How do you organize everything?

Aramelle · 07-08-2006, 12:22 PM

I'm still trying to get my feet wet with this whole digital scrapbooking thing, and I'm starting to feel more than a little overwhelmed.

I cannot for the life of me seem to figure out an effective way to oragnize everything. I don't even have that much stuff yet, and I'm already completely at a lost for how to make sense of it all. How do you organize your files...both so that they're easy to find and so you can later know who to give credit to?

Margie · 07-08-2006, 12:32 PM

click on articles above, there are some about just this thing! it's easiest to do when you're first starting out too!

Samara · 07-08-2006, 01:10 PM

Here's an article I wrote about how I organize: HERE

Emma · 07-08-2006, 05:23 PM

I've very slowly started collecting things, and I've found I just had to create a new folder for each designer's name and unzip the kit right into it. If all goes well, each kit is in its own folder inside the designer's folder, and then any add-on stuff go into a folder inside the main kit folder. That way I can always properly credit the graphics.
In my album software I'll then add keywords to the graphics so I can search by "floral" or "metal" or "eyelet," making it easier to mix and match things from kits.

It's actually easier to organize than paper scrappers: they keep all their stuff normally by type of element, so I have no idea how they remember whom to credit as the manufacturers!

Some good articles to read as well, but I've learned most of us settle on the designer folder and then the keyword solution. I just hate taking time to tag things! Or putting things into a subfolder if they just "spilled" into the designer folder.

*Penny M* · 07-09-2006, 09:37 AM

I organize my folders very similiar to Samara. Then I use the Organizer that came with my software (PSE4) to add keywords like Emma does. Takes a while to organize on the front end, but it makes it easier to find what you need when making a layout. I also use the caption option in my organizer to type the kit name, designer, and store so it makes it easier to credit in my LOs. And makes finding a whole kit easier.

MommySpice · 07-09-2006, 10:17 AM

I have my items grouped into their own folders (by kit and designer). However, I'm wondering how I add the keywords like others have mentioned? I use PS CS2. TIA!

Ted · 07-09-2006, 11:30 AM

I organize my things very similarly to Penny... however, now that I've gotten into CS2, I want to organize them in Adobe Bridge.

Kara, with CS2, there IS a way to add keywords. I'm not sure of it right now... but I'm sure if you click on "HELP" at the top of Adobe Bridge and then type in "Keywords" or such... it can help you navigate to how to add them.

Or do a Yahoo or Google search with "Adobe Bridge keywords" in it and I'm sure there are people who have created tutorials and such!

Happy organizing!

Ted

MommySpice · 07-09-2006, 03:10 PM

Thank you so much, Ted! I will check it out.

Emma · 07-09-2006, 05:44 PM

I heard a cool suggestion a few weeks ago: make a duplicate of the kit Sample jpg image and place them all in a folder named Samples. That way you can browse "all" your kits quickly and easily grab the one you want. Especially if the sample has the designer name on it, or if you rename the file to have the folder info where the kit folder is stored

Emma · 07-09-2006, 06:15 PM

okay: revealing my irresponsible use of kits

what do you do if you've already dumped stuff into a folder and haev no clue who/where you got it from?

What do you do if a kit doesn't extract into its own folder? How do you "quarantine" new kits so if the zip file just spills open you can easily pop the stuff into a kit folder and into the designer's folder?

07-10-2006, 11:22 PM

Hmm... I don't have anything organized by designer either. I never thought about needing to know later who designed the page elements. Currently I just have all of my stuff organized into folders titled by what's in them (backgrounds, embellishments, word art, etc.). I usually mix and match, and don't necessarily use things out of a particular kit, and I don't keep the kits together. I have noticed that a lot of the kit elements I have have the designer's name in the file name, so I guess I could identify them that way. When I'm choosing something to use in a LO, I usually just open up the folders in My Pictures, and browse until I see something I like. I haven't been at this for very long, though, so I don't have millions of elements just yet.