jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

I've been using LR3 for months now and really like how it can keep things organized. I used to use Photoshop Elements 9, (PSE9) but it started to get real slow when my catalog grew to more than 25k images and videos. When I switched over to LR3, it was simple because it was able to use the data from PSE9 and I didn't have to re-do any of it. But I still had about 5k images to catalog and so I got on it and finished.

LR3 is easy to cull through all the images after downloading your card. It's easy to create keywords in the Library, make collections of images, rate them, and it's a very powerful, non destructive way to enhance and crop images. They easily transfer to CS5 for more advanced editing if needed. I'm not ready to upgrade to LR4 because I'm a little short on funds but I probably will in the future. I'm waiting to see what others have to say about it first.

steve_stoneblossom Loc: Rhode Island, USA

I can see why filing by subject matter would work better than by date for many. Almost all of what I shoot is the same- wedding reception- so dates are what works for me.

But the keywording aspect of Lightroom makes it possible to tag pictures or sets of pictures with words that enable a second (or third, fourth, etc.) means of searching.

jimmya Loc: Phoenix

I have a hard drive file titled, imagine this: My Photos... pretty simple but it works.

Under that I've built a list of folders that are numbered.
I then have those further broken down into various titles like "specials", "wild life", "family" and so on. As I take them I file them in my current folder and then back that up to a second external. I do not keep any data on my C:\ drive only on two externals.

As a particular file files up I burn it to DVD but keep the files on my external. I then label those discs and file them
in a CD zipper holder and keep that in my office closet.

It seems to work for me.

Good Luck

Croce Loc: Earth

Organizing by date can be wonderful if you are an innocent party on trial for murder.

"Where were you on the night of September 18th between the hours of 8 and 10 PM?

"According to my photo files ......"

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

Sounds like you are referring to personal experience.
My Parole Officer views my photo Exifs to corroborate my camera's GPS locations.

Festina Lente Loc: Florida & Missouri

This age-old question will never have a best answer because all of us operate and think differently (thank goodness for that!)

Currently I prefer and use Lightroom (I'm on version 4 - upgrade was easy peasy).

Since I can create categories, locations, and subjects, key words, etc. and search using any or all of them in addition to date, time, lens, camera, etc., finding stuff is fairly straightforward. I have over 147,000 images (which I try to prune back each times I have time).

I do keep some older images on remote dual drives (redundant back-ups) so they are not on my main computer. But Lightroom can search those also whenever they are connected. I love that.

BTW, I rarely save anything but the original image (RAW or JPEG depending on when and what I was shooting) because Lightroom can create unlimited virtual versions of any editing I do. If ever need a ready to publish image, Lightroom has a virtual copy of it in its database associated with the original never altered image.

By any measure Lightroom it is a good and powerful image organization system, but it is not the only one.

Some of the organization and filing processes described here sound more laborious and time consuming than they need to be. However, once you start on one organization system, it can be hard to change your ways.

chapjohn Loc: Tigard, Oregon

I do not use any on-line storage sites (I want to only have the pictures I want to post on-line).
I create a category file such as "Parks". Under that general category I create a file for each park by name of the park and under that name I create file with the date of the shoot and download my picture into that file.

MsJ Loc: Northern Indiana

LOL...that's why I do it! I don't have a lot of friends that would claim I was with them!!!! :-D

willet

We all have "our" work flow systems andI will offer mine up for consideration. First I do not trust computers and therefore I do my PP on LR and/or Elements 10 and once I get down to my keepers I then dumb them and the originals on a CD to be kept outside of the nasty computer. I then log the CD with originals and the keepers into an Excel work sheet that defines the disk number, the date , the subject matter,subject matter (family, trip, dog etc..) how many pictures are on the disk, and any special comments on the contents. I like Excel because you can sort by and cell and it great. Hope this helps.

GC likes NIKON Loc: East Greenwich, Rhode Island

I sure need to do this !!!!

Croce Loc: Earth

Festina,

I use Bridge but what you wrote intrigues me:

"Lightroom can create unlimited virtual versions of any editing I do. If ever need a ready to publish image, Lightroom has a virtual copy of it in its database associated with the original never altered image. "

Can you elaborate on that?

silverhawk Loc: Born a West Virginian, Living in Virginia

I file mine in "folders" which are given a name relevant to what is stored there......I don't find dates are important in my instance as the camera dates the photos, not on the face but within data stored in the photo and is available when I place the cursor on the "thumbnail", .....within the folder, in some instances, are sub-folders (which can be by dates)....I have a 4 GB external hard drive where they are stored (this is the second one as my first died and I almost lost all the contents, even two or more hard drives to duplicate the contents would be advisable if the photos are valuable and can't be replaced)

Ramled Loc: Victoria, British Columbia

I also use Aperture 3 and I create new libraries for different things I do and have projects and albums within that library. For example, when we went to Hawaii for 4.5 months this winter I made a new library for that period of time and named projects within that library of the different islands I photographed and or different areas. Hopefully you understand what I mean and this helps.

Twice Retired Loc: Virginia Beach, VA USA

Dback4430 Loc: Lockport Il

Thank you all , I will spend some time using a combination of a few of them .