PSE & External hard drive - more questions for a beginner [Archive]

our2bigboys

01-05-2008, 03:25 PM

I've looked thru the boards, and can't find the answers to a few questions I have, although I'm sure they're here...First of all, I am a virgin digital girl. I have all the equipment (great camera, PSE, external hard drive, etc.) but I don't know how to use them together...I mean, I've asked around, and it seems I'm always getting different answers, and I just don't know what to believe.

Is it better to have Photoshop Elements on your hard drive, or external? If it's on an external hard drive (I have a WD My Book), can you still tag your pics in PSE? I can't seem to figure this out. The pictures on the ext. hd are in 'folders' according to the date they were taken. Am I doing something wrong?:confused:

If it's better to have PSE on my internal drive, what/how do I get the photos in there to edit and use on digi layouts?

Is there a place on the internet that will explain all of this to me, without going completely over my head? I'm begining to think I like paper sb'ing, although I SO want to learn digital! Can anyone just point me in the right direction? Thanks for any help, and thanks for reading this long post!

xoxox
Christy:help:

guitargirl

01-05-2008, 03:39 PM

I think you're getting lots of different answer because people do this different ways. I actually keep everything on my internal and use my external for back up. I know lots of people keep their program (PSE) on their internal and all the files (photos, finished pages and digi scrap supplies) on their external. Getting the photos open in PSE is the same either way. When you click open, just browse to the drive the files are on, and then to the folder they are in. Hope that helps. If not, post again! :)

carolyn d

01-05-2008, 03:56 PM

I have my photo editing program ( Photoshop) on my internal drive. WHY? Because it was there before I got the EHD ( same as yours- WD MY BOOK 500 GB)and I am not technically savy enough or brave enough to move it..

My photos and digi scrapping materials I keep on the EHD. This keeps my computer from running slow.

With my photoshop open, I go to FILE>OPEN. A dialog box appears which will allow me to browse to the location I keep my photos in. In this case it's; MY COMPUTER>MY BOOK> and then go to the file/photo I wish to open. Simple as that. THAT WILL WORK THE SAME FOR YOU.
I have the photos filed according to event ie...SAM'S BIRTHDAY PARTY... but that is just the easiest for me. Others, you will find, file their photos in many different ways.

When I had PSE I rarely used the organizer as it really slowed down my computer . I now have PSCS2 and the only time I use it's version of the organizer (BRIDGE) is when I shoot in RAW as there are adjustments that can be made there that aren't available elsewhere.This may be the same for you in PSE, but I am not completely sure. If you come across that question, post again and one of the more experience PSE users should be able to help you.

I hope I've helped you somewhat...please don't get frustrated.Once you get over this small techincal hump, you will find that there is NOTHING to EQUAL digi scrapping. Good luck. And if you have further questions, don't hesitate to post.

shazzt

01-05-2008, 06:39 PM

Organising is a very personal thing and it can take some trial and error to find a system that works for you. I have never used the Organiser in PSE because I found it too slow - but other people like it. Personally I use my second drive for backing up (before I write to DVD) and keep current stuff on my main drive.

carlalee

01-05-2008, 08:10 PM

I have my programs on my IHD. EHDs do not spin fast enough to be really efficient. I do keep my primary scrapping stuff and current LOs on my IHD. All of my backups are on my EHD. I also keep bkps on DVDs. I also found the PSE Organizer to be just too slow for me. I went with ACDSee Photo Manager and LOVE it. It's fast easy to use (especially just for the basics) and plays nicely with CS2. -c-

Emma

01-05-2008, 08:42 PM

I use Bridge and Windows File Browse set to Film Strip to have large previews of my images. Especially with a lot of similar photos, I want to pick the best, those little thumbs aren't good enough. I don't use PSE Organizer, just because I prefer Bridge. However, in your case, you can use it if you like it, or try Picasa (free).

Software goes on internal HD, as usually current or recent files as well. Backups and old stuff on external is usually what people do. Some people keep even their recent stuff externally so they can port it along with a laptop easily. Some have their internal mirrored on their external and just back it up every few days so they match.

