Scrapper's Challenge - Organization

Kristen · 01-02-2005, 12:04 AM

Greetings! Jamie Rousselle and I are starting a new project here at DSP - the Scrapper's Challenge. All about organizing. Each month, the newsletter will have a brief article about organizing some aspect or other of digital scrapbooking. Then, in this thread, Jamie and I will expand on that article. And then we'll all discuss it, ask questions, answer questions, share what works for us (and what doesn't.) Ideally, by the end of the series, we'll have a well-organized, well-behaved computer and we'll never lose anything scrapping related again!

dmp103 · 01-02-2005, 12:59 PM

LOL, from your mouth . . .

Seriously, this is a super idea and one that I know will help a whole lot of us! Thanks for doing it!!

ginrc · 01-02-2005, 02:04 PM

Great idea! I am a terrible organizer!!!!

Samara · 01-02-2005, 02:23 PM

I'm very much looking forward to this challenge.

Funtolearn · 01-02-2005, 10:17 PM

Excellent Idea!! I will be watching for it.
I was up last night until 1:49 a.m. trying to get files organized. I had files between two machines and had folders within folders and copies of copies. What a mess!!!!! I want to get eveything burned onto DVD or CD. Because it has always been a worry when the machine starts to act up. Then I move files to another machine then have to move them back and so on. I am looking forward to you suggestions. BRING THEM ON! LOL
I havepictures in my machine now for five years. I am so glad I found this place and it got me going to organize my files. Looks like the first thing for me is to get the folders set up and not keep changing them. On one machine it maybe trips, onthe laptop it may be travel or location or both. I want to get uniform files between my two machines. That is my first goal.
I may burn some general DVD's so I feel more secure and then do my reorganizing and then reburning. Heavens how am I going to reorganize my machine when my mind is bouncing.LOL I think in reality I need this yesterday.

the_littleminx · 01-03-2005, 12:14 AM

Great idea! I've been working on trying to find a better way to organize all my scrapping stuff. The sucky thing is I've already burned a lot of it to cd so now I'll have to reburn when I get reorganized. lol

Anyhow, can't wait for this challenge to start.

Rebekah

jamie · 01-03-2005, 12:26 AM

Since I'm supposed to be helping with this, I guess I need to get started too! lol ... I have most of my stuff backed up already, thanks to a 6 month old computer that already needed a hard drive!

For those who are a little intimidated by burning CD's, look for an article on how to do it coming soon under the articles. I'll be sure to post the link in this thread as soon as its up! Until then, good luck and if you guys get any good ideas on organizing, post them here!

Funtolearn · 01-03-2005, 01:00 AM

What a day LOL I got my first CD and DVD Burned. I am off and burning

Questions for article. Is there any way to show scrap book pages from the CD as a cd show? Would like to be able to show on TV and be good sized.
Also in saving scrap book pages to disk should we use JPG or native format?
Thanks Muriel

Kristen · 01-03-2005, 03:33 AM

The Scrapper’s Challenge
Jamie Rousselle and Kristen Skold

What is the Scrapper’s Challenge? Is it finishing an album? Getting a layout published? Actually “getting caught up”?

Nope, no, uh-uh. It’s getting and staying organized! Whether we paper-scrap or digi-scrap, scrappers collect stuff! Photos, of course, and kits, elements, quotes, sketches – stuff. Over the next several months, Jamie and I are going to get ourselves organized – and we invite you to organize along with us.

But before we actually start sorting, tossing, arranging, labeling, etc – we’re going to back up everything! This is a rough-and-ready, throw everything on CDs, just-in-case back-up. This is insurance against the worst.

You're probably not going to fit everything on one disk. I’m sorting in large categories – photos, layouts, fonts, freebies, store-bought kits, online classes. If you’re also making elements and kits, be certain to back up that work well. You may end up with more than one disk in some of these categories. I’ve decided that every category gets its own CD (or two or three.) In other words, I’m not trying to fit the fonts and the freebies on the same CD. For me, it’s easier to look for stuff on separated CDs. On the other hand, this is basically an emergency-proofing backup so you can decide to just fit as much as you can on each disk. We'll be sorting and arranging in the next few months and you'll be making more backups as we go.

