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Photographic Records Of Your Work Burying You Alive, Too?


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I am buried alive in images on my computer.  I can't seem to figure out a decent organizing system for them.  One thing is clear: I've got to stop taking a dozen shots of every little ol' thing with the idea that "later" I'll weed out all but the best shot! (Not happening) 

 

Meanwhile, I hate Photoshop, both for editing and for organizing.  I'm still grieving over my lovely Microsoft Digital Image program that worked effortlessly but ceased to be supported when Windows XP was replaced by Windows 7. 

 

So.... can anyone share their favorite organizing (and even editing) program for their digital images?  And any tricks to keep the reduced-size images separate from the full-sized images? I've been adding the letters sm or sz on the end of the image title, but when you're skimming through the images, it takes time to open up their titles to find which is large and which is small...and then when you close them, you're confused again.  I'm currently trying to weed out a lot of duplicates, but sorting out the small images from the larger is a pain. 

 

Further, and this one blew my mind:  Searching though several months of images, I found about 10,000 images represented by a globe on a sheet of paper with "Breeze" on it.  When clicked, they showed a mishmash of letters and numbers.  I DON'T EVEN HAVE 10,000 images, so what's up with that?  (I tried to add an image, but got the message "You aren't permitted to upload this kind of file".)

 

Any answers to any of the above will help my desperately addled brain.  Jayne

 

THANKS, Jayne

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Hi Jayne, did your camera come with it's own editing program? I recently upgraded from an old 5.0 megapixel to a newer Canon EOS, which came with an application called Digital Photo Professional. It makes life really easy, the RAW files are downloaded into a folder that you choose or by date, you can then edit the RAW files in the built in editing suite if necessary, and then you can batch process those RAW files into .jpg, .png, or whatever to a folder of your choosing. The program automatically adds an extension that you've chosen to the file (such as X after each new .jpg created in the batch process). I haven't worked in Windows for a long time, Macs aren't just a gimmick they really are much better, far less frustrating machines (mine is 7 years old now and it's crashed maybe twice in that time). They have a slight learning curve but after a month or so the time spent will be more than made up by the increased efficiency of the machine itself.

 

As far as the strange 10k image 'globe' file, all that I could find for Windows was an application called Breeze Systems, which seems to work with Photo Booth and other photo software somehow. Do you have this application installed? Here is the link:  http://www.breezesys.com/products.htm

 

Sorry I can't be of much more help, I just deleted about 10gb of my own backlog of photos, so I feel your pain :=0

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I don't have the small photo large photo problem.  Mine are all the same size but I'm currently just using them for Etsy.  I view the photos on my camera and delete all but the 5 best.  Those I upload and edit with Picasa which is a free program that's easy to use.  They are all saved in 1 folder, when I sell them I move them out of that folder and into the sold items folder.  Eventually I'll just put those on a disc and clear them out.  How do you even get 2 sizes of photo?  If it's a way you save them, couldn't you save all photo's of 1 size to 1 folder and those of the other size to another folder?  Then you would just have to name the folder large or small.

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,

You might check out some of the free options available online:  Online image editing is available, at www.pixlr.com ...the free version may be all you need.  It is a lot like PhotoShop, but you don't have to use every feature/option available.  As for storage, cloud storage is getting cheaper and cheaper.  You might take a look at Google Drive as a storage (and file organization) system.  The free version of Google Drive comes with 15GB of storage...and that is a lot of images.  I am using Google Drive as well as the free version of Dropbox to store files and images...Dropbox has some nice folder sharing options that I use with learning community projects.

 

-Paul

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This is for Microsoft computers. Click once on an image icon in a folder. That will highlight it but not open it. Then keep the mouse cursor over the image. The pixel count will display along with the date the picture was shot. I use that trick all the time.

