Digital Photography Tips – Simple Scrapper https://www.simplescrapper.com Scrapbook Ideas Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:10:15 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 https://www.simplescrapper.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/cropped-favicon-1080-v5-150x150.png Digital Photography Tips – Simple Scrapper https://www.simplescrapper.com 32 32 Your Lightroom Questions, Answered https://www.simplescrapper.com/2018/09/your-lightroom-questions-answered/ https://www.simplescrapper.com/2018/09/your-lightroom-questions-answered/#comments Tue, 18 Sep 2018 11:00:53 +0000 https://www.simplescrapper.com/?p=43493 Should you use Lightroom Classic CC or the new Lightroom CC? In this video I answer that question and more.

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At the end of July I asked to hear from you about photo organization. I wanted to understand everything you wanted to know about Lightroom, from basic information to more advanced challenges using the software.

Your input provided the basis for this entire series, including today’s extended episode. In my newest video I’m answering 21 questions about Lightroom, including who I think should move to the new cloud-based Lightroom CC.


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Next week this series will conclude with the re-launch of my free Photo Crush class. I’ve updated the process to better help anyone get their photos in order, with or without Lightroom in the mix!

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My Lightroom Process https://www.simplescrapper.com/2018/09/my-lightroom-process/ https://www.simplescrapper.com/2018/09/my-lightroom-process/#comments Tue, 11 Sep 2018 20:30:11 +0000 https://www.simplescrapper.com/?p=43468 I'm sharing my simple workflow for Adobe Lightroom that combines the convenience of my phone and the power of my computer.

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I take photos to remember life’s best moments and to honor those that will be etched into my memory forever. On days like today I am reminded of the deep significance of pictures and feel so grateful for my own library.
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Over the past eight years I’ve used Adobe Lightroom to keep my digital photos safe and organized. It’s the heart of my memory keeping process and a tool that keeps scrapbooking easy and fun.
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I’m by no means perfectly organized, but I’ve created a simple workflow that combines the convenience of my phone and the power of my computer. And in today’s new video, I’m explaining the entire system from start to finish!


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Whet​​​​​​​her Lightroom is the tool for you or not, I hope this series helps nudge you forward in giving your photos the love they deserve!

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My Obsession https://www.simplescrapper.com/2018/09/my-obsession/ https://www.simplescrapper.com/2018/09/my-obsession/#respond Thu, 06 Sep 2018 13:49:39 +0000 https://www.simplescrapper.com/?p=43456 I've been managing my photos with Adobe Lightroom for a long time. In this video I explain why I love this software is an essential part of my creative process.

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More often than not, our scrapbook pages begin with photos. Celebrating our pictures with words and art is why we are memory keepers. But how is it then, that our photo libraries don’t get nearly as much love as our stash of scrapbook supplies?

This month I am on a quest to help you give your photos the love they deserve. That could look like getting back to creating, tidying up an existing system, or finally learning how to use Lightroom. I’ve got three videos on that very subject this month, starting with today’s 5-minute introduction.

Make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel so that new videos show up on your Subscriptions tab. And if you want a notification, you can also click the bell after subscribing!

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How to Easily Share Pictures Online https://www.simplescrapper.com/2017/08/share-pictures-online/ https://www.simplescrapper.com/2017/08/share-pictures-online/#comments Sat, 12 Aug 2017 15:34:21 +0000 http://www.simplescrapper.com/?p=42016 Do you want to safely share pictures online with friends and family? In this post, you'll learn about a new solution that makes it easy.

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Do you share pictures online? The real joy of photography comes from sharing your memories with others. So, why were mine locked away on a hard drive?

Over the years, I’ve developed a solid photo workflow, but it was never easy for me to share batches of photos. This was the one area where I always felt behind, even though it wasn’t impacting my creative process.

Do you want to safely share pictures online with friends and family? In this post, you'll learn about a new solution that makes it easy.

On an episode of Simple Scrapper Live I talked through the challenge I was facing and the fabulous solution I recently discovered. In the video I explain why I choose to manage my photos in this way, but I will be the first one to admit it is not the only way to do it. I’ve embedded the video recording for you here.

Spoiler Alert: Stop reading here, if you want to be surprised about the solution.

As promised in the episode, below is a written overview of my process and the exact settings I use to share pictures online.

