Oh goodness. Where to start? Yes. Windows will search in the metadata in fields it recognizes. Yes, Windows sees the metadata from Lightroom if it has been saved to the photo. I believe this is an automatic thing now for it to write with CC. If not, go to Catalog Settings → Metadata → and make sure that automatically write changes into XMP is checked. When that's checked, and LR writes the metadata this is the result: Anything in "tags" is the keywords that I write to photos. You can see Matthew, Our Family, etc. (I removed last names for privacy.) Anything in the Title is where I have written in the "Caption" field in Lightroom. I believe it will also show up in "Subject" in Windows too.
She shared it back in January. Here's her instructions @jk703 : At the website, I upload the preview. Then I scroll to the bottom, leave the default square. I then choose Custom sizes, and 256 x 256. I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing. I randomly chose it when trying to do this in the beginning and it worked. I never tried another way. Then I click, Convert Ico, and then download when it appears. It's in my download folder. Its an.ico file. I add it to the Scrap Supplies folder it should be with, and then replace that half folder with the preview. Right click on the folder, then choose properties. Under the tab for Customize, I choose Change Icon. Then I browse/navigate to the folder, and choose my icon (the preview I made into an icon at http://icoconvert.com/ Click ok. Then I click ok again. I leave the folder and then go back in and the preview is set. You must make the icon first at the icon converter website. If you move the file, you will have to do it again... but i usually don't once it's in my Scrap Supplies Folder.
I've tried to love Bridge. But I don't. I also didn't like ACDSee. Or Photoshop Elements Organizer. So, I usually just use my Windows search. I do use Bridge for my templates. I like to label them by amount of photos (1-2; 3-4;5-6; 7+). And because I hate saving a bunch of file formats, and Bridge can read psd and show me the image...it works well for that. I would use Lightroom for my supplies because I adore it for my photos, but I don't want supplies and photos in the same catalog, and I don't want to switch catalogs. So, until I can have Lightroom power and ease of use my supplies remain in folders by store →Designer. And honestly, I tried dividing things by type like I did when I paper scrapped. The end result was a mess of folders, that wasn't helpful to me, that I ended up trashing*. So, for now, I stick to my windows search and dream of an awesome organizing program or class for my supplies. *By trashing, they are actually sitting on an old EHD that I think I know where it is. I deleted them all off my current computer, but technically, if I was motivated I could possibly retrieve them. Just too much effort at this time.
@MrsEm I did a one-on-one session with Timmi, another TLP member, to go through Bridge and some of the features and how to apply them to a scrapbooker's needs. Since I'm just starting to explore all the options in Bridge, our session was a definitely an exploration, so there were wrong turns, u-turns, etc. LOL I decided not to share the recording of the session and just work on a separate video that's clearer. I can still share the video that you'll have to watch through an Adobe Connect link if you're interested. I believe @bbymks5 (Timmi) found it to be helpful, but I'll let her pop in to tell you for sure. Hee hee
It looks like it's harder on Windows to change the folder icon to the kit preview. I wrote a blog post about how to do it when I learned on my Mac several years ago, I was so excited. The short story is . . . Double click on the kit preview, hit Cmd-A to select the image. Navigate out of the folder, then right click on the folder and choose "Get Info" Click on the tiny blue folder at the top of the Info window and hit Cmd-V to paste the preview image there and it will take the place of the folder image in your files.
@MrsEm when I was looking for the blog post I shared in my previous post, I found this one too. Written in 2010, I described the way I broke kits apart then, and shared screenshots and listed my categories. I thought it might be useful to you if you decide to go this route. https://michelekendzie.wordpress.com/2010/08/10/digital-scrapbooking-organization/ You're right that it's a lot of work though. I wouldn't want to return to that method. Just using the search function in my file browser works well enough for me.
I think reading this just convinced me not to do it Sooooo many folders! Maybe I'll stick with the search function Thank you so much for sharing.
While I love the idea of having a completely tagged stash... I know myself too well and I know I would never keep up with it. So.... I just use the windows search function. If the designed hasn't named a button with "button" in the filename, it's never getting used again after the initial time I play with the kit and I'm okay with that.
You made me laugh!! Let me know if you have questions! I think we are similar in how we organize/view to see what we want to work with. @Tree City Thanks @bestcee for linking my directions!
I wish this were universally true! and there's nothing like having a name like ''pp2" in kit after kit.
re the putting the preview on the folder, I used to use Jenn's jk703 method but years ago I got Image2icon, an app for Macs only. It's really simple and I use it every time I get a batch of opened downloads to add to the stash. But after that, I'm a Lightroom user for organization, photos, digi supplies by store etc.
I store all my supplies in a program called Pixa, which makes it really easy to tag each item in multiple ways: by kit, by color (which it does automatically), by type of element, etc. I learned this system from a course on Jessica Sprague's website really early in my digi-scrapping journey. It has been an absolute Godsend! I really recommend that people give Jessica's Pixa system a try. It makes it super easy to find, say, a "red" "arrow" by "JustJaimee" with just a couple clicks. To be honest (and I might be in the minority here!), I enjoy the process of tagging and organizing new kits when I buy them....it kind of gives me a chance to really see what's in the kit and think about how to use it.
Never heard of it before so I went to check it out. It looks very useful! I love that it automatically tags color; that's something Picasa did and I wish Finder would do. I'm afraid to bother with it though, since it's only for Mac, and I might have to switch back to Windows someday.
I was in your possible predicament. I don't suggest it. I miss Mac, and when my newer PC dies eventually (LOL!), I will shell out the cost for what I want from Mac. I do love my computer, but I prefer Mac. I just wish they never discontinued the 17" laptop... so I will eventually get the 15" one. My brain will have to re-adjust... again, lol!
Start saving now. Mine lasted 6 years; it was also 2011. They also have refurbished ones that you buy direct from Apple too.