Remember to label the CDs as you make them – and use something more permanent than the sticky-notes I have on mine right now. I wouldn’t bother with a full CD label on these – I’m going to print on address labels. You can also write on most CDs. Use a felt-tip pen, not a ball-point. The coating on the back of a CD can be damaged by ball-point or other hard tips and ruin the CD. [http://www.mscience.com/faq508.html]

If you’re feeling either paranoid or especially virtuous, make two copies of everything and take one set to your sister’s, or to work, or some other place outside your home. This is more insurance against the worst. At the very least, you might want to make two copies of your photos and store them in a safe place away from home.

Next month: Organizing Your Elements. Until then – Burn, Baby, Burn!

Kristen · 01-03-2005, 03:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Funtolearn

What a day LOL I got my first CD and DVD Burned. I am off and burning

Questions for article. Is there any way to show scrap book pages from the CD as a cd show? Would like to be able to show on TV and be good sized.
Also in saving scrap book pages to disk should we use JPG or native format?
Thanks Muriel

Hurrah for the burning!

Adobe Photoshop Album 2.0 has a way to save a slideshow to VCD (a format to allow a CD to play in a DVD player.) I did this with some Christmas photos. Not the highest quality images, and I don't think I'd want to try to look at layouts this way. I know there are other programs that do the same, but I haven't researched them. You should probably post this question again in the Software forum. People with software answers may not be reading this thread right now.

When you're saving scrapbook pages, I'd save both the jpg and the native format. You want to be able to go back and make changes and additions (one of the benefits of digital scrapping!) and for that you need the native format files.

mbartist · 01-03-2005, 09:55 AM

I have 2 questions about backing up files.

1) I have read that they should be backed up to CD-R rather than CD-RW. Is it correct to say that DVD-R would be a better place to store the files than DVD-RW?

2) Is there an advantage to using CD-R rather than DVD-R if I have both options available to me?

Thanks for helping clear this up in my mind!
Pat

**Janet** · 01-03-2005, 10:42 AM

I'd like to hear other opinions on this as well. From what I understand, CD-R (and I also assume DVD-R) discs are more stable than the RW...and I imagine not being able to overwrite by accident is a good thing as well.

The advantage of DVD over CD is you can get more on one disc. BUT, the disadvantage is not everyone can read a DVD at this point, but usually can read CD. I use DVD-R whenever I can for my own stuff.

I love this whole idea!!!! I've been slowly working at organizing my stuff, but this might be the push I need to really clean and fling the old files I really don't need anymore, and burn to CD/DVD the ones I need to keep for awhile longer, but probably don't need to store on the computer anymore. I'll take the Flylady route on this of setting the timer for 15 minutes and seeing how much I can get done!

Funtolearn · 01-03-2005, 10:53 AM

Burn Burn Burn LOL Till I went to bed last night.
How I decided (cd or dvd) was how much I needed or wanted on that file.
Have all my pictures backed up. Then woke up this mornig thinking did I get them all?"??

Haley64 · 01-03-2005, 01:04 PM

This is going to be such a great treat!! I have been honestly trying to organize my computer for over a week!! (I think too much!!) It's about 6 yrs old, even though it still runs great due to my puter guy! I'm afraid half the time, scared about the TV commercials that talk about all family photo's disappearing!! I just ran across a posting in the Jasc forum that they talked about a .dll file in PSP9 and that it is a security breach through Microsoft to allow internet uses to basically get your photo's!!
I have Roxio & HP cd burner, never used Roxio because I didn't know what it could or would do!!
I find I am moving things to where I think they should be, only to move them again! I have elements in kits like tags and such that I would like to be able to view all tags at once, but I am afraid to move them out of their correct folders, so that I can give credit when I use them!!
I use picasa, but I think it is limited on the size of image it will allow you to view? And it doesn't support .psp files which I have a lot of!
Anyway I can't wait for this organizing to start!!

scrappygranny · 01-04-2005, 02:32 PM

I won't lose my stuff any more? (insert big smile here)

I burned CDs with my files about three weeks ago, or so, but dang if there aren't more things to burn. LOL Like dishes and laundry, a never ending job, I think.

This will be very good for me. I have a system now, but it isn't a very good system. And pictures are all in dated folders from the camera transfer. THIS could be some WORK! Much needed work, though.

Thank you!!