For organizing, what I've found most of us do is to have one folder for all our stuff, like My Pictures. Inside there are subfolders for graphics and photos by date (year, etc). In graphics are subfolders by DESIGNER name, and each deisnger you have a subfolder for each of her kits. Then in the graphics main folder there's a subfolder for CONTACT SHEETS that you copy and paste in there so you browse ONE folder for ALL your kits. You keyword the contact sheet only to save time, and make sure it has the name of the designer and kit name on it so you can find the actual files. Some print out the contact sheets, but most don't since they're always adding new ones and like to keep them filed alphabetically. Up to you.

I have another folder called Fonts where I store all my downloaded fonts so if I uninstall one (which means Windows deletes it), I still have my copy in my Fonts folder so I can easily reinstall (which means Windows puts a copy of it in its fonts folder).

Again, everyone is different, but this is what I find the majority do from reading the forums and hearing descriptions of their systems or giving advice. Hope that helps!

And digi scrapping does have a steeper initial learning curve than paper but it is SO worth it!

our2bigboys

01-05-2008, 09:30 PM

WOW!! You ladies are awesome! These answers have helped me get a "clearer" picture of which direction I should take. Just to clarify, it sounds like most of you are putting your software on your ID. Photos and digi kits/papers, etc. go on the external, right? And when you're ready to work, you open the software (in my case, PSE) AND the folder on the ED that has all the papers in it, also? Do you just sorta flip flop back and forth until you get your photos into PSE, or is there another (better) way? Right now, all my pics (over 3300!) are on BOTH my ED and ID (all pics are on both, so I have 'double' storage). Should I leave them there? DO I NEED THEM IN BOTH PLACES? What are some of your favorite sites to get free downloads of digi kits that I could play with?

You all are flippin' wonder women! Send me some of your knowledge!! :love3:

-Christy

Amanda

01-05-2008, 09:57 PM

I always think its a good idea to have your photos/pages in two places. I personally have 3 external hard drives that I back up to (paranoid, I know!)

You can find everything you need (freebies and a huge store) right here!

carolyn d

01-05-2008, 10:29 PM

for great freebies, just go to the top of this page and under THE PLACE you will find the FREEBIES. Don't forget to check out THE STORE for more beauteous kits, word art, overlays etc. Everything you need to make terrific pages are right here.

emandlivsmom

01-06-2008, 06:49 AM

carolyn d

01-06-2008, 10:27 AM

I have two questions to carry on this discussion...

I almost bought an EHD but changed my mind, here is why. I work off of my laptop but also have a desktop. I have two hard drives in there. I am thinking that I could use one of those hard drives to back up all my scrapbook stuff. Does that seem reasonable?

yes, you can do that if you want to...however.. if you continue to use one of the desktop's harddrives as though it were an external to your laptop, you will get to the point where your desktop will become extreemly slow moving. And the reason I know this.. I DID THE SAME THING and then one day I went to use the desk top and it could barely move. i bought an EHD for my laptop ( whick is my primary scrapping computer) the next day.

2nd Question...about something Emma said.

The contact sheets that you are referring to...I definately need to do this!!! Do you just use the picture that comes with each kit that shows a quick glance of all the stuff included in a kit?

EXACTLY!!

Also, I am thinking I might make a separate quick clicks folder....does anyone do this?

[B]You can make as many separate folders for items as you want and is convenient for you to use. I have folders for page kits, quick clicks, overlays etc..][/B

Penny M

01-06-2008, 10:57 AM

Jennifer, I do keep a separate folder for all my quick clicks after I have put all the layers from a quick click in a .psd layout. (I use PSE) Makes it easier to use and find them.

Christy, I too have PSE. I have used the Photo Organizer for all my photos and scrapbooking kits to view them for the last 2 years. Now I am switching to ACDSee Photo Manager because of the same reason as others. When you get a lot of items in the PSE Photo Organizer it slows down your editing program! I wish I had done this a long time ago; now it is a MAJOR job to reorganize. You will find different people organize different ways; you will need to find something that works for you. I keep my PSE on my IHD & photos & kits are on EHDs. I even have a separate one just for backups.

lg_schmisa

01-06-2008, 11:59 AM

I am so glad that I found this discussion! I have been back and forth on how to get all of my stuff organized. I have been using PSE 5 for everything. About a month ago I learned how to open a new catalog in the organizer to store all of my scrapbooking stuff. After moving files to the organizer, I put them in my recycle bin (to save memory space). Thankfully I never emptied it because when I went to back up on PSE, it had a hard time finding files because they were in the recycle bin. Once I restored them it all backed up fine, but then I had them in two places. Which is fine because you can never be too safe.
Now that I have been reading this discussion, I realize why my editing program has been running so slow lately. I have downloaded the Picasa 2, so I hope that this will help solve my organizing problems.