How I Use Google Photos to Share Pictures Online

Google Photos turned out to be the missing link in my photo management system, but not until Google released the Backup and Sync tool in July. But first, let’s back up. Here’s the the basic process I use:

  • My photos are automatically synced from my phone to Lightroom via the Lightroom app. If I want to flag or edit photos, those changes sync.
  • The images appear in a temporary folder in Lightroom.
  • I move (within Lightroom) pictures from that folder to my official photo library, which includes folders by year and sub-folders by month.
  • I use Lightroom to delete unwanted images and edit, as desired.

In the video I explain some of the reasons I use Lightroom, including the ease of navigating between photos when culling and editing. But my process was imperfect and incomplete: if I wanted to share photos online, I needed to completely finish sorting the batch and then upload it to Flickr.

I’ve expressed my frustration with this process in other videos. The majority of photo sharing tools simply allow you to upload, with no ability to automatically sync changes, like the deletion of a file. Since I will likely be behind in my sorting for at least the next 12 years (my only child is 6), I needed a way to share what I had… even if it contained random screenshots of the weather and pictures of the brand of cat food we purchase.

So when I was doing research for the re-release of Photo Crush, as a self-paced challenge, I decided to see what was new with Google Photos.

Oh boy.

Google had just released Backup and Sync as a replacement for the Google Photos Desktop Uploader and Drive for Mac/PC. I instantly wondered whether this would be my solution to share pictures online.

At this point, you know how the story ends. This tool not only made me take a second look at Google Photos, but I immediately integrated it into my process.

How I Set Up “Backup and Sync”

I have it set up to sync my photo library folders, including deleting files everywhere and automatically adding new photos. My video above includes a tour and here’s a screenshot of the settings I use:

Do you want to safely share pictures online with friends and family? In this post, you'll learn about a new solution that makes it easy.

In the first section, you can see that I’ve selected just my 2017 folder for now. I like that I can control what I’m ready to share, but that it watches that folder.

I’ve chosen the “High quality (free unlimited storage)” setting because this is not my primary backup. Google’s version of “high quality” is only slightly compressed and is sufficient for the majority of printing and scrapbooking uses.

The last two settings are the most important, to me. When I delete a photo in Lightroom, it will delete it from my Google Photos. Similarly, when new photos are added inside of the synced folders, they will be added to Google Photos.

These settings ensure my photo library is synced to Google Photos.

There’s one final step.

You can manually share collections of images with friends and family (under the “Sharing” icon), but you know how I love automation.

Google Photos also allows you to share your entire account with specific people. This setting is under the three lines (aka “the hamburger”) and says “Share your library”. You are then guided through a short wizard to customize  sharing permissions.

Final Thoughts on Using Google Photos

My system to share pictures online might appear complicated, but it’s really Camera > Computer > Google Photos. I just happen to use Lightroom to do the first step. The best part is that I have found a suite of tools that work for me, and you get to customize the set of options that work best for you.

To conclude, there’s one pro and one con I want to add to the discussion. For scrapbookers, the image recognition capabilities of Google Photos nearly eliminate the need for tagging. I’m pretty sure no one has ever enjoyed tagging, so having the ability to find people, places, and things with ease is a dream for storytellers. I’m excited about the possibilities.

All that said, this solution isn’t perfect despite meeting my needs right now. Here’s the deal: Lightroom is a non-destructive editor. This means that your changes are saved to a catalog and not the individual file until you export the images as JPGs. Thus, images synced to Google Photos will always be the original, unedited versions.

For my purposes, this isn’t a big deal. However, if Lightroom ever allows syncing of Smart Collections to the web I might take another look at my system.

Have a question about Google Photos? Leave it in the comments below.

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Your 5-Step Photo Workflow, from Smartphone to Scrapbook Page https://www.simplescrapper.com/2016/10/5-step-photo-workflow-smartphone-scrapbook-page/ https://www.simplescrapper.com/2016/10/5-step-photo-workflow-smartphone-scrapbook-page/#comments Fri, 14 Oct 2016 16:20:30 +0000 http://www.simplescrapper.com/?p=40721 Have too many pictures? Learn how to use Adobe Lightroom on your phone and on your computer to streamline photo management.

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Photos are the foundation of any scrapbook, but the low cost and ease of taking pictures today has introduced new challenges. The hundreds of photo prints that could be filed away in a snap has morphed into thousands of digital files on multiple devices.

