How do you manage your photographs???

As some of you are aware, I was intending to switch from iPhoto to Lightroom for general photo management on my mac... changed my mind, but in the process of copying out the contents of my iPhoto catalog, realised I had already done it, multiple times in the past. One of my external drives had four folders all of which were previous exports, copies, whatever. One of those had over 14,000 photos in it!!

After importing a few to Lightroom and starting to work on them, I realised that most of my editing is still going to be done in Photoshop. Additionally, Lightroom's detection of dupes was not very reliable (FYI none of the available programs *are* particularly reliable) so I gave up quickly, and decided to return to old habits: ie; iPhoto for storage and management, Photoshop and a few plugins for editing, and a separate folder for edited shots.

I am currently wading through everything I imported back to my iPhoto Library... but began with over 20,000 shots, of which approximately 1/3 are duplicates. The trick is in finding which are the "real" shots, and this is where the dupe detection thing falls over. iPhoto can be told not to import dupes, and it doesn't, but it can only not import *exact* dupes. I think this is probably what the issue was with Lightroom as well.

This has become a monumental task. Only 14,550 to trawl through now. From here on, I am going to be doing my deletes right away (to get rid of the crud) and where there are many similar shots, choosing one or two only, instead of having 9 million. And I will be keywording and rating which is something I have never bothered with, before.

Here's a question: How do people deal with their photographs on their first download to the computer? Delete some and keep only the best? Store everything but choose some for further action? Used to be I was told to keep everything, but after this exercise, I think that's just crazy.
 
I download to a tranfer folder on the desktop. From there I use Bridge to sort to folders on an external RAID array. I keep all RAW files unless they are really bad--the back of a lens cap shot. For large projects, I subdivide folders by date. Any panos generated have the folder date and a marker (a, b, c, d, etc) in the name to identify it. Any processed RAW keep the same file name as the RAW so I can always return to the RAW file if I want to.
 
DL to LR, organize into time/date, delete undesireables, keyword tag, rate as "pick" and let the auto folders sort projects by metadata keywords. Right now, only one library, backed up via time machine.
 
I look at the raw files in LR, then before I ever even Import, I delete all the junk. I will import later when I decide to sit down and process. Sometimes it's immediately, sometimes it's not, and sometimes it's a select few at a time based on what I am looking for. I go back through my folders every so often, via LR again, and delete in a second or third round what I feel no longer has merit to me. That doesn't dispose of all old photos mind you, nor does it flush out important events or vacation, because some things I just can't redo and some things I did really well the first time around. And at some point I want to make little Blurb books because digital just leaves me uneasy as to long term storage.
 
I moved from iPhoto to aperture ages ago. I have LR, but never really got used to it compares to Aperture. Like iPhoto it has an embedded library style by default, but u would suggest creating your own and having them off main computer on external hd. It has vault backup setup and also ability to manage in external folders w/o library style. Has ability to use photo fx just like lr. The only time I use LR is for photos-stitch.

Good luck
Gary
 
On our computers' desktop, we each have a folder with our name (wife and mine), on it. In that folder we have sub-folders to make filing and finding. A very few have sub, sub folders.
I have a folder on the desktop, named "Sorting". This is where I dump the camera's memory card. Then in the next few days I thin out everything that is not good or better.
I also have a folder on the desktop named "2013 current month" that gets the thinned pics from the "sorting" folder. At end of month the monthly folder gets moved into my main folder. Special events/projects get their own folder with the name beginning with "year".

I am using CS2, PhotoShop, for any PP.
 
I moved from iPhoto to aperture ages ago.
Good luck
Gary

I tried aperture recently, again (I keep trying, Ive kept the old trial just in case) but for some reason simply cannot adapt to it at all. Maybe I should try again, now that I have definitely decided against LR. But, the thing is, I wont be using Aperture for editing, as I did not, LR.... so not sure if there would be any point to having it.
 
On our computers' desktop, we each have a folder with our name (wife and mine), on it. In that folder we have sub-folders to make filing and finding. A very few have sub, sub folders.
I have a folder on the desktop, named "Sorting". This is where I dump the camera's memory card. Then in the next few days I thin out everything that is not good or better.

Do you mean you delete these? the following para seems to suggest you keep.

I also have a folder on the desktop named "2013 current month" that gets the thinned pics from the "sorting" folder. At end of month the monthly folder gets moved into my main folder. Special events/projects get their own folder with the name beginning with "year".

I am using CS2, PhotoShop, for any PP.

Sounds way more complicated than just using iphoto. I think if I was on a PC, I would probably be using LR.
 
I mport to LR, selecting the option to copy a backup while doing so.

Then I go through the shoot pressing X or P for each image; X covers those I don't like, P for picks. Then I select all the X files and delete them. Nice and simple. I may then build a collection, but often not. Then I edit. I very rarely use PS anymore. LR 4 does most of what I need, sometimes with the help of a plugin in preset. I have found that a little time with LR pays off. It is a very capable editor. I work hard to get it right in the camera anyway.

I find LR much faster in use than iPhoto, both in processing speed and in the interface. LR was developed for pros processing large numbers of photographs, and it shows.

Then I print the ones I like. The catalogue backs up automatically as I quit.
 
So from what I understand, then, Hikari, you keep everything unless its *really* bad...