Penny M

01-06-2008, 12:06 PM

Never delete your photos or scrapbooking items from your hard drive! Photo Organizer, ACDSee Photo Manager, Picasa and other programs only help you view them in an organized way from your files on your HD. You will need to keep all of your photos & scrapbooking kits organized on your HD also. I keep mine in folders & subfolders by Scrapbook Downloads>Wesite Store Name>Designer Name>Kit Name. (i.e. Scrapbook Downloads>Digital Scrapbook Place>Lauren Bavin>Mulled Memories Page kit.)

our2bigboys

01-06-2008, 12:44 PM

Do you tag your photos on the EHD? How do I create folders with sub-folders? For example: Spring 2007, with a subfolder of Easter??? I can't figure this out. I can do it in PSE, but not on my EHD. More and more, I'm hearing that I should use ACDSee. Everyone has good things to say about it --- would using it solve this folder/subfolder/tag issue?

Penny M

01-06-2008, 01:19 PM

Here is an article about organizing your kits on your HD. It is different than I do, but hopefully it will explain the concept. http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/university/articles/keepingkitsorganized_sg.shtml When I download a kit, I always download to the designer's folder on my EHD. That way I keep all my kits organized from the very beginning. Then use whatever organizer you choose to "tag" and "view" the items in your folders on the HD. (or EHD in my case)

If you want to read about ACDSee here is an excellent website full of information http://www.digiscrapinfo.com/dsiwiki There are also some video tutorials on that website that might help you understand how the program works.

There are some excellent reviews on DSP about ACDSee that will give you a quick overview. http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/reviews/acdseephotomanagerreview_lb.shtml

I know all of this is a lot of information at once. I remember when I started being so overwhelmed with all the info. You will be glad you spend time now reading about organization & deciding what will work best for you. It will save you time later as you make more layouts and obtain new scrapbooking kits. It's a bit like trying to decide how to organize all of your paper supplies so that you can easily access them and know where they all are so that you will spend less time looking for the "right" item for a layout you are working on.

OBTW, digital scrapbooking is worth it all! I am passionate about scrapbooking this way. I love the memories of my grandchildren I have been able to scrap. I never would have been able to do as much if I had continued paper scrapping. Besides, it is a lot of fun, too!

shazzt

01-06-2008, 03:14 PM

It is always fascinating seeing how other people organise - it is such a personal thing. After much trial and error, I use ACDSee for my digi kits but I have also put them into folders based on the type of product (kits and backpacks, overlays and stamps, wordart, alphas, element sets templates (Quickclicks) ). I have not been very methodical with setting up a lot of categories in ACDSee. Originally I set up a lot of tags and then found it unwieldy to work with. I use the search function a lot and if it is something that I use frequently (eg stitching) I will make a category for it and try to keep it up to date. I have found that this works best for me.
My photos are all in dated folders (day/month/year). I use Picasa to find my photos - I find being able to scroll through them using my mouse wheel simple and quick. It lets me see a lot of photos in a short time and I right click on the ones I want to open them in PSE.
This is what personally works for me - I don't think there is a right or wrong way.

lg_schmisa

01-06-2008, 04:50 PM

It is alot of information to take in all at once, but I know it will be worth it to get organized. I have already spent my afternoon making folders on my HD. Being able to organize all my pics and materials in the PSE 5 organizer was one of the things that drew my to purchase the program. But after working with it for awhile and reading everyone's comments, I am realizing that it may not be the best way. From what I understand after reading through the forums, ACDSee is a great program to use to organize supplies and Picassa (I hope I spelled it right) is good for organizing photos. Along with having everything organized on these websites, I should also have everything saved on my HD and maybe even an EHD, right?

our2bigboys

01-06-2008, 08:27 PM

From what I understand after reading through the forums, ACDSee is a great program to use to organize supplies and Picassa (I hope I spelled it right) is good for organizing photos. Along with having everything organized on these websites, I should also have everything saved on my HD and maybe even an EHD, right?