Fortunately, there are tools that can help automate and simplify how you handle your pictures. In this post I’m sharing how I use Adobe Lightroom, both on my phone and on my computer, to streamline photo management. However, you don’t have to use this software to adopt a similar workflow*.

* A workflow is the series of steps you take from the beginning to the end of a task, similar to a routine.

Your 5-Step Photo Workflow, from Smartphone to Scrapbook Page

Step 1: Shoot

I recently upgraded my older iPhone to a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. Reviews of the camera were the deciding factor for me, despite feeling nervous about the operating system. I absolutely love it so far.

I’m using the the native camera, almost always entering through the icon on the lock screen (just as I did with the iPhone). Side-button shooting is helpful in certain scenarios and I’ve found the ability to shoot with voice commands helpful.

No matter what camera I’m using, I always pay attention to the light. Are there harsh shadows? Is my subject dark due to backlighting? Do I have enough light to freeze the motion? I certainly take a lot of not-so-great pictures, but awareness of light means more of them are good.

I also make sure to clean my lens often. My favorite tool is a microfiber pad that I use for both my glasses and my phone. Nothing saddens me more than seeing a lovely picture blurred by a smudgy phone lens.

I love my big camera, but let’s be honest here… my phone is the camera I always have on me!

Step 2: Curate

One of the reasons I’m writing this post is a recent change I made to my workflow. I noticed that photos were piling up in a staging area on my computer, a picture purgatory if you will. The automatic systems I set up were working fine, but the human component (i.e. me) wasn’t keeping pace.

So I began to look at exactly what was causing the pile-up: deleting photos. I don’t want my photo library full of random pictures of the brand of cat food we buy and 30 versions of the same selfie, so I delete liberally. But, this takes time.

In this season of life I’m spending more time outside of the home and office, including significant waiting-for-the-kid scenarios. More of my personal “computer” time is actually on my phone. However, because my photos were being automatically uploaded to Dropbox (see box in Step 3 below), there was little I could do from my phone.

Then, I decided to give Lightroom for mobile another try. Using the app (iPhone | iPad | Android), I can spend free moments picking photos with a swipe up and rejecting photos with a swipe down. It’s like Tinder for my pictures, and it has substantially reduced the backlog I face on the computer.

I will often use the filtered view to limit the photos I see to only those which are “unflagged”. These are the images that have not yet been touched and it’s oh-so-gratifying to bring that number down to zero with simple decision-making.

Alternate Method – You can also curate photos from your phone by using the native delete/trash function, and no additional app. In some case you may be able to multi-select images to delete in bulk. This works particularly well if you are manually uploading photos or using a cable to transfer them to your computer.

Step 3: Sync

Lightroom for mobile devices is a useful app on its own, but the automatic sync of images to my computer was the clincher. Now that everything is downloadable from the cloud, I rarely connect my phone to my computer. It’s a manual step that requires time and having the cable on hand at the right time, which I never do.

As you might have heard me mention, I’m a lazy scrapbooker. I don’t want to work any harder than I need to, which is why the Internet is just so magical for photo lovers like us! Lightroom sends each photo, including copies that I’ve edited in A Color Story, VSCO, or Instagram, to my computer. There’s only one small catch.

Lightroom for mobile import photos from your device to the app’s catalog when the app is open. Since I’m doing regular curation (see Step 2 above), that’s not a big deal at all. However, it’s important to understand how it works. If the app hasn’t been opened, new images won’t sync to your computer.

Alternate Method – You can also accomplish this step with Dropbox Camera Upload. By installing Dropbox on your smartphone and turning on this feature, your photos will automatically be copied to your Dropbox account. From there they can be moved (automatically or manually) into your photo library folders or your favorite software.

Step 4: Organize

Lightroom Mobile automatically creates a destination folder for your synced device that appears in Lightroom. I regularly move photos from that default location into my month folders, but the sync connection remains. In other words, any flagging, starring, or editing you perform in Lightroom on your computer will be synced back to Lightroom Mobile on your device.

With photos on my computer, I will complete any reject flagging (see Step 2) and delete all of the rejected images. Between Step 2 and Step 4, selecting the best images and deleting the rest represents the bulk of time I spend on photo management. At this stage I will also add stars to note images that particularly stand out. I tend to use 2 for “to scrapbook” and 4 for “to frame”. These will be changed to 3 and 5 stars, respectively, once edited.

