough idea of when the pictures were taken. Even if I d/l the camera a few days later, I still label them with the date taken and by subject matter.

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

That's why you have to name things if not files than folders. Computers are name driven.

Longshadow wrote:

Windows Explorer will search by text in a filename. I have left most of the files in the camera nomenclature. I could never remember the filenames of all of my photos anyway. I know where they live by subject, when I took them is a totally different problem.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Fotoartist wrote:

That's why you have to name things if not files than folders. Computers are name driven.

There are no files that have no name. (Unless they are really buggered.)
Some names may be more meaningful than others.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Fotoartist wrote:

That's why you have to name things if not files than folders. Computers are name driven.

You need the name if you're searching within the computer. If you're searching in Lightroom the name isn't important (although it can be found in a search). More important for Lightroom is a search for the metadata (keywords etc.).

canon Lee

KitKat98 wrote:

My photo organization is a mess. Need some tips in Organizing my photos in Lightroom and on my PC. I have my photos backed up in several places. I'm not very techy with folders etc. Looking for an easy way to organize and have easy access.

I keep things simple... I make a folder for each shoot, title and date folder and save on an external drive....

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

DirtFarmer wrote:

You need the name if you're searching within the computer. If you're searching in Lightroom the name isn't important (although it can be found in a search). More important for Lightroom is a search for the metadata (keywords etc.).

In Windows (at least 7) you can use the TAG field in the file information, ie. set to "lake; bug;" etc., and do a search on "bug" and it will list the file(s) that have "bug" in the tag field. You can also show the tag field in the "details" view in Windows Explorer.

(Download)

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

KitKat98 wrote:

My photo organization is a mess. Need some tips in Organizing my photos in Lightroom and on my PC. I have my photos backed up in several places. I'm not very techy with folders etc. Looking for an easy way to organize and have easy access.

Scott Kelby has a really simple 9 folder system in Lightroom based on his clients and workflow. Major 30,000 ft subjects like: Architecture, Automotive, Aviation, Family, Landscape, Misc, People, Sports and Travel. Out of those 9 folders, he builds Collections of various subject that he is working on. Example, you kid's baseball game, which would go into the Family folder but would be added to the HS Baseball Spring 2018 collection.

Tough to do when you have out of control folders, but LR makes it easy to move images around.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

KitKat98 wrote:

My photo organization is a mess. Need some tips in Organizing my photos in Lightroom and on my PC. I have my photos backed up in several places. I'm not very techy with folders etc. Looking for an easy way to organize and have easy access.

There are 68 million articles online about organizing photos. Yes, it's a big topic. I've always used a system that's perfect for me. I use folders divided into topics: Under My Pictures, I have folders for various topics, like Travel > Local > Moon > Ohio > Canada, etc. There are free and not-so-free programs to help you organize. Lightroom uses keywords, but I find that more of a nuisance, while other people swear by it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_organizer
http://www.toptenreviews.com/software/multimedia/best-photo-organizing-software/
Basic ideas -
http://photography.tutsplus.com/articles/using-a-controlled-vocabulary-to-organize-digital-photographs--cms-23344

Lots for free -
https://www.digikam.org/
http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-digital-photo-organizer.htm
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/10-free-photo-managing-software-you-should-at-least-know/
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/pictures-story/412-best-free-photo-management-software.html

Or not free -
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2402024,00.asp
http://photo-organizing-software-review.toptenreviews.com/
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-best-way-to-organize-a-lifetime-of-photos-1429637857

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

jerryc41 wrote:

There are 68 million articles online about organiz... (show quote)

And everyone has their own method...

317tman Loc: Indianapolis, In

What is important is to use a system that makes sense to you. Like others I use a folder system that at top level is by subject and then has sub folders for example: top level - Vacation and under that Italy with date and under that sub folders of towns. Lits of folders, but I can find anything pretty fast. Others may not like it , but it works for me.

LarryFitz Loc: Beacon NY

Organizing folder and files depends on how often you need to find a file. The more you expect to search for older images. the more sophisticated your organize need to be. I used a combination of file folders, similar to longshadows and key words. Most of the key word are people names.
First you need to determine how and what you would like to search for. I like to keep JPEGs and Raw together, because Keywords and be saved inside the JPEG Exif, therefore not tied to a software unique database.

It does take time and patience, some trail and error. Goal is to have over all organizing time be an investment in location time.