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Organize, Organize, Organize

bestcee

bestcee

In love with places I've never been to
Joined
Dec 18, 2013
Messages
19,337
There's some great older posts on the blog about organizing. And there's some great older threads about organizing. But there are new programs (iphoto to photos, Apple users?), people who missed the threads {raising my hand here!}, and just general tweaks to make a system run better.

So, how do you organize? Do you keep photos and digi supplies together? What do you do with finished pages and files? Are you like me and have a 'Wishful Thinking' version of organizing and the actual one that you end up using?

And please, be as detailed or as overviewed as you want to be.

@Cath_ and I need your suggestions! @gonewiththewind I expect a screenshot of your spreadsheet!
 
i starting with 13 folders with this same stucture (a folder a month since started back, rest in some good order, not bothering with. and in 2016, not buying or messing so many places. this was fine for segarment back up purposes, but now i need structure to build with the it

_2per
_bng_gr
_coffeshop
_fv
_ref
bld_boo
blog
boo
daily_digi_oct
designer
desingdigital
dfdd_Wishes_Dreams_day1_6
digapress
digaresort
digichick
digipress
digitalessesntials
escape
franb-tjd_social_day1_31
ginger
godigital
gopixel
GS_DD_2015_OCT_ALittleBitOfEverything_day_1_31
justart
kimeric_agrr5
kimeric_tbs_1029NL
llc_lindac
mscrap
nfnt10
oscrap
pdw
pickle
pixelpress
pscrap
rr_raspberry
scragraphics
scrap_graphics
scrapstacks
sgd
snapclick
snp
store_letteringdelight
store_miscrifcirus
studio
studio_free
sweet
tlc_purchase
 
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As I said before, I am an ACDSee 14 user all the way. I followed the set up and work flow as outlined in a class by Kayla Lamboreaux at Jessica Sprague's site several years ago. The class is not available anymore which is a shame because it was a jewel. I love that I can download a kit and within 5-10 minutes have it tagged by designer, shop, kind of product (design, if paper), color, and theme.
 
dvhoward said:
As I said before, I am an ACDSee 14 user all the way. I followed the set up and work flow as outlined in a class by Kayla Lamboreaux at Jessica Sprague's site several years ago. The class is not available anymore which is a shame because it was a jewel. I love that I can download a kit and within 5-10 minutes have it tagged by designer, shop, kind of product (design, if paper), color, and theme.
Click to expand...

I'm so bummed that Kayla's class isn't available. So many scrappers recommend it. :shakehead:sulk
 
I'm an ACDSee tagger too! I tag the previews with
  • the type of product (or the various components of collections, for example): template (which I don't use much, that's why I don't need subcategories by number of photos), kit, alpha, papers only, elements only (with pocket cards as subcategory), actions and styles, textures for photos, etc.
  • the theme: season, girly or masculine, everyday, outdoor and fun, celebrations and holidays (with subcategories like Christmas, birthdays, etc.), motivation, resolution and fitness, hard times / condoleances, etc.
  • the store (very useful for challenges)
  • the style (art journaling, basics, paper-like, realistic elements/vintage, PL
  • S4H ok
  • if I got the kit through CT work (which means I can't use it for S4H without buying it)
  • CU (with type of product as subcategory

I organize my files by designer, one subfolder per kit or product (that way I don't have to worry about the designers moving stores). I also have a CU file, a collab one (with kits as subfolders) and a few stores files for the store collabs.

For my photos, I sort them by year and month and I rename them with the date of capture when I download them: 20151224_001 for Christmas eve, for ex. One of my 2016 goals is to create a tagging / keywording system for them as well, especially with who's in there so that I can find the right image more easily.
 
Everything is stored on an external drive (3 TB) and is backed up by Backblaze.

My folder structure for photos is a main folder called PHOTOS, with photos by year.

Photo&LayoutTracking_1.JPG


And then I have them separated by date within the year.

Photo&LayoutTracking_2.JPG


I use Lightroom for further photo organization (keywording/tagging) as well as editing. So the basic catalog you'll see is the same as my Windows folder structure. Keywords are over on the right. So for this photo, I've keyworded/tagged my son, eating out, and LEGO. I can click on anyone of those keywords in my list to see all photos that I've tagged with that keyword. Makes it easier when I'm looking for a particular photo or event. Also, I can color code my photos. When I've scrapped a photo, I code it with purple. That way I know at a glance looking in a folder what photos I've already put on a layout.