Picking and rejecting photos with flags in Lightroom (on any device or computer) is the easiest way to know which images have been handled and which need to be deleted in bulk. This is the step where you can also add tags to your photos. While I can see the benefit for locating related images, it’s not a step I’ve successfully integrated into my process.

My library has a simple structure with top-level folders for years and then month folders underneath. Any flagging, starring, or additional metadata editing takes place in my month folders, where I’m only looking at a few hundred photos at a time. Lightroom catalogs photo files but does not house copies of your images. This is one reason I love Lightroom: my original files are organized exactly how I see them in the software.

Alternate Method – Well-organized folders on your hard drive or an external drive are the essential foundation of photo management. Software can be used on top of folders to help you find and edit photos more easily, but it’s not required. You can start now with a folder for 2016 and sub-folders for each month. As time allows, work backwards to bring older images into that framework, but don’t let prior disorganization stop you from taking care of new pictures.

Step 5: Edit + Print

Ease of editing, especially in batches, was the original reason I started using Lightroom. A few years ago I attempted to edit every photo I was saving. It quickly became impossible to keep up and I’ve given up on the goal. Instead, I will edit photos with a specific purpose in mind. Usually this is for scrapbooking, but I will also edit batches of photos for framing or sharing with family.

Note: I take a lot of pride in my photography, so it’s worth it to me to add a final polish to images that leave my computer. Your opinion might differ from mine and that’s OK. 

With my photos in Lightroom, I have a couple of different options for printing. Sometimes I will export a batch of photos to a folder and use Persnickety Prints to order my prints. Most often I print at home using my Canon PIXMA Pro-100. If I am printing a single image I will use the Canon Print Studio Pro plug-in directly from Lightroom. If I creating a collage of two or more images, I will save that as a JPG and then print from Photoshop using the Print Studio Pro plug-in.

Printing can be a complicated process, especially when you start talking about printer profiles and color spaces. Most importantly, you should continue using the printing approach you’re most comfortable with as long as you are happy with the results. If you’re not happy, then there is quite the array of options to consider for making improvements. That’s beyond the scope of this post, but a topic we can certainly discuss in the comments or on our Facebook page.

The big takeaway here is that I edit only a fraction of my photos and both editing and printing are as-needed tasks.

This article does not cover photo security, but I didn’t want to overlook the importance. My photos, along with my entire computer and attached external drive, are backed up automatically using Crash Plan and a second external drive. Choosing and implementing solutions for peace of mind are discussed in Photo Crush, my free photo management challenge. See below for details.

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The Memory Keeper’s Guide to a Relaxing Vacation https://www.simplescrapper.com/2016/06/relaxing-vacation/ https://www.simplescrapper.com/2016/06/relaxing-vacation/#comments Tue, 14 Jun 2016 10:00:22 +0000 http://www.simplescrapper.com/?p=40319 Just an ounce of effort before your trip could prevent a pound of relaxation-interrupting frustration.

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As I lay on the pool float, I look up at the cloudless blue sky and quietly tell myself “relax”. Almost on cue my mind starts racing to all the things I could or should be doing, listening to the chatter both inside my head and in the world, interrupting this peaceful moment.

Relaxation is not my biggest strength and thus, I might be under-qualified to write this post. However, I’ve worked hard to let go of anxiety and mold my hobby to the life I desire. I’m relaxed about scrapbooking, even if I need to strive for that ease in other areas of my life.

The Memory Keeper's Guide to a Relaxing Vacation

In this post I want to help you feel more mellow about an upcoming adventure by ensuring that the least of your worries is memory keeping. Now I’m not suggesting that you stop capturing moments with your camera, but that you launch into vacation feeling ready.

Avoid these common photo dilemmas with a pre-vacation checklist.

While things can and likely will go wrong, you can use this list of challenges to reduce photo-related anxiety during and after your trip.

1. Your battery dies and you miss the moment. While battery life has always been a concern, the drain on our multi-function devices today makes it all the more important to have a plan.

  • Charge any devices or rechargeable batteries at least two days prior to leaving.
  • Pack needed charging cables and battery chargers, including portable chargers.

2. Your memory card is full. There’s nothing worse than running out of “film” half-way through a trip. Make sure to plan ahead for adequate space so you don’t get stuck.

  • Clear off devices and memory cards to maximize available space.
  • If applicable, bring an additional empty memory card.

3. You forget the names of people and places. Big trips don’t always get scrapbooked right away, but the details that seem so vivid right now will fade.

