Organizing Pictures

[CanadianLori]

I spent loads of time trying to find my pic for my avatar and it made me realize that I have been exceptionally lazy about organizing my pics lately. I do have folders set up but windows 10 has a thing about creating new folders, by month every time I upload. So, since I let it do it, I now have a bazillion pics all over the place. Anyone got tips for quickly sorting them? Or do I just have to "suck it up buttercup"...

 

[Chuck]

I can't stand Windows 10 photo. I have a little online business and take a lot of pictures for it and being as how 10 is harder for me to use I just deleted 10 and went back to Windows 7. I did this when 10 first came out so don't know about now.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

have the same problem. no clue. maybe if I am stuck home in a blizzard I will try to figure it out.

 

[Sheal]

Hmmm, there must be a way around this @CanadianLori. I have Windows 10 but am completely in control of my folders and pictures, with no additions or interruptions from W10. Yes, now and again I'm told new albums have been set up but I ignore that and create my own. The layout I have is very much like Windows 7.

I'm not sure if you have the same set up but if you hit the windows icon on the left hand side of your task bar at the bottom of your screen, just above that is the 'File Explorer' icon. On entering that my picture folder set up is listed on the left hand side, and taking it further I can see every named folder on screen.

 

[CanadianLori]

Thank you for the suggestions. I think that I will make this task a New Years resolution! Unless I get bored and ambitious. ....

 

[DirtMechanic]

Personally I would buy 2 external solid state drives, and keep them off the net and also unattached to a live electrical charge like a computer. I have lost so many to capacitor and other failures. The second drive is purely a backup, because like an investment the pictures become precious as years go by.

 

[CanadianLori]

@DirtMechanic thank you for the suggestion. I do have an external drive - actually I totally forgot about it. But it still won't magically organize all of these pics for me.

Guess I'll have to make this a New Years resolution. I've probably got a lot of pics that are duplicates or not worth keeping too so that would be a job worth doing.

 

[DirtMechanic]

Would you think organizing by physical location name to be best? It seems like a reasonable hierarchy since the photis were taken somewhere. Also, and I do hate summoning demons by saying their name, facebook has taught organization by names of people such that an a-z folder setup or even a contact manager program might be good for some. So thats people and places but what else? Things? People and Places and Things sounds like a tree with the right kind of branches to hang photos upon. Anymore than that I would think could make me confused. An renaming the photos is a problem. Perhaps there is a renaming app or program that would show the photo whilst also showing the original file name and allowing a quick type of the new name one pic after another? If not its an opportunity for a programmer to make one.

 

[Sheal]

I agree with DirtMechanic. With so many pictures stored on computer an external back up drive is essential, but no good if you don't use it.

 

[Greenhorn]

I've always used an application, Current is Microsoft Digital Image Library 10. I do use a high level basic folder structure... Family, Outdoors, Gardening (about 6 or 8) and use fairly simple folder naming convention for the folders with pictures that go in each, Gardening - Gardening 12-24-17 .

I like using the applications as they give you a continuous good preview by your sort, by date or folder structure plus search tags if you've used them. The sort by date continuous also helpful for identifying duplicate that were some how named differently. I used to do that a lot before I stuck hard and fast to naming conventions. You just point to your photo photo structure and it brings them in.

I have about 40 gig, 20,000 photo files so just folder browsing would never work. I don't think Microsoft Digital Image Library 10 is available anymore, it was a suite with Microsoft Digital Image Pro, it's a nice little package. Before that you used to sometimes get something similar when you bought a camera.Oh and maybe some photo editing applications might come with one also.

Good Luck it can be a handful.

 

[CanadianLori]

@DirtMechanic thank you for the tips. I have herded my photos into the Pictures folder and created folders. Now to start dragging and dropping.