Folder names for best images

[montana]

I'm a student photographer who shoots enough images that I want to strengthen my image organization. I've seen

people that have poor organization and then they can't find their best images, let alone the images they are

completing for projects.

 

I'm looking for ideas for the names of two to three folders to organize the best images, images I might use, and

the bad images.

 

An example: A wedding photographer I've worked for uses "yes" and "no" folders to easily separate her good and

bad images.

 

If you've worked in editorial photography, please feel free to list any terms that photo editors use for their

choices when editing a group of photos.

 

An idea for folder names:

 

"1st" - best images from the series

"2nd" - secondary choices, ok images

"3rd" - the bad images that will not be used.

 

 

Thank you,

 

~ Bayard

[luckystokes]

The question you're asking approaches the level of religion for some. I would recommend that you get catalog software, i.e.

Lightroom, Expression Media, Aperture or other, and catalog your selects by rating, metadata, labels, and so forth.

Organizing for that purpose by folders is a losing proposition in the long run.

[gregf1]

I recommend Extensis Portfolio. It's cheap, and simple to use, and unlike Lightroom and Aperture it's entire purposes is cataloging and moving images.

[will_daniel1]

The poster didn't ask for software recommendations. Bayard, folder naming is something that should be very personal. It doesn't matter what any of us use; go with whatever works for you. If you want to continue receiving software recommendations, I have one I'll throw at you.

 

Will

[patricklavoie]

I will take from all the previous psoter and answer this;

 

I suggest you start with Ligthroom. Inthere you will be able to keyword, rate and color your image as you like.

You will be also able to create collection folder, those could be your *best of*

 

So yur image could have 1-2-3-4-5 star, those 5 star image could also be in red, and some of them or all of them

could be in a collection name *the best of*

 

As for how you shoud name your image, or folder..as Will say, its kind of very personal.

 

______________________

 

@Will

 

Even if the OP was not asking for a software, why dont whe cant suggest some to him? i think its at the same time

teh same question answered..when the OP said that "..I want to strengthen my image organization.." i think that

if whe dont suggest him a software, whe are only giving him 50% of the answer.

 

@Greg

 

Portfolio is a really good choice, but i will strongly suggest Ligthrrom before that for all is other ability,

and certainly beacuse im sure that a student is pretty short on money, so spending some on a software that could

help him in many area would be a better choice.

 

@Lucky

 

Agree with you : )

[kevan_goddard]

Filing systems are as unique to each individual as fingerprints. For example you may not keep your socks in the

same drawer as your "undies" - some people do; is your kitchen storage laid-out the same as your neighbour's?

Maybe not. All around you in your everyday life you encounter "filing" systems - what's right for me may not be

right for you (90% of the time what's right for me ISN'T right for the wife!)

 

For what it's worth I have a really complicated system for my wedding images (NEFs): use - don't use! If you are

worried about finding your "best images" in the future here's a tip - have a folder called ...

[ronald_moravec1]

My photos are in folders cataloged by date + event name. I use exactly the same format so things stay in date order.

 

Notice how most online forums have sticky notes at the beginning. I make some folders with 01, to whatever I need and these remain at the beginning of the series because of the number sequence and I can drop in whatever images I want. 01 might be a burn folder or send out to be printed folder.

02 might be experimental images or tests. Three might be best portraits, four best landscapes, 5 infrared etc.

 

On a Mac, I can make an alias and store it in the numbered folder rather than the actual image or a copy of the original image. The original can stay in the folder where I put it.

 

A program like Picasa, which is free, allows you do something similar where you can catalog albums or favoites. These are really just alias routing paths for microsoft windows and you need not keep a copy of your original or move the original. Picasa is now available for Mac.

 

The downside of either is you need to eventually make a copy for the hard drive as the folders get moved to permanent storage on DVD or CD or external drive. I try to keep only current work on the HD and keep moving things off to storage. I do not like a crowded hard drive.

[beartooth1]

All the above are correct...mine is similar I have folders for each category and then the sub folders are in date order. I use one folder named current shoot then some sub folders that are date ordered as well. I always dump the days shoot into the "current shoot folder" by date. Then go back and dump the bad images, then as the images are processed they go back to the category folders. The best images go to a folder named "Completed Ready for Publish" this of course has category sub folders. All is stored on 2 external drives only working images stay on the internal drives. Much like Ronald I like my internals clean. All the above is backed up to another external. More of a mini work flow answer..Hope it helps....

[nickm]

<p>With the many possibilities for equipment/software, processing preferences and subject interest, there are countless possibilies for workflows. This variation in environment makes creation of an efficient workflow complex, challenging (you are pretty much alone) and 'very personal.'<br>

It seems that both a folder hierarchy (vertical step-wise organization) and a cataloging app (horizontal cagetorization) are needed.<br>

(Vertically) Various OS folders are needed for images at various steps in processing, e.g... </p>

<ul>

<li>Folders created by the camera on download (raw, jpg)</li>

<li>Folders containing: processed tiffs</li>

<li>Archived RAWs, tiffs</li>

<li>Final JPGs</li>

<li>Print tiffs</li>

</ul>

<p>(Horizontally)<br>

Categorize by location, date, topic, scientific classification, etc.<br>

Thankfully, cataloging software can handle both of these. Unfortunately, you have to devise the scheme yourself. I am just putting the finishing touches on my scheme, though I have had a 5D since 2006. Most of that time was spent just putting it off and accumulating a massive log jam of loosely organized, unprocessed images.<br>

Much of the work finally took place over the past 2 weeks and the jam is finally starting to clear out. sheesh...</p>