How to Organize Your Digital Photos

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Download a free image organizer.

   Fast small ones include Xnview (open source) and Irfanview (popular).
   
   Picasa from Google is an easy-to-use photo management tool.
   
   However, read the fine print on the agreement you sign with Picasa/Google.
   
   It gives Google the rights to all of the photos you put on the site, for their unrestricted use.
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   Step 2: When you transfer your photos from your camera to your computer

   2007-06-26 which is listed better by computers ordering files by name), event name or both.
   
   After the date you could give your shoot a name ,, Nothing is worse than having a hard drive crash and losing all of your pictures.
   
   Then, put your CD or DVD into a box, holder, or album (you can find 'photo albums' for picture CDs in photography shops) so you know where it is and have easy access.
   
   You can also use Online file backup services like Dropbox, Sugarsync or SkyDrive or use a dedicated Photo Share site that offers file synchronization like InmyPhotofolder. , Open all your images from a shoot.
   
   On a mac you can do this in preview.
   
   Scroll through these images and jot down your favourite shots.
   
   By doing this you can reduce 200 images down to
   20. , On a mac you could import them into iPhoto. , The sooner you do this, the fewer photos you will have piling up and cluttering your space, not to mention getting damaged. , Use different albums to catalogue and categorize
   -- for example, you can keep separate albums for friends, events you attend, and 'artful' shots that you take. , In Picasa2, when you back up pictures, Picasa will remember not to double up on the same CD. ,
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   Step 3: immediately put them into a folder on your hard drive -- not just My Pictures

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   Step 4: but create a subfolder by date (use reverse date format e.g.

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   Step 5: If you already have copious numbers of photos dumped into your My Pictures folder

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   Step 6: take some time to create sub-folders as described above

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   Step 7: and sort them into the appropriate folder.

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   Step 8: Regularly back up your photos by burning them onto a CD or DVD.

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   Step 9: Log your best shots.

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    Step 10: Import these images into a library.

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    Step 11: As soon as the ink is dry

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    Step 12: organize your photos into albums.

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    Step 13: Do the above step for all of the photos you already have printed out.

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    Step 14: Remember that if you back up your photos onto a CD

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    Step 15: and leave them on the computer as well

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    Step 16: you will eventually find you have multiple copies of the same photo in different folders.

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    Step 17: One good method of organizing is to put only photos about a particular subject on each CD and label it as such

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    Step 18: such as "grandkids" or "reunion 98" then if you want a particular subject you can find it easily because you don't have "sewing projects" on the same CD as "Reunions"

Detailed Guide

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