  • Bring a small notebook to write down key dates and facts to jog your memory later.
  • Use social media or your favorite photo storage site to document some of the details on the fly.

4. You break or lose your camera. The worst is possible, even if not likely, so extra insurance for your memories is worth the effort.

  • Use cloud-based syncing on phones, such as Dropbox Camera Upload or iCloud Photo Sharing, to ensure that a copy is automatically sent elsewhere.
  • If possible, ensure that someone else in your family (even a child) is also taking photos of your vacation with a separate camera.
  • If a laptop is taking the trip, consider making it a habit to offload photos each night.

5. You aren’t in any of the photos. As the family memory keeper, you’re likely taking most of the photos.

  • Consider bringing a tripod, shutter remote, and/or a selfie-stick to help you get into more of the photos.
  • Be conscious of your presence in the visual story, making sure to ask others to snap your picture.

6. You return home with more than 1,000 photos. When the sights are once-in-a-lifetime, it can feel tempting to make your memories from behind the lens.

  • Think about how you want to scrapbook this vacation, if at all. Having a high-level plan will boost your confidence in having “just enough” pictures.
  • Create a habit of taking a few photos and then putting your camera away to more deeply enjoy the experience.

Just an ounce of effort before your trip could prevent a pound of relaxation-interrupting frustration. And if you’re anything like me (i.e. wound a bit tight), you’ll take all the help you can get!

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How to Move Your Photos from Picasa to Other Software https://www.simplescrapper.com/2016/02/how-to-get-your-photos-out-of-picasa/ https://www.simplescrapper.com/2016/02/how-to-get-your-photos-out-of-picasa/#comments Thu, 25 Feb 2016 11:00:09 +0000 http://www.simplescrapper.com/?p=39918 Recently Google announced the retirement of Picasa, their popular-but-outdated free photo management application. Effective March 15 2016, Google will no longer update or support the desktop software. During last week’s Photo Crush challenge, I created a video tutorial explaining how Picasa works and how to migrate from Picasa albums. I also show how to import […]

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Recently Google announced the retirement of Picasa, their popular-but-outdated free photo management application. Effective March 15 2016, Google will no longer update or support the desktop software.

During last week’s Photo Crush challenge, I created a video tutorial explaining how Picasa works and how to migrate from Picasa albums. I also show how to import photos into four other applications: Apple Photos, Adobe PSE Organizer, Adobe Lightroom, and Mylio.

The good news is that if you were using folders within Picasa, the exit strategy is only a matter of importing that structure into another tool.

Albums, however, are only virtual organization and require a little more leg work. There are two options to consider if your folders don’t match your albums:

1. Photos can be exported album by album to re-create the system used in Picasa. This approach would create duplicate copies, so care would need to be taken to remove the unorganized files.

2. Photos can also be tagged based on your albums if exporting would be difficult. The original files could then be imported into new software so that a software’s “smart” organization tools can help you create a new structure.

While Picasa was a simple, user-friendly tool it was not quite modernized. Today’s updated options are robust, affordable replacements to carry you forward with ease.

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Photo Library Confessions: A Peek Behind the Organization Curtain https://www.simplescrapper.com/2016/02/all-the-photo-library-confessions/ https://www.simplescrapper.com/2016/02/all-the-photo-library-confessions/#comments Tue, 09 Feb 2016 11:00:14 +0000 http://www.simplescrapper.com/?p=39865 In this post I'm sharing five confessions about what goes on (and doesn't) inside of my Adobe Lightroom photo management software.

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Since 2008, one message I’ve consistently shared is that I’m in this with you. I’m your peer in fighting to stay organized and finding time to scrapbook, just as much as I am your guide.

And while I do employ a variety of tools and techniques to stay on track in life, business, and creativity, I don’t claim to have it all figured out. My photo library is one of those areas that’s loosely under control but far from being perfect.

In this post I’m sharing five confessions about what goes on (and doesn’t) inside of my Adobe Lightroom photo management software.

Photo Library Confessions: A Peek Behind the Organization Curtain

1. Being left-brained sometimes works against me. All of my photos get imported into holding area folders so that I can do deletions before sending the photos to their proper homes. This is a somewhat neurotic control issue I have, but it actually doesn’t work perfectly—or at all. I have thousands of photos still in these folders, some dating back to 2013. I need to fix this process, stat!