 

I sort pictures in sub-directories, or folders. The main folder is simply "Photos." At home my sub-directories under Photos are the years 2010, 2011, 2012, etc. I have many photo sub-directories at Paragon. I could never stay organized without them. I never keep anything in Microsoft's default "My Documents" or "My Photos." Directories and sub-directories are on the main hard drive, which in my case is d:\.

 

Sincerely,

 

Arnold Howard

Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA

ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com

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I work with graphic files for a living so I have to be extremely organized digitally.

The best organization for me is to set up a system of folders. I like to reference item by what they are - So I have a ceramics folder > inside there are several folders > jewery > clay and glass > Cups > mugs > etc. (Some images might be in 2 folders if they fit into both categories - Makes looking for a specific image much easier)

 

I then have in those folders 2 more folders > Web Images (the small ones) & > RAW images (full size edited)

 

Any images I do not edit are thrown out. If they are not important enough to edit then it isn't a good photo - It is like choosing what to fire. Sometimes it has to go to the reclaim :D

I also like to include the month/year when the image was take to the name so my file name might be "BlackMug_Dec2015.jpeg"

 

I also suggest having a backup - Crashes are real and horrible. 

 

As for editing software I like photoshop because that is what i use almost everyday. But I agree with the editing software that comes with your camera - My sister uses mine and really likes it (she is also a much better photographer than I am)

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Hi Jayne, did your camera come with it's own editing program? I recently upgraded from an old 5.0 megapixel to a newer Canon EOS, which came with an application called Digital Photo Professional. It makes life really easy, the RAW files are downloaded into a folder that you choose or by date, you can then edit the RAW files in the built in editing suite if necessary, and then you can batch process those RAW files into .jpg, .png, or whatever to a folder of your choosing. The program automatically adds an extension that you've chosen to the file (such as X after each new .jpg created in the batch process). I haven't worked in Windows for a long time, Macs aren't just a gimmick they really are much better, far less frustrating machines (mine is 7 years old now and it's crashed maybe twice in that time). They have a slight learning curve but after a month or so the time spent will be more than made up by the increased efficiency of the machine itself.

 

As far as the strange 10k image 'globe' file, all that I could find for Windows was an application called Breeze Systems, which seems to work with Photo Booth and other photo software somehow. Do you have this application installed? Here is the link:  http://www.breezesys.com/products.htm

 

Sorry I can't be of much more help, I just deleted about 10gb of my own backlog of photos, so I feel your pain :=0

Nancy, I'm seeing Canon EOS from $400 to $3000.  May I ask how crazy you went with the purchase that you're happy with?  I have a dyslexia with this sort of thing, and it makes photographic (and well, computer) life very hard.  I have to be led by the hand into everything....even folders and sub folders.  I even took a brief Photoshop class from a northern transplant to the south, but I'm true-blue southern and if a teacher talks fast, I'm utterly lost (and they all talk fast!)..... Jayne

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My system goes like this:

 

I usually do a photo shoot every month, or every two months.

 

I make a folder for each photo shoot, whose name begins with "year-month" so all the folders are sorted chronologically.

 

I sometimes take multiple shots of one pot, but I am ruthless about keeping only one, the best one. I don't see any reason to clutter up my files with photos that are lesser than the best one.

 

Photo editing also involves cropping and sharpening. Then I will save the file with a fairly descriptive filename, like "threenestingbowls.jpg"

 

I immediately trash the source photos, again because I don't want the clutter of those extra files. Besides, the source photos are still on the memory card from the camera, if I ever need them again.

 

So most of my saved photos are at the camera's max pixel size, about 4000 pixels wide. When I need a smaller version of a photo (1920 pixels for Zapplication, 1200 pixels for blog or facebook, 560 pixels for MailChimp), then I will save another copy with the pixel size added to the filename, like this:

 

threenestingbowls.jpg

threenestingbowls1920px.jpg

threenestingbowls560px.jpg

 

 

The only shortcoming of my system is, when looking for an old photo, I need to remember the month/year that the photo was taken. This sometimes trips me up, but eventually I will find what I'm looking for.