Yes. I do long projects and the images represent a type of diary. I may walk 8-10 miles in a day and take 400+ images. They are also important references if I need to return. I have also found the bad images can point to some interesting effects and looks as well as giving me some processing challenges. Sometimes a "bad" image becomes quite interesting after time and a second look. Storage is cheap. Editing for storage is not really where editing should happen. I am also very glad I kept every image of my dog that died of cancer.
 
As soon as I read the title of the thread, "How do you manage your photos?", I answered, "Badly".

I import them from the card onto the computer using LR, by date. Right now I have several hundred folders by date that need to be sorted onto an external harddrive where I try -- that's TRY -- to organize photos rationally by subject. I'm years behind, and need to imagine a new work flow. In some ways, binders of negatives with accompanying contact sheets was a dream compared to making order out of virtual (in all senses of the word) chaos.
 
I tried aperture recently, again (I keep trying, Ive kept the old trial just in case) but for some reason simply cannot adapt to it at all. Maybe I should try again, now that I have definitely decided against LR. But, the thing is, I wont be using Aperture for editing, as I did not, LR.... so not sure if there would be any point to having it.

Not sure which version of aperture u have a trial version.....

Aperture 3 is a much different animal versus 1. Aperture 2 is somewhat different. Aperture 3 has much better photo editing capability such as curves plus dodge and burn and better fie database recovery and database corruption related fixing.

Aperture and iPhoto play well together. Aperture has superior photo during capability to iPhoto. It also can e setup for dual screen mode. I run an 23 inch iMac w/ a second 22 inch Samsung LCD.

Photoshop is a big pan to learn but has the most tools. LR is a the adobe version of Aperture. Outside of that, tere is capture one.

Gary
 
As soon as I read the title of the thread, "How do you manage your photos?", I answered, "Badly".

I import them from the card onto the computer using LR, by date. Right now I have several hundred folders by date that need to be sorted onto an external harddrive where I try -- that's TRY -- to organize photos rationally by subject. I'm years behind, and need to imagine a new work flow. In some ways, binders of negatives with accompanying contact sheets was a dream compared to making order out of virtual (in all senses of the word) chaos.

That's a common 'error' with LR. IT offers the sort by date option on import, but I have never seen this recommended by any LR trainer, and most curse it.
 
Do you mean you delete these? the following para seems to suggest you keep.

Sounds way more complicated than just using iphoto. I think if I was on a PC, I would probably be using LR.

The ones deleted form sorting are gone.
I am an old codger, and do not like or trust programs to have control of my decisions. I am a visual type person. I still use the Windows Explorer file system. But it is so buried in the later versions of windows, that I use the desktop, for easier folder control.

We tried Picasa, but hated it "auto" sorting every time the program opened or photos were downloaded.

I am using PS because my daughter gave me this one when she bought SC5.
 
The ones deleted form sorting are gone.
I am an old codger, and do not like or trust programs to have control of my decisions. I am a visual type person. I still use the Windows Explorer file system. But it is so buried in the later versions of windows, that I use the desktop, for easier folder control.

We tried Picasa, but hated it "auto" sorting every time the program opened or photos were downloaded.

I am using PS because my daughter gave me this one when she bought SC5.

Something to bear in mind is that unlike some older photo applications, and iPhoto, LR and Bridge do not hold your photos in a closed Library. They simply point to folders withing your system, be it Win or Mac. The LR library contains details of the changes you make to photos, not the actual photos.
 
On first download I import them into LR and go through them. Anything not good enough gets deleted immediately - this would be anything technically flawed, anything that just doesn't work aesthetically and anything inferior 'multiples' (i.e, if I take three or four slightly different shots of the same subject I delete all but the preferred one).

I use the LR rating system to divided everything else into two categories - definite keepers and undecided. At a later stage - could be days or weeks - I'll go back through the undecided ones and go through the same procedure.

I lean towards being ruthless with the delete button. I see no point in keeping masses of images - no-one is ever going to look at them so what's the point? If you are not going to display it, post it, print it or show it my view is you should delete it. (Of course, personal, family, holiday type images are different).
 
Not sure which version of aperture u have a trial version.....
Hi Gary, I have 3. As for the rest, yes, I am aware of the various capabilities of each program, but have decided that I do not want to edit in LR, nor Aperture. So if I am *only* using iPhoto to store the photographs and to keep them in some kind of manageable order, I can't see the point of using something like either of those more comprehensive tools, just for storage. I have been using Photoshop since CS2 on the Mac, and find no effort in using the tools it provides. I can drive it well enough for my purposes...
 
I lean towards being ruthless with the delete button. I see no point in keeping masses of images - no-one is ever going to look at them so what's the point? If you are not going to display it, post it, print it or show it my view is you should delete it. (Of course, personal, family, holiday type images are different).

This is the point I am at, also. Thanks, Olli
 
Yes. I do long projects and the images represent a type of diary. I may walk 8-10 miles in a day and take 400+ images. They are also important references if I need to return. I have also found the bad images can point to some interesting effects and looks as well as giving me some processing challenges. Sometimes a "bad" image becomes quite interesting after time and a second look. Storage is cheap. Editing for storage is not really where editing should happen. I am also very glad I kept every image of my dog that died of cancer.

Hmm... well I keep snaps of family, friends and pets, no matter how bad they might be, but as for the rest... I'm not a "big" shooter, in that I no longer shoot hundreds at a time, and regardless of how cheap storage is, it all still has to be managed, one way or another.
 
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