2. I love tagged photos, but I rarely add tags. I use the tags I do have to find related photos, but my library as a whole is woefully under-tagged. It’s something I personally value and promote, but I haven’t found a good workflow for it in Lightroom. This bums me out, but apparently not enough to ever make it a priority. The silver lining is that I often find something fun when I go digging for a photo.

3. Letting go is hard, but I’m making progress. In my ideal world every keeper photo would receive basic editing for proper exposure. Five years ago this was possible, but today it’s just not. Even with fairly rigorous deletions, there are simply too many photos. I’ve had to let go of having that expectation, but it’s still difficult for me to share batches of unedited images. They feel unfinished.

4. The first third of the year is more organized. More than a year ago I noticed that I always start strong in January and then it all falls apart in May. I correlate this to being outside more in the late spring and summer, which leads to both more photos and less time to manage them. I’m really glad that I understand this about myself, but I’m still working on the best strategies to correct the behavior.

5. Working with my photos always leads to scrapbooking. This may not be the case for everyone, but the #1 fool-proof way to get me to scrapbook is to sit me down with Lightroom. I love seeing relationships between images and noticing trends across time. Browsing my photo library reminds me why I scrapbook and helps me discover stories that are just waiting to be told.

Alright, now it’s your turn to share a photo library confession. We’re all friends here and this is a safe space. Share your confession in the comments below and how you might tackle it during the next Photo Crush organization challenge.

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How to Eliminate Duplicate Photos on a PC or Mac https://www.simplescrapper.com/2016/02/how-eliminate-duplicate-photos-on-pc-or-mac/ https://www.simplescrapper.com/2016/02/how-eliminate-duplicate-photos-on-pc-or-mac/#comments Tue, 02 Feb 2016 20:14:54 +0000 http://www.simplescrapper.com/?p=39835 This simple step-by-step process will help you consolidate your photos and finally eliminate duplicate copies.

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During the last Photo Crush challenge, eliminating duplicate copies of photos was the most frequently-discussed topic. Not only are your photos in multiple locations, but you’ve got copies spread across numerous devices and drives.

In this post my aim is to provide a clear path out of the weeds for both PC and Mac users. With intentional action, you can consolidate your photo library and stop worrying about your memories getting lost in the clutter. Here’s how to begin:

How to Eliminate Duplicate Photos on a PC or Mac

Step 1.  Prevent New Duplicate Photos

It’s time to draw a line in the sand. Everything that came before may be in disarray (and take some time to sort), but from here forward you can do better.

Don’t wait until you’re totally organized to commit to more purposeful photo management. You can start where you are right now.

So what’s the secret to preventing duplicate copies? There are several:

* Your photos should have a clearly designated home. Your #1 objective should be to get your images from each camera or device to that home.

* The entire photo library should be backed up in at least one (ideally two) locations. Automated backup can reduce the anxiety that leads to duplicates.

* When transferring images, always check which photo was the last to be imported. Then, import only the new pictures to your photo home. Clear off your memory card once the newest images have been backed up.

* If you do make a copy (for whatever reason), delete the duplicate copy as soon as you feel assured the file transfer has completed. A spot-check is often sufficient.

Step 2. Consolidate and Compare

Setting yourself up for future duplicate avoidance should feel like a big relief. With that zone under control, you can turn your focus to the photos you already have.

While there is duplicate-locating software for both Mac and PC, it’s not where I personally believe you should begin. Software is no substitute for good old-fashioned human eyeballs on the situation and can even make the progress more complicated that it needs to be.

I don’t recommend taking shortcuts when it comes to protecting your memories.

Remember the “home” I mentioned above? That’s where the master copy of every photo lives and where you’ll focus to eliminate duplicate files.

Start by creating a set of nested, chronological folders designated with years and months. If you have a particular subset of your photos that’s in the best shape, you can move just that subset into this folder structure. (If you don’t, that’s OK too.) This is your starting point.

Next, copy all batches of images to a location near that home. For example, create a “to sort” folder near your master photo library. Don’t worry about organization yet, simply copy every folder from every device into this location. You can label those incoming photos by location too, such as “photos from laptop”.

If you have a drive space issue, you can create multiple “to sort” folders or store your “to sort” folder on an external drive with sufficient space.

Note: The security of your photos is super important to me, so I am recommending making copies here. You might find it helpful to write down the original location of each folder you copy. Once this process is complete, you’ll be able to delete the originals.