Photo&LayoutTracking_3.JPG


My layouts are organized in much the same manner as my photos. Top file structure starts with LAYOUTS, then followed by layouts (placed by the date of the photos in the layout, not the date the layout was completed).

Here's the inside of one of my layout folders. You'll see I save my layouts by title, followed by the main person in the layout, and then the date. There are others that like to put the date first for sorting, but this is the method that works for me.

Also in this folder you'll see an Excel file (the green one with an X) called 2015 Calendar of Events & Layouts Completed.

This is where my photo and layout organization merges.

Photo&LayoutTracking_4.JPG


Here's a peek inside my 2015 Calendar of Events & Layouts Completed file. You can see I have the date as well as what event(s) occurred. There are boxes out to the right that are for thumbnails of layouts completed.

Photo&LayoutTracking_5.JPG


Here's a look at another part of the same Excel file, just showing that I've completed some layouts for an event. When I've completed an entire date and it's fully scrapped, I will "gray" out the entire row so I know those layouts are done.

[/IMG]
Photo&LayoutTracking_6.JPG


My scrapbook kits are organized in Windows, just under SCRAPBOOK KITS, and then I have a folder for CREATIVE TEAM KITS, KITS, MISC, TO SCRAP (KITS I'VE PURCHASED FOR A PARTICULAR PHOTO AND NEED TO USE).

I do get rid of kits. Sometimes my tastes change and sometimes the product just dates itself and needs to be purged. Either way, it's always an ongoing process.

And yes, I know I have an organizational problem. I do it with my home as well.
 
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I keep my photos in folders for each month. The digi supplies I keep in my 'Digital Kits' file then I load them onto my software (Serif Craft Artist - it's so easy to do. I lOVE this software) So there is a copy of each kit on there ready to use. Oh and I keep my LO's in a file in my photo library. Each year has a LO's file. MOC has it's own file too :dancebun
 
I love organizational tips! I try to be somewhat organized..sometimes it works, sometimes I need to tweak it. I'm bad with tagging..photos and scrap stuff...but one day I hope to get there :p. I have all my photos, kits and pages on a 3TB EHD and then I have the photos and pages backed up again to 2 other smaller EHDs. My photos are in folders by year and then by month within each of those. My layouts are in folders by year and month as well. I need to do what Cheryl has done and organize them by the date in the photo instead of when I created the page. Kits are organized by designer name with each kit under that. I keep the current month's kits and photos on my computer and then at the end of the month I move them all to the EHDs.
 
Photos are in a main folder called "Photos" then divided into sub folders by sort of theme, like Christmas2016, etc. I find it easier to find things this way. I just have to know what I'm looking for.
My digi files are by year then by month. I should tag because I have Lightroom but I like finding unexpected gems when I'm looking for something and tagging seems to take long. Might start with new stuff for 2016.
Layouts are in a layouts folder, by year by month.
 
My photos are organized the same way @gonewiththewind does it, with the exception of I do not use Lightroom. I do ACDSee Pro7 - new computer means I'd like to establish an actual system within it that actually works for my scrap-supplies. I despise having to dig through lots of folders when I'm looking for a staple/ribbon/etc.

Scrap Supplies... well... they are organized by store and/or designer. My creative team designer's folder is at the top of the list with two underscores in front of her name. Then within a store folder, for example TLP, I have a folder for each BYOC, each designer, and each collab.

My system may not be perfect because freebies from a designer's blog/facebook/etc. are in their designer folder - not in the same folder as stuff I purchased from a shop. As a designer retires or leaves a particular store, their kits will get moved out of the store folder. I try to mark "retired" kits and designers with "[retired]" in front of it. Same for stores that close.

I have NEVER and I repeat NEVER deleted a digi kit... freebie or otherwise. I've been doing this digital scrapbook thing since February 13, 2006. I could scare some designers with stuff that I can pull out of my stash!! I'm better about deleting bad photos - only the ones where the "burst mode" on my husband's cell phone has gone off in his pocket or while we were trying to pose a group and it's just shots of the grass or something odd like that.
 
I have a similar set up to @gonewiththewind though I don't have my photos seperated by date. Just all of them in folders for year/month and a folder for an event in the month. I really need to get a bit more organized and update what I have worked on, what still needs to be scrapped, etc.
 
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