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I use I photo on my mac.

I also have a lightroom version but have yet to take the time to mess with it.

I keep labeled folders out of I photo as well with certain Pottery photos-lots of folders-I'm not the best at orgainizing them but can find what I need in short order..

Mark

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So.... can anyone share their favorite organizing (and even editing) program for their digital images?  And any tricks to keep the reduced-size images separate from the full-sized images? I've been adding the letters sm or sz on the end of the image title, but when you're skimming through the images, it takes time to open up their titles to find which is large and which is small...and then when you close them, you're confused again.  I'm currently trying to weed out a lot of duplicates, but sorting out the small images from the larger is a pain.

 

You could try sorting by file size as I assume all the big images will be about the same size and it would at least give you a divide between the two.

There are many ways to search that people don't really use. Ok, bear with me as it may sound a little complicated.

 

Source info http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows7/advanced-tips-for-searching-in-windows

 

If you did want to keep adding small to the end of your pictures a way to search would be to type into your search bar in the folder containing the images.

System.FileName:="*small"

Ok, basically this is saying search for a file that equals the phrase small, the asterisk means is that any string of characters could come before that.

 

Another way could be

System.FileName:~="small"

Might be easier to read the link and type some in to see what happens. It's up to you what prefix/suffix you can add to the photo description. Date is a good one, and the image size is probably good too. Now you know a little more you can see how you can separate images.

 

Be prepared to sit a while and don't accidentally search your whole hard drive. Windows is bad at a speedy search and could take forever. None of these search codes have been tested as the version of windows is too old where I am at work xD

 

Photoshop is my go to editor. I am comfortable using it and know how to get things done. There is probably a light weight piece of software out there that can do all you want but I don't look around that much.

I find it is good to do a preliminary cull after a session photographing. Flick through them on the camera and delete the ones you really don't want. I bought the Canon EOS 600D an I was very happy with it. It is a few years older but the specifications are the same, minus the touch screen and slightly changed body of the camera.

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I have one folder for slides. Inside that is a folder for each date that I shot the slides. If I'm shooting for a customer, I label the folder with their last name and the date. For my work I often label the same, but sometimes label with the type of work I was shooting if I was doing a whole batch of mugs, for instance. If I need to find a specific pot for a customer, I use Adobe Bridge, which will show small images of every file within a folder or within any given search criteria, like a person's name.

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Hi Jayne, did your camera come with it's own editing program? I recently upgraded from an old 5.0 megapixel to a newer Canon EOS, which came with an application called Digital Photo Professional. It makes life really easy, the RAW files are downloaded into a folder that you choose or by date, you can then edit the RAW files in the built in editing suite if necessary, and then you can batch process those RAW files into .jpg, .png, or whatever to a folder of your choosing. The program automatically adds an extension that you've chosen to the file (such as X after each new .jpg created in the batch process). I haven't worked in Windows for a long time, Macs aren't just a gimmick they really are much better, far less frustrating machines (mine is 7 years old now and it's crashed maybe twice in that time). They have a slight learning curve but after a month or so the time spent will be more than made up by the increased efficiency of the machine itself.

 

As far as the strange 10k image 'globe' file, all that I could find for Windows was an application called Breeze Systems, which seems to work with Photo Booth and other photo software somehow. Do you have this application installed? Here is the link:  http://www.breezesys.com/products.htm

 

Sorry I can't be of much more help, I just deleted about 10gb of my own backlog of photos, so I feel your pain :=0

Nancy, I'm seeing Canon EOS from $400 to $3000.  May I ask how crazy you went with the purchase that you're happy with?  I have a dyslexia with this sort of thing, and it makes photographic (and well, computer) life very hard.  I have to be led by the hand into everything....even folders and sub folders.  I even took a brief Photoshop class from a northern transplant to the south, but I'm true-blue southern and if a teacher talks fast, I'm utterly lost (and they all talk fast!)..... Jayne

