I’m starting this thread to provide a place to discuss approaches/problems/solutions to image management.
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What do you use and why?
Big topic, but here is my experience:
First thing to decide is whether or not you want to organize via folder/file or library. Most software creates a library. My main problem with this is that at some point a problem appears if your library deviates from your folder/file structure. Also, how does it handle duplicates? These two issues have caused me many headaches across platforms and software. In the end, I have decided to do all the basic organization structure with a folder/file naming plan.
At the top level, my photos are split thusly:
Genealogy (mostly scanned or copied in digitally - partly photos, lots of documents)
- side note - is a scanned image of a probate record an 'image' or a 'document'?
Family photos - mostly scanned - sorted by location mostly (like where we lived at the time)
Travel photos - older ones scanned, newer digital imports - mostly sorted by location > date
I have rearranged these more than once, and may indeed do so again. This is another reason libraries don't work for me. Once you move something on your hard drive, the library loses track. Confusion and chaos ensues.
The folder/file structure really only matters when you start off. It is useful to be able to browse and drill down. Eventually, however, you really need to be able to search. For that, the folder and file *naming* becomes important. Something like this:
Mexico > Mexico-San-Miguel-de-Allende > 20120705-07-Mexico-San-Miguel-de-Allende > 2012-San Miguel 001.jpg
I try to have every folder and file name include geo-location and date. Easier to search, easier to drill down.
Then there is the real biggie, the 'metadata' - called IPTC or EXIF, depending. Digital cameras produce this automatically, including GPS if you have that on your camera. Smartphones do this, obviously. But it can include Title and description fields, helpful when uploading to Flickr or elsewhere. You need to edit this manually, in bulk or per file. Not crucial, perhaps, but very helpful when searching through thousands of photos.
Note - all this is completely separate from culling and editing the photos themselves. I do that using multiple tools (on Linux)
XNViewMP - to do some initial culling and bulk metadata/naming/renaming
Darktable - to do actual editing, mainly exposure/highlights/shadows - you can apply templates to many photos at once. Helps speed things up a lot.
Darktable is a non-destructive editor. The resulting issue is that you now have one or two extra files per photo in your folder. As long as you move those around with your photos, you're good. Local backup copies will include them, but you probably won't want or need them in any online backup/sharing site.
My system is still evolving, but it feels like it is finally taking shape. Still haven't touched my videos though. Saving the hardest for last, I guess... After I finish culling, I hope to get my photos/videos down to 200GB. Now if I could just stop *adding* to the collection!
).