So now you have a collection of folders within a “to sort” folder. They contain photos from multiple devices and you’re not sure which, if any, are already “home” in your master photo library.

Here’s the most important part: One sub-folder at a time, compare batches of photos to what’s in your home. The chronological structure will help you know where each image belongs. Using large icons or a preview pane can help, as can arranging your windows side-by-side.

Photos that already exist in the master photo library can be flagged for deletion by appending the folder name with “duplicate – to delete”. Photos that don’t exist in the master photo library can be moved into that structure.

While this process can take some time, it is the most straightforward approach. Folder by folder, you can determine which files are duplicates and which are not. And by being clear about which location is the master, you will avoid confusion.

Your goal is to move every non-duplicate image into the master photo library and be left with a “to sort” folder full of sub-folders flagged for deletion. With your master photo library newly-organized (even if only roughly), you can back it up in at least one location. This will leave you with the confidence to delete photos across your devices, eliminating duplicates once and for all.

Need a visual demonstration? Watch this video tutorial:

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Easy Digital Photo Organization for Non-Techie People https://www.simplescrapper.com/2016/01/easy-digital-photo-organization-non-techie-people/ https://www.simplescrapper.com/2016/01/easy-digital-photo-organization-non-techie-people/#comments Tue, 26 Jan 2016 04:47:01 +0000 http://www.simplescrapper.com/?p=39814 Keeping thousands of digital photos organized doesn’t have to be difficult or require complicated software. In fact, even the most non-techie person can start getting her pictures in order today. The secret is developing a simple and clear filing system that’s easy to remember and use, so that every photo has a home. Here’s how […]

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Keeping thousands of digital photos organized doesn’t have to be difficult or require complicated software. In fact, even the most non-techie person can start getting her pictures in order today.

The secret is developing a simple and clear filing system that’s easy to remember and use, so that every photo has a home. Here’s how to create a system that’s effective:

Easy Digital Photo Organization for Non-Techie People

A hierarchy of folders is the core.

Virtual folders are the base organizational structure of every computer. It’s linear and logical, making it easy to grasp.

A single folder for photos would quickly get overwhelming. So instead, you can create nested folders to store your individual files.

The preview pane is a great help.

While folders work great on their own to create order, navigating your images is much easier if you can get a bird’s eye view of the situation.

Along with a folder structure, every computer operating system has a viewing option that shows you a preview of the image. A preview pane next to your list of files is ideal, but even large thumbnails will work well.

Tip: The up and down arrows on your keyboard make it faster to flip through images.

Chronological makes the most sense.

We live life in order. So while there is a time and place for use of thematic organization, the easiest approach to structuring your digital photos is chronological.

What this looks like is folders for years or year spans, followed by sub-folders for months. Optionally, you can add in event-specific folders, but I don’t like to nest these. Instead they would be labeled by the month and then the subject.

For example, folders within a single year might look like one of these:

01 – January
02 – February
03 – March
etc.

– OR –

01 – Birthdays
02 – Super Bowl
02 – New Office
03 – St. Louis
etc.

Use naming conventions for sanity.

Did you see how I used numbers above to label my folders? Generally folders will auto-alphabetize themselves. So if you want to organize folders chronologically you need to add numeric titles in addition to the names.

This is called a naming convention, because it creates consistency so that the folders sort “like with like”. (Notice how the two February folders – Super Bowl and New Office – are together.)

It’s helpful to use naming conventions, down to the number of spaces and uses of hyphen or underscores, for both photos and individual photo files. The more consistency you add, the easier it will be to find what you need.

Make sure any additions are portable.

This approach might sound simplistic and that’s because it is. Many scrapbookers don’t need anything more complicated than well-organized folders to successfully manage thousands of images.

However, it can be helpful to add further structure to your system with the use of flags, star ratings, color labels, or tags. While any of these help you highlight certain images and cross-reference files beyond the folder structure, there is a caveat.

In some cases, but not all, these additions are unique to your computer’s operating system and are not embedded within the file itself. This can cause frustration if you want to try a different approach later.

My advice is to not spend hours upon hours on extra layers of organization without knowing if your work could be imported elsewhere. The best news is that folders alone are universal and can serve as the perfect foundation for adding software later.

And finally, there’s one last critical step: you must actually use the system you create.

Every time you transfer photos from a device to your computer, those images should be moved (not copied) into this folder structure you created. Consistency will ensure that limit duplicate copies of photos and that you can always find what you need.

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