Storing/Labelling Images & Folders

Morning all,

I'm after some advice on storing images and how you generally do this.

I've just started getting back into photography and although it's always been a hobby, i'm getting more into specific styles on any given day.... ie.... landscape, macro, woodlands etc

So, how is best to store/tag them so you can get the best from the storage solution and be able to find what you want without the headache of remembering what the folder name was?

I run a Windows pc, I generally view through the normal 'pictures' system, which is fine. I've also just downloaded Adobe Bridge which I used to like using on my old Macbook, for viewing.

So, do you save/view by folder name? Do you 'tag' to specific genres? I have some specific day's outings with maybe a couple of images in so do I dispense with folders and maybe just tag my most creative images and leave the family/happy snaps?

Can't decide what to do and how to do it?

Thoughts please folks?

Thanks for that John

I use Lightroom 6 but never really thought about using that.

Do you just export images back to their import files a jpegs and just keep in that specific day's folder?

I just copy cards onto folders named same as John, but anything useful gets a description appended.

I use Canon’s software which sets up folders by date when the transfer is accomplished by direct connection, camera to PC. I then typically edit the folder name (example Spain 2019) to better indicate the folder content and permit a better Windows based search.

That's interesting with the keywords and smart collections in Lightroom.

I need to look in to this a bit more as it essentially looks like something I should have been using 10 years ago, as it would take forever to catch up with logging them all

Also, if I use either Lightroom or Bridge to tag and view images, if I were to also save my images to a hard drive, or change laptops, what would happen to the tags - would they now not work?

Presuming a new laptop would have a new directory path, i'm thinking not, but would like to know for sure, before I invest time and effort into tagging only to find out that it would all be lost exporting elsewhere

Thanks again all

Sometimes the tools within Windows may be helpful. As you can see below, there are a vast number of parameters available within File Manager, some dozen or so related to date. To pick and chose what you might want to display, right click along the upper toolbar where the columns are named, then select from the drop down list what you may desire. Note that at the bottom of the list is "More" so further worthwhile options may be useful; in fact almost 300 exist in Windows 10. Many are photography related; for example you could display dimensions, vertical resolution, white balance columns, client ID, exposure bias, etc.

In addition the recently released Power Toys for Windows 10, has a batch renaming utility. Instructions for installing can be found at https://www.howtogeek.​com …General%20Setti​ngs%20page. Having said that many such tools exist on the web.

Heya,

I make folders on my storage drive that are the date and a description in parenthesis next to the date name, as a folder name. This way even if I'm browsing my folders via FTP, command prompt, Windows Navigator/Explorer, or using a catalog system or something (I'm currently using ON1 RAW), it works no matter what I'm using.

Very best,

john crossley wrote in post #19084412
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I use Lightroom.
Images are filed by shooting date.
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But doesn't Lightroom just access images that are in folders on your hard drive? . If that is the case, then don't you have to give names to the folders?

I love having images stored in chronological order, but found that the folder/subfolder hierarchy does not work well for this. . It is troublesome when I have one card that I have 3 months of photos on, but all during that 3 months I have done many downloads with cards from the other camera. . If using the folder / subfolder system that Windows uses, then there will be images in folders that are not really in perfect chronological order.

I really struggled when I used a Windows-based computer, due to this very issue of file naming and management and organization. . If Lightroom had a way of having all of the image files "living inside" of it, and did not just reference folders that resided elsewhere on the hard drive, then it would make things so much easier.

I use Photoshop and Topaz Denoise a little bit, but I really dislike the user interface because it requires me to have the images in a file format, instead of just having the images live inside of the programs themselves, like they do with the program I use (Apple's "Photos", formerly iPhoto).


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Tom Reichner wrote in post #19084527
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But doesn't Lightroom just access images that are in folders on your hard drive? . If that is the case, then don't you have to give names to the folders?

I love having images stored in chronological order, but found that the folder/subfolder hierarchy does not work well for this. . It is troublesome when I have one card that I have 3 months of photos on, but all during that 3 months I have done many downloads with cards from the other camera. . If using the folder / subfolder system that Windows uses, then there will be images in folders that are not really in perfect chronological order.

I really struggled when I used a Windows-based computer, due to this very issue of file naming and management and organization. . If Lightroom had a way of having all of the image files "living inside" of it, and did not just reference folders that resided elsewhere on the hard drive, then it would make things so much easier.

I use Photoshop and Topaz Denoise a little bit, but I really dislike the user interface because it requires me to have the images in a file format, instead of just having the images live inside of the programs themselves, like they do with the program I use (Apple's "Photos", formerly iPhoto).

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That is my understanding as well. Wherever they are in your hard drive LR does not physically move the image when you are importing it to PP. Rename the folder, or move the image to another location after importing, and LR will not be able to locate it.

Cheers all, for your advice.

So, does anyone know if you use Adobe Bridge for viewing and keywords, if then if you ever moved to another pc, you could take the keywords with you and they would automatically link to a pictures folder created on a new machine?

tuttifrutti wrote in post #19084509
Also, if I use either Lightroom or Bridge to tag and view images, if I were to also save my images to a hard drive, or change laptops, what would happen to the tags - would they now not work?

Presuming a new laptop would have a new directory path, i'm thinking not, but would like to know for sure, before I invest time and effort into tagging only to find out that it would all be lost exporting elsewhere

Thanks again all

tuttifrutti wrote in post #19084912
Cheers all, for your advice.

So, does anyone know if you use Adobe Bridge for viewing and keywords, if then if you ever moved to another pc, you could take the keywords with you and they would automatically link to a pictures folder created on a new machine?

If you use Lightroom everything is transferable to a new computer. All you have to do is install Lightroom on your new computer. Then copy your latest Lightroom backup to your new computer and open it up. If Lightroom can’t find your images on your new computer, it is a very simple process to tell Lightroom where to find them.