I'm wanting to know this, too.... As a beginner, do I need BOTH Picasa and ACDSee? Is it wise to try to put all of this (photos, Picasa, ACDSee, digi kits/papers, etc.) on one external hard drive, considering I have enough space for it all (500)? If I only use, say, the ACDSee, would it organize photos and the kits, both? And should Picasa/ACDSee go on ID or ED? (I"m really, really sorry for asking such dumb questions, but I sure do appreciate all your help!)

carlalee

01-06-2008, 08:48 PM

Not a dumb question at all. Picassa and ACDSee Photo Manager are the same kinds of software. The BIG difference is that Picassa is free. ACDSee Photo Manager is $40 (I think). They both organize scrapping supplies and pictures. It's a matter of what you want to do with the software. Picassa will organize and tag. I used this one for a while. I did notice Picassa does have problems displaying .png files. The thumbnails of .png elements were nothing but black boxes. This did not hurt the files you just can't see what something is. You can tag the files and organize them, again just can't see them. To me this was more than an inconvenience since scrapping stuff is a good part .png files. ACDSee Photo Manager can display several formats. You can even change the thumbnail background so when you are looking at you white or light colored .png files you can see them! (You can't even do that with Windows Explorer.) Take a look and the DigiScrap Info website in Penny's (Bocca) post. They really have a lot of good info there. The website is 100% dedicated the ACDSee Photo Manager and ACDSee Photo Editor (comparable to PSE or PSP). To make a long post short (I know - TOO LATE!) you "need" only one or the other not both. HTH -c-

Emma

01-06-2008, 08:52 PM

I don't use Picasa or ACDSee, but just the photo organizer that came with Photoshop. PS has Bridge, PSE has Organizer, PSP has the Browse/Organizer palette. I like all of them, but the palette and Bridge are my favorites. I'm not a big fan of Organizer. It does a lot, but just harder to use IMO.

When you start paper scrapping, you can have all your papers in one file folder, and all your tools in a big plastic bag because you don't have much. As you get more stuff, you need to get more organized. Same for digi scrapping: the system you start with for just a few things will evolve as you collect more. You can try to grow into your system, but don't feel as if you have to organize everything now the way you will once you get more familiar with the process and what works for you. Getting organized is great, but don't let it detract from scrapping. Some people complain of being incessant organizers who collect lots of graphics and never make any pages!

Penny M

01-06-2008, 09:00 PM

Christy, I think most people run any programs on their IHD. Photos & digi-kits can go on a EHD. I don't think you need both Picasa and ACDSee. They both do the same thing--allow you to view your photos, scrapbook kits, tag them, organize, etc. Picasa is a free download but it does have some limitations from what I understand (viewing .png properly). However, the head designer here, Lauren Bavin, uses it for her organization and speaks very highly of it. I've never used it so I can't really tell you much about it. Several people here also use ACDSee and love it, too. Plus you have a lot of support for it from their website and the DigiScrap Info website.

There are no dumb questions! We all have asked the same questions at one time or another.

carlalee

01-06-2008, 09:23 PM

Emma

01-06-2008, 09:34 PM

no, Bridge still can't tag PNG files because it adds the info to the Metadata, and there's no PNG standard for that yet, so it doesn't have a metadata field for PNG files. However, I stopped tagging my kit graphics a LONG time ago, just too time consuming, and as IF I need yet another project I'm behind on! A student recently turned me onto to tagging JUST the contact sheets, and since those are JPG Bridge can handle it just fine. Saves me a TON of TIME both tagging and searching.

Jennifer, to answer your question: yes, the contact sheet is the graphic in kits that show all the pieces. If it doesn't have a contact sheet, I use the kit preview instead, where everything is overlapping.

carlalee

01-06-2008, 10:05 PM

TY Emma! I thought it would be too good to be true. LOL I understand the Metadata stuff but was hoping there was a way around it this time. Kind of like how the organizing software handles it. Oh well... Maybe next release! :-) -c-

lg_schmisa

01-06-2008, 11:08 PM

Thanks so much for all of the clarifications. I think that I am going to start off using the Picasa (since it's free:)) and go from there. Like Emma said, some people could spend forever organizing and not get any pages down.....I could easily become that person....lol!

Emma

01-07-2008, 03:22 PM

I'm not sure, but I THINK because it's in the metadata field it transfers to other applications, whereas keywording is in a separate (catalog) file, you have to import that into new versions, or redo them if switching applications.

Like I said, keywording PNG is in my opinion too time consuming. If I don't know what I want, I only look at contact sheets anyway.