I use Adobe Photoshop Album 2.0 as my photo organizer, but you can substitute the program of your choice. If you don't yet have a photo organizing program, this might be a good time to try the free Adobe Photoshop Album 2.0 Starter Edition, which can handle everything described in this article. For Mac, I suggest iPhoto or iView Media.
Even prior to using Album, I've always kept my images loosely sorted in descriptively named folders. This is a good habit to maintain because it's not tied to a particular software solution. If I was to change software later, I would still have things fairly well sorted, using the standard computer folder filing system. Now, I don't get into nitty gritty detail with these folder names--they are fairly broad such as:
- Home
- yard
- pets
- indoors
- vehicles
- etc.
Away
- Daytona Beach Sept-03
- Hike 11-21-03
- Silver River Nov-03
Family
You get the idea.
I also have a folder called "Sort" which is a temporary holding place for new pictures. In Album, I have my Sort folder set as the default location for imported pictures.
When I'm ready to import a batch of photos, I insert the CompactFlash card into my card reader, and Windows XP pops up a dialog box asking me what I would like to do with the pictures. One of the options listed is to import them into Adobe Photoshop Album, and that's what I choose. In the "Get Photos" dialog of Album, I select two check boxes:
- [X] Create Subfolder Using Date/Time of Import
[X] Delete Photos on Camera or Memory Card after Import
Then I click OK and let Album do its thing. After importing, Album limits the Photo Well (thumbnail display area) to display only newly-imported items. Before doing anything else, I open the Properties panel, highlight one of the pictures, and choose "Reveal in Explorer." From Explorer, I drag the entire folder of newly imported photos to my CD burning software and immediately archive the originals onto CD. (I continue to use the same CD until it's full, then start a new one.)
Once my photos have been safely archived on CD, it's time to start organizing back in Album. First I switch to full screen view and do a quick pass through the pictures, deleting any that aren't worth cataloging. (Remember, I do still have them safely backed up to CD.) Next, I switch back to thumbnail view and tag all the best pictures with the "Favorites" tag. At the same time, I will tag any photos that need quick fixes (crop, red-eye, and all-over lighting or color adjustments) or more extensive editing (outside of Album). Lastly, I will make one more pass through the thumbnails, tagging each photo for identification purposes. Each photo may get several tags attached--as many as it takes to be able to efficiently locate the photo later. This tagging sounds time-consuming, but it really only takes a few minutes per import batch--and that time will be saved many times over when you need to find a specific photo later.
Once tagged, I begin moving batches of photos into more descriptive folders, sometimes creating new folders. Because the images are tagged, I can easily limit the display to certain subjects, select them all, and move them into my permanent folder structure. During this stage it's helpful to change the Photo Well Arrangement in Album to sort by Folder Location. The pictures are moved using the File > Move command of Album, to keep the database in sync with the files on disk.
Of course, tagging and sorting does not need to be done immediately. If I don't have time I'll sometimes save this step for later. By designating a temporary sort folder, I always know which pictures need to be tagged and sorted.
Now I can move on to quick fixes. I use the tags panel to show all the pictures that have been tagged for quick fixes. Usually these can be fixed right in Album. Files tagged for more extensive editing can be worked on as time permits, following the general guidelines outlined in my 10 Step Picture Prep article.
Because I don't want to lose all the cataloging work I've done, about once a month I will use Album's backup feature to copy my entire catalog. The Backup feature copies your database, original and edited photos, movies, audio clips, and all your creations made in Album. I use an external hard drive for this backup, but it can also be done using CD or DVD discs.
Keeping your photos organized with a workflow that works for you will make it much easier to enjoy your photos--you'll be able to find them quickly and you'll have the peace of mind of knowing that they're safely backed up.