 

This is the kit we bought, it was a big purchase but it's already paying off in time saved. I usually get a nice shot the first time, when I use a tripod. I'm not much of a photographer but it's much easier to get usable shots now, even in ambient light.

http://www.target.com/p/canon-eos-rebel-t5i-18mp-digital-slr-camera-with-18-55mm-lens/-/A-14537288

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Thank you all for your input. Sorry I disappeared for a day there. I'm suddenly death on all things technological...my printer went black (after I bought 2 dozen inks so I'd never be caught shorthanded), one of my two laptops started smoking and making static sounds, and the other went to an eerie white screen with a message "recovery not supported". Both laptops' images were backed up on a studio desktop that died a few weeks ago. I ordered a replacement desktop and the cpu is sitting in my floor waiting to be programmed, where I tripped over it 10 minutes ago and appear to have broken 2 toes. I'm writing on my kindle now...but that could go any minute! And Giltex, I bought the kindle for its revolutionary Mayday feature that gives you almost immediate access to a tech support person... who as often as not, talks fast.

 

You've all given me lots of options and concrete help....and when I decide how to incorporate most of them, it looks like maybe I'll be starting fresh with almost no images to worry about. It's almost a relief, frankly. (Kinda hate losing the 40th birthday Ireland and the 50th birthday England shots along with the sculpture pix, though....sigh)

 

Jayne

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It appears the technological things are fighting back. The two broken toes have been joined by a sprained ankle. Oh, and my only TV died six weeks ago, got replaced by a new smart TV which can't hold a signal despite being directly wired...and now that the 30 day return period is up, the old plasma TV has experienced a miraculous healing. We're just waiting for the face of Jesus to show up on the TV, but we'd be really grateful if the miracles would just spread to the 2 laptops, 1 desktop, 1 printer...and two toes and an ankle.

 

Jayne

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My Canon camera (PowerShot) came with software called ZoomBrowser which doesn't allow me to edit, but it is good for seeing the folders.  The pictures are set to download to a dated folder, 2014_12_20 for example.  The photos show in a scaled size.  The more in a folder, the smaller they are.  But I still find it the easiest way to find my photos.

 

I store everything in there, not separated by topic, but if I had more (or as most people "too many") I could have a folder just for pottery, with the sub-folders by date.  I'm also quite ruthless at deleting, like Mea says.  It can be time-consuming, but is worth spending time every time I download photos.  Makes finding a decent photo later so much easier.

 

Another piece of software I've just bought ($5) called ROMCat allows me to search my CorelDraw files by keyword.  Not sure if there is something similar for .jpg files, but it is great at searching and shows an image, not just a file name.

 

I too use PhotoShop for editing, but again, used it in my job and taught it.

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I use iphoto on my mac, i import each items photos as a different 'event' labeling the event with a description of the item. I then edit them using photoshop elements and save them back into a folder named by the same breif description inside the folder is the large sized cropped and edited .psd and another folder called 'webready' this is where i store my lowres web images that are ready to post to my online venue, if i just resize any images there will be a folder inside the main folder titled 'resized' and save the resized images to that. So each edited image has a folder named with its description, a webready folder and a resized folder.

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I've been using Adobe Lightroom to edit and organize my Etsy photos for the past year. Like pretty much anything by Adobe it's a hot mess, but it does a lot of neat tricks. For example, you can do everything from one-click auto-adjust to tweaking an image's histogram; you can add all kinds of metadata to the images (description, tags, copyright status, etc.); and you can upload a group images to Flickr (with metadata), and automatically repost any edits.

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Thanks again to all of you.  By the way, it appears that Santa reads the Business forum, because thanks to Nancy, I awoke this Christmas morning to find that I am now the proud owner of a Canon EOS.  Maybe good pictures will equal fewer of them to have to organize!

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